About – Wing Chun Kuen Auckland

Training Environment

Wing Chun training is suitable for both adults and children. Open and free dialogue between students and instructors is encouraged to enhance the understanding behind the method. Apart from the form work, instruction is hands-on with lots of partner work. Once the student has achieved the beginner curriculum, they will be invited to participate in open sticky hands sessions (chi sao). It is recommended that you attend the 10:30 – 11:30 am session at the Greenlane Presbyterian Church for introductory lessons which is on the corner of Great South Road and Greenlane Road. Parking available in the church.

What is Wing Chun Kung Fu

Wing Chun Kung Fu is a martial art of unlimited depth and potential. As an internal martial art, Wing Chun does not rely on brute strength or speed. Through the use of relaxation, focus, alignment and body mechanics, a student proficient in Wing Chun can realistically over power a bigger, stronger, person. While many martial arts achieve this by diverting force, Wing Chun, as we practice it, achieves this by receiving force directly and relaxing the joints and muscles while aligning the spine to effortlessly hold the force and send it back. This skill and practice is very rare among martial arts.

How our Wing Chun Kung Fu is different?

While Wing Chun can be an effective and direct technical fighting method, the focus at our school will be on how to produce the maximum amount of force with the least effort. This is the foundation we will build before moving on to application. We will be practicing ways to make your hand and body structure strong (without relying on strength) so that it can both receive and issue great force. Once this fundamental is achieved, you will be able to apply the technical aspects of this art with much greater power and proficiency.
The effects are surprising and amazing. How we train to achieve this involves standing practice, doing the forms, chi sao (sticky hands with a partner) wooden dummy practice and structural tests. Practical application will also be covered, but without a good foundation in the structure of Wing Chun, techniques are often hollow and insubstantial.

About us

Sihing Gray has been training martial arts from the age of 7, first starting his journey in Karate. He has trained in various lineages of Wing Chun before luckily finding Sifu Philip Chan and falling in love with the Chu Shong Tin style of Wing Chun. Being highly active in the Chu Shong Tin lineage community, Gray has travelled to both Australia and Hong Kong to learn from high level instructors. He has also founded a successful online Chu Shong Tin discussion community via Facebook to strengthen our Wing Chun community. Gray is also active in seeking out and attending seminars of Wing Chun sifus from other lineages as well as teachers of other martial arts. Having lived in Japan for close to 10 years, Gray also has a background in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Taiji and Aunkai. Currently Gray's interests lie firmly within the field of internal martial arts which drives him to deepen his understanding of Chu Shong Tin Wing Chun, as well as other internal arts such as Aunkai and Taiji Quan.

Gray Gillespie

Philip Chan has a long background in martial arts, originally starting his journey in a hard style of Karate. Sifu Philip was later fortunate enough to meet his sifu, Joe Chan. Sigung Jo Chan was a dedicated disciple of Grand Master Chu Shong Tin and was well known for his relentless and dedicated practice. Upon meeting his sifu, Sifu Philip was amazed by the skill and power of Sigung Jo Chan, who was very small in stature. For the last 20 years, Philip has dedicated himself to teaching small closed sessions as this was the way he was taught and the way many people learned Wing Chun traditionally. Under much encouragement from his students, Sifu Philip has agreed to open his sessions to the public so that many more people can benefit from the beauty and profundity of true Wing Chun.

Philip Chan