Spotlight on Sihing Ayron Johnson

Sihing Ayron Johnson and Sihing Pau Wang.

A moment of Sixth Student Level transmission.

Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of travelling to Atlanta half a dozen times to mentor Sihing Ayron. It’s almost a second home for me now! After each visit, he has grown in his depth of understanding as a practitioner and capability to communicate as an instructor.

Starting anew with IAW WingChun after years in another style is a test of character and a challenge of will. As one of our main representatives on the East Coast, I envision Sihing Ayron continuing to mature in our unique art while inspiring his expanding student body. I appreciate the quiet diligence and admire the quick intelligence he demonstrates. These attributes will serve him well towards attaining the highest aspirations on the WingChun path. Continue reading

2011 Fall Event Series

Get ready for lots of WingChun action.

It’s getting to that time, when we kick off our Fall Event Series, October 14-23! I’m excited to bring you my teacher, Sifu Klaus Brand. As IAW Founder and WingChun Grandmaster, he offers an incomparable quality of Self-Defense education. Come experience for yourself why so many students and teachers in various countries are compelled to master the system he transmits. Continue reading

Your Self in Defense

IAW Logo Yin Yang

Balance your Selves.

Self-Defense is as much, if not more, about your Self as it is about Defense. 99.99% of the time you can avoid the Defense part (unless you live in a dangerous locality or frequent fight clubs).

But you can never ever escape your Self.

I love articulating the intelligence of our art as a scholar「文士」of WingChun. However, when I drift into excursus, brains saturate and minds wander. So I pause and shift to warrior「武士」mode. Continue reading

WingChun Impacts on Your Bones

Punch Bones Ulna Radius

WingChun Bone Sao.

Considerable research has investigated the effect of two exercise types on local bone mineral density (BMD) and total bone mineral content (BMC). This has been examined in professional and student athletes such as gymnasts, runners and swimmers as well as basketball, volleyball and soccer players. Medical studies have focused on the elderly, prepubescent children and postmenopausal women — the latter in terms of osteopenia and osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

Though no work has evaluated WingChun per se, I will extrapolate some of the published literature to our unique system of physical cultivation. Continue reading

The 8 Most Dangerous Mistakes of “Wing Chun” Systems

Biohazard Sign

Warning. WingChun hazards ahead.

As I promised, here is the translation. I’m proud to feature a guest post by Sifu Klaus Brand. In it, he identifies common traits of many “wing chun” styles and explains why they are liabilities. Due to novel research on Self-Defense efficacy, the IAW WingChun system has adopted an adapted approach. This makes us different in many ways to more traditional practices.

If you’ve read my commentary on our YouTube videos, you’ve noticed the often emotional, and occasionally antagonistic, response to our presentation. For instance, our technical expression of power and violation of occupation on the centerline is scrutinized. Such cognitive incongruence is more than understandable. Stepping outside of the orthodox box of “wing chun” exposes us to critique. The following points make our unique — perhaps heretical or even revolutionary — application of WingChun somewhat clearer. Continue reading