Q: How long have you been practicing the martial arts?
A: Over 30 years. Gawd, that makes me old!

Q: How many styles have you trained in?
A: Two - Wing Chun Gung Fu and most recently Jeet Kune Do with Sifu Ted Wong.

Q: Who was your first teacher?
A: Sifu George Yau Chu from Hong Kong. I met him when he walked by and stayed to watch while I was hitting and kicking a bag in my garage. He was my neighbor in LA Chinatown. Coincidentally, so was Sifu Ted Wong. Since I knew he was in Bruce's College Street group, I used to beg him to teach me when I was a kid and I'd see him in the neighborhood, but he always refused until many years later. Years later, a friend who trained with him arranged for me to meet him at a private dinner when I was in my early thirties and I was all, "Wong Sifu, it's an honor to meet you!" and he was like, "What are you talking about? I've known you since you were a kid and you used to pester me to teach you."

Q: Would you tell us some interesting stories of your early days in kung fu training?
A: My Sifu was absolutely brutal when he trained me. It seemed like he actually spent time dreaming up new ways to make me quit. Like making me stay in "Yee" Jee Keem Yeung Ma (Wing Chun's pigeon-toed "Character '2' Goat Restraining Stance") with my pelvis up and my knees one-fist's distance apart for extended periods. To ensure I didn't waiver, he made me hold my wallet between my knees. And believe me, in those days my wallet wasn't all that thick. When I dropped it, he'd kick me hard in the shins with the sharp inside edge of his shoe and make me start over. I had to endure this kind of torture regularly, but in the end I'm kind of glad he made me do it. To this day, I have a very solid stance and strong footwork, although I went home from many a lesson with bruised, bleeding shins in order to get them that way.
But my favorite "war story" involving my teacher had to do with jogging. Of course, all of us Bruce Lee fans have been told many times that Bruce considered jogging the "King of All Exercises". So of course, I wondered why my own Sifu wasn't doing any jogging. Since I jogged regularly, I must have asked him dozens of times why he didn't, and the last straw was when I asked him just before practice at his house. He finally said something like, "Okay Boy (he always called me 'Boy', never by my name), since you think jogging so great, you gone take a nice big jog!" He then sent me out to his back yard to pick up two large bricks. He told me to take off my shirt and shoes, and then to hold one brick gripped in the fingers of each hand. He marched me out into his front yard and pointed out some road cones WAAAY in the distance and told me to run all the way there and back, and not to stop because he'd be watching. I was like, "You've got to be kidding, right?" but he said he was dead serious and get the hell going. So off I took, barefoot, without a shirt, carrying bricks, running down the street in a drizzle with all the passers-by pointing and laughing at me. By the time I rounded the cones, I was actually whimpering and considered stopping, but a quick glance back at the house revealed the old Seef watching me intently. Perhaps the hint of a smile. So I kept on going. When I got somewhat near the house, I saw him run inside and shut the door. I made it to the front porch and knocked, but there was no answer for a while. So I stood there, shirtless and barefoot, shivering, hands scraped up and permanently paralysed into claws. But he finally came to the door, opened it and chucked a pitcher full of ice cold water on me. Then he ordered me to get into the garage and practice Siu Leem Tau on the cold cement floor, which I did for what seemed like hours. Needless to say, point taken, Seef.

Q: Were you a 'natural' at martial arts - did the movements come easily to you?
A: No, I had to work very hard to develop certain skills, and still do. Plus, I had a language barrier to overcome. My Sifu wasn't going to learn English anytime soon, so he made me learn at least some basic Chinese before he'd even consider taking me on as a student. Again, I'm very glad he made me do that, as my ability to speak Chinese has helped me in my business life as well.
I overcame my initial awkwardness through sheer stubbornness and repetition training - thousands upon thousands of punches, blocks, kicks and footwork. I still do a Siu Leem Tau or Chum Kiu "108", a 45 minute long footwork pattern, a thousand kicks and a thousand punches at least once a week each to this day. Plus a lot more other drills and exercises, since I am now back to full-time Gung Fu teaching and training in Atlanta.

Q: How has your personal martial art (kung fu) changed/developed over the years?
A: I have freely used my own common sense and experience to help me derive certain applications and principles of the system that are not as obvious as others, and to use these to help me deal with modern combat situations not encountered and therefore not considered by the founders of the system. As in all other forms of science and technology, I believe that Wing Chun must move forward. The inventors of the system never had to consider combat vs. the many modern or non-Chinese arts that a fighter may encounter today, such as Thai Boxing, Shootfighting, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Russian Sambo to name but a few. In the past, certain acknowledged ancestors made additions and improvements to the system, and it is my belief that the system will have to be continually modified and upgraded in order to keep pace with today's ever-changing combat technology.
When you see an effective technique, you can't be afraid to work backwards; to break it down as to why it works, then to try to use movements from your own style to create a similar application. I believe you owe it to yourself to be the most effective fighting machine you can be. And blindly ignoring the beauty of an effective technique simply because you were never shown it as a "classical" example of the principles of your style is cheating yourself, and your style. An old proverb of Wing Chun says that its techniques are "limitless in their application". That means if you can think of it and it works, it's an application. So what if you didn't think of it first? You didn't think of any of the rest of it first either. And no one "owns" a style of martial arts they didn't create. Thus, no one can tell you that you can't use the movements of your style in any given way.

