Good place to learn Wing Chun in northern California?

[Benevolentbob]

Hey everybody, I'm really interested in learning Wing Chun but from what I can tell my options are extremely limited. I live about 30 to 40 minutes north of San Francisco, sometimes longer depending on traffic obviously. I'm a college student who works part time so time is highly limited, and with gas prices where they are I'd obviously like to have as short a commute as possible.

So far I've found these places:

Bay Mountain Martial Arts
http://www.petalumawingtsun.com/

East-West Wing Chun
http://www.wingchun-sf.com/sanfrancisco.html

US Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy
http://www.uswingchun.com/

Does anybody go to any of these places or know anything about them? I'd prefer not to go to San Francisco for class because gas would start to get crazy and I would lose a lot out of my day with the commute. However, if it's my only real option then I'm willing to give it a shot. I've heard negative things about Bay Mountain Martial Arts and US Wing Chun Academy and not much at all about East-West Wing Chun. Bay Mountain is conveniently located so I'll probably check it out anyway. I'd greatly appreciate any input or advice.

 

[Nabakatsu]

The only experience I have had with folks from Cali would be Micheal Casey.
this is his website: http://westlaselfdefense.com/
if you can make it out there, I can 100% guarantee you will NOT be disappointed.
Otherwise best of luck!

 

[Benevolentbob]

I'm sure it's a great place to train but it's also over 400 miles away .

 

[wtxs]

Hey everybody, I'm really interested in learning Wing Chun but from what I can tell my options are extremely limited. I live about 30 to 40 minutes north of San Francisco, sometimes longer depending on traffic obviously. I'm a college student who works part time so time is highly limited, and with gas prices where they are I'd obviously like to have as short a commute as possible.

I share your pain man, I grew up around the bay area in the 60's/70's, the traffic situation gets worse each time we visit the families there.

Check to see if your college have an message/bulletin board, let the folks posted there know you're looking for anyone may had/has WC training and willing to share ... good luck.

 

[Benevolentbob]

I share your pain man, I grew up around the bay area in the 60's/70's, the traffic situation gets worse each time we visit the families there.

Check to see if your college have an message/bulletin board, let the folks posted there know you're looking for anyone may had/has WC training and willing to share ... good luck.

I am fortunate enough to have a friend that hosts a sparring group once a week who has done some Wing Chun. He's a great guy and is willing to teach me what he knows but I would ideally like to find a really good sifu.

 

[Eric_H]

Benevolentbob,

Not 100% sure where you are located but my Sifu, Garrett Gee is in Daly City, and you've already posted Sifu Chris Chan who is in SF as well. Both are well worth a phonecall.

 

[Benevolentbob]

Benevolentbob,

Not 100% sure where you are located but my Sifu, Garrett Gee is in Daly City, and you've already posted Sifu Chris Chan who is in SF as well. Both are well worth a phonecall.

Daly City is really kind of pushing it, as I stated earlier I would rather not commute too much, it's pretty impractical for me to do so at the moment. Have you trained with Chris Chan or heard much about him? I was reading that he doesn't teach the classes and just has assistant instructors do it for him and I also heard that he's not even a very good practitioner, however those people may have just been bitter.

 

[zepedawingchun]

You could post in Craigslist for your city under Community Activities or Services Lessons wanting to find a Wing Chun instructor or lessons in your area.

 

[zepedawingchun]

Benevolentbob, I found these two posts in Craigslist, not sure how close they may be to you. But check them out.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/lss/2379665201.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/lss/2373449823.html

 

[Eric_H]

Daly City is really kind of pushing it, as I stated earlier I would rather not commute too much, it's pretty impractical for me to do so at the moment. Have you trained with Chris Chan or heard much about him? I was reading that he doesn't teach the classes and just has assistant instructors do it for him and I also heard that he's not even a very good practitioner, however those people may have just been bitter.

Benevolentbob,

Thats why I said it might be worth a phonecall, either one may have senior students out your way who have small clubs/training groups going if their schools are too far.

