Interviewer: Good morning, sifu. May I ask you for this interview to discuss whether any group has a genetic advantage in learning Wing Chun?
Sifu: Good morning. That’s an interesting question. It’s a simple fact that some body types are better suited to some arts than others. Whilst, within reasonable parameters, anyone these days can enrol in a given martial art school and learn an art, there can be, with some arts, more ideal body types. For example, Monkey style is more easily learnt by slim people and by smaller people. The same is true for Mantis. You can’t be built like a body builder and hop around quickly and have high flexibility. Hung Gar is more easily learnt by the thickset. Big guys with large body mass can excel at Hung Gar. The more body mass, given you’re fit not obese, the better. Judo requires a bulky body build. Jujutsu is best served with a bigger body, too. Sumo speaks for itself! (Laughs) When I was young I was quite slim and light so I had a disadvantage learning karate, for example, compared to well built, stronger guys in the West. But I overcame that in time with my skill, height and speed. In Japan, I had height and reach as an advantage. Ba Gua is performed best by slim people. Having said that, Tung Hai Chuan, the founder was a big, thick-set, barrel chested fellow. We see some famous Tai Chi masters who were quite stout. Yang Cheng Fu himself was a burly big fellow, for example. Often, though, these guys learnt as slim, fit young men then put on fat as they aged. If you consider modern wushu a martial art - which I don’t - the top people seem to all have similar gymnast type physiques and all seem to be young.
Interviewer: What of Wing Chun, sifu, is one body type better than another?
Sifu: Wing Chun can be learnt by a variety of body types. I’ve heard it said that Koo Lo Pin Sun is best learnt by thicker set guys but I don’t think that’s so. Our Wing Chun seems to lend itself more to tall, slimmer people. This is true. This is not to say, however, that other body types can’t learn it and perform it effectively. Sifu was quite short, for example. The desire to learn and to excel and constant correct application of the art can ensure the learner succeeds at Wing Chun. Of course, most people with disabilities can’t learn our art properly. Minor disabilities that don’t impact function, yes, maybe this is OK with some teachers. Some arts can cater for disability, some can’t, ours is one that requires able-bodied status, two functional arms and legs and normal skeletal structure and function. This is not discrimination. It is simply that some things aren’t possible.
Interviewer: Have you had people with disabilities wanting to learn, sifu?
Sifu: First I have to say that in my job I work with people with many types of disabilities. I have done so for over three decades now. So, I have a professional understanding of disability and, I also have a professional understanding of gung fu! I’ve had a few misguided parents try to fob boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder on the class. They had the mistaken notion that somehow, magically, “martial art teaches discipline”. Well, being a psychologist I could tell them that medication is really the only answer and that trying to significantly alter brain chemistry with behaviour is impossible for this syndrome - as with many others. I once had a clown of a school counsellor con me into enrolling a boy with Autism - the milder form, Aspergers Syndrome. I quickly spotted him, too. Nice enough guy - but had difficulties. One thing that gave him away - apart from his “looking through” me was he had such a high pain threshold. He dropped out eventually. Other than that I’ve had a rare few people with mental illness as students for short periods. They developed the illness whilst training. We don’t accept people with illnesses that impact on training, or that can be exacerbated by training, or, pose a danger to others. I have a dual responsibility as a sifu and as a psychologist in this respect.
Interviewer: You could end up teaching people with very distorted perceptions and attitudes, I guess?
Sifu: Yes. For example, psychopaths form up to about seven or eight percent of the population, for example. Five per cent of men are psychopaths, up to one percent of women. We can’t possibly teach such people martial arts. Though, statistically, there have to be instructors out there who are teaching psychopaths. And, given the stats - dare I say it? (Laughs) - instructors who are psychopaths! I’ve known some, in fact! They’re not hard to spot, actually - although they like to try to “hide in plain sight” and con you! Some are just very nasty, aggressive personalities! Combine this pathology with steroids and you have a very explosive mix! So, in this respect, all men are not brothers! The psychopath has, quite simply, no conscience. They’re pretty much born this way but their difficulties can be vastly exacerbated by childhood abuse. They are literally demons, I’m afraid! Sheer, undiluted evil! There’s no cure, no treatment.
Interviewer: Gee, I see. OK. What about the idea that the nationality of the country of origin is best suited to learn a martial art?
Sifu: Yes, I’ve encountered that. The Japanese used to say only the Japanese could understand karate. They certainly held Westerners back in rank promotion compared to the Japanese. I had to be twice as good as a Japanese to get all my ranks. Literally. However, eventually, because of my dedication and ability, they said I understood karate better than most Japanese. Coming from them that was quite a compliment. (Laughs) But, as I said because of their xenophobia I had to be twice as good! No wonder I understood it! But it took me twenty years of dedication to get the compliment! I loved those instructors, though - such genuine warriors and sincere people. A lot of Chinese think only the Chinese can excel at gung fu. This isn’t at all correct. (Laughs) Many suck at it, but think they’re good! Sifu was half gwailo - which to the Chinese made him gwailo. He was beaten up for it as a child. That was what inspired him to learn gung fu, actually. He said he’d go around watching the gung fu street performers and try to copy their techniques so he could defend himself. He was quite young at the time - a little boy under ten. I once heard a Sil Lum monk say that this idea of only the Chinese being able to master gung fu was quite incorrect. The Chinese have a saying that: “All men within the four seas are brothers”, I think this applies. In fact, many Chinese will say that if you wish to really learn gung fu, find a fully qualified and knowledgeable gwailo sifu because they’ll teach you whereas the Chinese sifus often play “holding back”, “pay me a king’s ransom” or “be my doting slave” games. That was actually my experience on occasion. Sifu didn’t hold back but other Chinese sifus I’d met or trained with definitely did! My money was apparently the right colour, even though I was judged not to be! I got my payback though! (Laughs) Wing Chun is a hard art to “hold back” though as it’s, to me anyway, quite transparent. Once you see something done, you have it.
