Bay Area Wing Chun Association

* San Jose Wing Chun Association

    The San Jose Wing Chun Association, led by Sifu Ben Der, has been teaching students since 1973. Founded under the Leung Sheung lineage through Sifu Kenneth Chung, this school has a wide variety of talent and contains students who have studied Wing Chun for up to 20 years under Sifu Ben Der.

* San Francisco Wing Chun Association

    The San Francisco Wing Chun Association, led by Sifu Kenneth Chung, has been teaching students since 1968. Founded under the Leung Sheung lineage, Sifu Kenneth Chung's school also contains a wide variety of skills and talents, and is responsible for the founding of the school in San Jose. Don't ask where the energy comes from unless you want to experience it first hand .

* Wing Chun Historical Information

    Wing chun is the name of a system of martial arts developed in southern China approximately 300 years ago. Its originator, the Buddhist nun Ng Mui, was a master of Shaolin Kung Fu, and used this knowledge to invent a way to take advantage of the weaknesses inherent in the other Shaolin systems. This new system was well-guarded, and passed on to only a few, very dedicated students. Later, the style became known as Wing Chun, after Ng Mui's first student, a woman named Yim Wing Chun.

    In 1949, Yip Man, who was considered to be the grandmaster of modern Wing Chun, brought the style out of China into Hong Kong, and eventually to the rest of the world. Yip Man taught many students, but only the most dedicated were given inner circle status. One of these was Leung Sheung, who was well respected for his command of the essence of the system. Among Leung Sheung's top students is Kenneth Chung, who brought his knowledge of this style to California. Ben Der is Ken Chung's top student and has been teaching in the San Jose area since the early '70's.

    Since this fighting style was designed by a small woman to overcome larger and more powerful (as well as skilled) opponents, it is ideally suited for the self-defense needs of modern women. [Editor's note: this doesn't mean men can't take this martial art. It's just that women seem to take to the system much faster than men usually do, IMHO.] Wing Chun specializes in close-range, center-line movements. Correct position, sensitivity, timing, and strategy are emphasized over power. No prior fighting experience or aptitude is required.

    Classes are small, informal and relaxed, with plenty of individual instruction. Each participant progresses at their own pace. No uniforms, belt ranks, or tests are used, and any type of comfortable clothing may be worn.

* Miscellaneous Information