As for Sifu Chan, I have not trained with him personally but have met several of students/former students of his throughout the years. Also, my Sifu shared a school with him many years ago on Market street and speaks very well of him.

As for the senior students teaching, that's fairly traditional. Plus Sifu Chan is getting up there in age, he may not physically be able to teach as much as he'd like to. That said, he was a pretty badass dude back in the day. I don't know of anyone having a problem with him other than some Ken Chung students a few years back.

 

[Benevolentbob]

Thanks Eric, I think Chris Chan would be my best overall bet. However, I'm looking at where it's located and there are no nearby parking garages, and good luck parking on the street in San Francisco. I wish the city was designed better. This coupled with the commute (time, gas, bridge toll), is what's keeping em from checking it out. I think I'll shoot him an e-mail asking if he has senior students closer to me like you suggested.

 

[Benevolentbob]

Also, if anyone could look at some of the videos on the Bay Mountain site and tell me if they look legit at all I'd appreciate it. There's a few on youtube but they're not specifically from the Petaluma school which is the one I'm looking at.

 

[Domino]

Learn traditional Ip Man Wing Chun @

California
3020 Mariquita Street,
Long Beach, 90803
Contact Sifu Bryan Talbot, a student of Ron Heimberger.
Telephone: 562-612-7332

http://www.ipmankungfu.com/

 

[Benevolentbob]

Learn traditional Ip Man Wing Chun @

California
3020 Mariquita Street,
Long Beach, 90803
Contact Sifu Bryan Talbot, a student of Ron Heimberger.
Telephone: 562-612-7332

http://www.ipmankungfu.com/

Thank you for the suggestion, however Long Beach is an 8 hour drive for me.

 

[Eric_H]

Also, if anyone could look at some of the videos on the Bay Mountain site and tell me if they look legit at all I'd appreciate it. There's a few on youtube but they're not specifically from the Petaluma school which is the one I'm looking at.

They all look like promos from different schools and organizations - the only one that looked decent was the weapons one and the film was obviously sped up.

 

[Domino]

Thank you for the suggestion, however Long Beach is an 8 hour drive for me.

You're welcome however I never did get geography gcse

 

[zepedawingchun]

They all look like promos from different schools and organizations - the only one that looked decent was the weapons one and the film was obviously sped up.

If you're talking about the stick and staff, stick and stick, and machete' video, it is not sped up. Anyone familiar with Kali or Arnis will recognized the 6 count pattererned drill called Heaven 6, which is what they are doing. It is one of the first things Kali students are taught. Once mastered, a person could make around 6 strikes in a second. It teaches you angles, coordination, rythym, and of course speed in striking.

 

[Eric_H]

Zepeda,

It could be the compression they use, but the film looks sped up.

Doesn't mean that they could or couldn't do it that fast.

 

[bully]

Weirdly enough I bumped into a Chris Chan student today at Gatwick airport in London.

He lives here in Jersey and I trained with him for a couple of months. I will give you my 10 cents...

They do lots of dynamic tension in their training. The forms are done as if you are lifting invisible weights and pushing down on invisible poles etc. After doing SLT like this (it was a different SLT to what I know but not inferior, all the moves were there) I was aching in places I never knew existed.

I thought this was a good way to develop power BUT I felt it went against the traditional way I had been taught sensitivity. When we did Chi Sau it was like we were both putting full force into our rolling and my structure was compromised. It is really hard for me to explain but I felt it went against all I had been taught for sensitivity.

I would like to point out that the student who taught us is a very very good Wing Chun guy, so the Chris Chan system must work. He controlled me easily and his shapes and power were very good. We chatted today and are going to grab a coffee soon and perhaps talk about trying to train in some way again.

This system wasn't for me but I have taken some ideas from it. I have also been told that Chris Chan has produced some pretty good WC fighters, so again it can't be a system that isnt any good.

Flying Crane may be able to comment too as he has trained in this lineage I think.

Good luck and I hope you find a good sifu.

 

[fangjian]

Although not Wing Chun, there is Balintawak ( its empty hand training is somewhat similar) in the Bay Area.

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