Interviewer: (Laughs) That may be the way it is for you, sifu. But I’m not sure everyone has the same experience!
Sifu: (Laughs) Well, maybe. Sifu said it was like that for him, too. It was one reason he liked me. He said he showed me once or demonstrated and I had it. He didn’t like going over things and breaking things down into a “gung fu by the numbers” approach. The old way, you see? I recall several teachers like that. They’d show you once and if you didn’t get it they wouldn’t bother again!
Interviewer: Have you ever had gwailo instructors ourself sifu?
Sifu: For gung fu - no, never. When I was a young chap in my early days of learning karate I had a gwailo instructor - in Japanese we’d have said “gaijin sensei”. He was a sadistic moron and a thug to be quite blunt. He lost any intelligent students he had in a very short time. That type of instructor attracts his own kind, I’m afraid. Later I also learnt Uechi-ryu from an American guy for a time. Other than that my senseis were Japanese. I did also learn from some Okinawans intermittently but they weren’t my senseis. I found most Okinawan karate far too external for my liking.
Interviewer: OK. You seem to attract a regular United Nations to your classes, sifu. Which nationalities have studied with you?
Sifu: (Laughs) Yes! We are a UN, eh? I’ve had a South African, a British chap, a Scandanavian, and an American come to visit and train. I’ve helped a few Yanks and Canadians with their training. You’re nisei - half Japanese. I’ve had folk from other nationalities - Thai, Sri Lankan, Papuan and so on - but they’ve dropped out now. Currently we seem to have pleasingly attracted more Asian students. I say “pleasingly” because their cultural and family backgrounds give them very suitable and appropriate attitudes. We have Burmese, Singaporean, Tibetan, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Chilean, Polish, American, British and, of course (the majority) Chinese students as well as the Aussies. So, yes, a UN, indeed. Very nice! My choice of whom to teach has nothing to do with their ethnic background. That’d be discrimination. If you are human, and have the right attitudes, and are fit to train then I teach you! If your attitude is wrong, I won’t accept you as a student - simple! Why should I? If you’re not fit to train, OK, I’ll give advice on how you might become fit enough - or advise you against learning either this art - or, maybe, any art.
Interviewer: Compared to other gung fu, even to other martial arts classes, you do attract a lot of Asian students, sifu. Is there a reason?
Sifu: (Laughs) What do you think? Yes, it’s good. My Asian students, my Asian sons in gung fu, are wonderful people. They truly understand the real gung fu. They understand and appreciate the tradition I try so hard to preserve. I respect them and love their culture. They know this. Most significantly, I think they have seen quality, genuine gung fu in their homelands or amongst their friends and relatives. Some have trained with masters in other arts. One of my current seniors, for example, went right through the Hong Kong system with Wang Kiu in Holland and has learnt other arts. Some have friends who are masters. These guys know what they’re looking for. They know what they’re seeing. In one case, another of my seniors has a close boyhood friend who is the Choi Li Fut style keeper. Another of his friends is a Tai Chi master who lives from teaching the art. So they have “reference” - they can legitimately compare the quality of the art, the quality of the teaching, quality of the students, and the atmosphere of the gwoon. They look around then come to train with us. I’m sure that my students all see “Lien Kuen But Lien Gung Doh Lo Yut Cheung Hung” - this means if you train hard you will have good gung fu. But it is more than this. Today, in Australia, and even China itself, you have to find a genuine art, a genuine lineage and a genuine sifu. Of course, everyone claims this! (Laughs) But few actually are the real thing! Most probably believe they are genuine. Also, all my students know I mean it when I say I want each of them to master the art! Some of my students trip back to Hong Kong or China occasionally. They train there, either with Hong Kong Wing Chun or Kwok Wan Ping’s school or others. I wouldn’t approve of any of my students training in any Australian Wing Chun school I’m aware of at present - but training in China is usually different if they are selective. They can readily compare what they see and what they experience. Yes, the answer to the question must be that it is because they see the authenticity and quality and how I teach and look after them, I think. They see the real thing! Our art is real gung fu. It is genuine Wing Chun. It is an amazing art. They see this.
Interviewer: You’re a very good teacher, too, sifu.
Sifu: Thank you. Probably because I’m actually a university qualified teacher - I taught in schools for ten years, and I lectured at two universities - so I learnt the craft and science well. I have advised teachers how to teach for thirty years as part of my job as an educational psychologist. I’ve done a lot of adult training too. I’ve been a martial arts teacher all my adult life. You have to learn how to teach an art from a genuine teacher of the art. I served my apprenticeship in that respect. Training in coaching is very useful but there is far, far more to teaching an art than that. As a psychologist I know about teaching and learning. I know about motivation. So, I’m lucky I can bring this to my gung fu. I’m actually like the pipe that carries the water, though. It is the water that is important! I’m just passing down the true art.
Interviewer: (Laughs) May I say, you do it with a passion and compassion that is unusual!
Sifu: You flatter me. Thank you. I do love doing it, I love this art, and I do love my students. I am just trying to pass down the true art.
Interviewer: It shows! Thank you, sifu for giving us your thoughts.