Q: With all the technical changes during the last 30 years, do you think there are still 'pure' systems such as tai chi chuan, choy lee fut, wing chun kung fu, et cetera?
A: Whether we want to believe it or not, almost all systems are modified through the years, even if inadvertently. It can be compared to learning your mother language from parents - you can't help but add your own personal "flavor" to the language when you speak it. Your voice, the neighborhood you grew up in, the current slang and other factors creep into your speech patterns. Although your father may have taught you to speak, I still know it's you on the phone when you call, and not your father. I believe martial art is the same. Your expression of the style will be somehow different than your teacher or fellow students regardless of how closely you follow the traditional patterns. If you put bags over 10 of my top students' heads, I could still almost immediately tell you which one was Wayne, which was Bert and which was Jerry, simply by watching them move, although I taught them all the same. So in my opinion, nearly every major system is somehow flavored by its various instructors through time, but the essence will remain "pure" in many cases.

Q: Do you feel that the Internet has helped or hurt the martial arts?
A: Both - it has obviously made information on the arts much more accessible to the public. When I was beginning, it was very, very difficult to find anything about Wing Chun in print. There were few (if any) books in English and videos weren't born yet.
But on the downside, I think the Internet chat rooms have also given a large number of "Armchair Experts" a wide-reaching medium for disrespectful and often libellous criticism and character assassination without having to back up their words. They remain hidden behind their computer screens and user names. Some of my more "scrappy" students contact many of those people asking for "Goang Sau" matches to give them a chance to prove their superior skills but, not surprisingly, not a single one of them has ever risen to the challenge. They typically hide behind excuses like "I'm not famous, so I don't have to be tough", or "A fight like that would be illegal". More common is the, "I'll call the police if you come anywhere near me" or (my favorite - used a lot by pseudo Wing Chun computer guys) the "I'll call your ISP and have your service discontinued if you threaten me" variety of excuse. As one of my students so aptly puts it, "Don't let your mouth write checks your a-- can't cash!" HA!
The real martial artists are out there training and getting the job done, not just constantly chatting about it on the 'net. And if those guys have a beef with you, you'll know about it, not read about it.

Q: Do you think different 'schools' (styles of the same method) are important?
A: Yes - after all, why would everyone want to do everything the same? There must be differing "slants" on each art, and students will tend to gravitate towards the approach that suits them the best. For example, certain instructors place more emphasis on actual combat applications, while others stress the more spiritual or artistic aspects of a system. A potential student can then decide which extreme or middle ground is more applicable to their own situation and desires.

Q: What is your opinion of other sport competitions like Kickboxing and of other fighting events such as the UFC?
A: I think they have brought a much-needed element of reality to the martial arts. In the 70's, you could strike a Karate pose and frighten off a number of potential opponents, who thought that just because you were trained in a martial art, you were a deadly fighter. Nowadays, the general public is much more sophisticated as regards the martial arts- it's that whole "Indiana Jones shoots-the-badasses-with-the-swords" syndrome, and is very aware of what works and what doesn't. And UFC has also forced the martial arts world to take a closer look at what is actually effective in combat - for example, the overall importance of ground fighting skills has been almost universally acknowledged and is now a part of the training regimen of nearly all true combat-minded martial artists.

Q: Do you think that kung fu in the West has 'caught up' with the East as far as skill level?
A: It depends on your context. If you mean pure fighting skill, then I would have to say that it is fairly safe to say that Westerners continue to dominate nearly every form of combative competition, be it fencing, boxing, wrestling or NHB fighting, although there have always been (and will always be) many individual exceptions to this.
But if you are talking about pure skill in terms of deep-rooted knowledge of concepts and principles, it would be difficult to give a blanket answer, as the true skill levels of the originators of the many various styles of martial arts remains largely unknown. For that matter, the same is true of many modern-day masters as well.

Q: Martial arts are nowadays often referred to as a sport… would you agree with this definition?
A: Not in general, but certainly as the term pertains to various forms of competition, from forms competition to point fighting to NHB.
In fact, the word "art" as part of the term would seem to discern it from sport. I think it would be better to say that sport is only a small facet of the full spectrum of meaning covered by the term "Martial Arts".

Q: Do you feel that you still have further to go in your studies?
A: Always, although I'm not sure I will get there. At this point, after so many years of training, I have to struggle to maintain the skill level I have already attained. I constantly review all of my old notes from years gone by, and I never fail to pick up on some concept, technique or drill that I hadn't thought of for decades.
The older and more senile I get, the more sense the statement "I've forgotten more about Wing Chun than you'll ever learn" makes to me (laughs).

Q: Do you think it helps kung fu physically to train with weapons?
A: Yes, the weight and additional snap of the weapon can help develop empty-hand power. But having said that, I do feel that there are much more efficient methods available today, if physical training is the objective - even as it relates to the specific motions of Gung Fu.

Q: Do you think the practitioner's personal training should be different to his 'teaching' schedule as instructor?
A: It has to be. Teaching beginners and intermediate level students will keep his basics sharp, but he must also focus on his own personal development - maintenance and development of advanced technique, as well as to focus on his own personal weaknesses, which aren't necessarily the most important areas for his students to work. For example, if the teacher needs work on his stop-kicking skills, it would be better for him to focus on that aspect in his own personal regimen, rather than use to large a portion of valuable class time that would be better spent on those things needed by a group that's not ready for such things.

Q: Do you have any general advice you would care to pass on the martial artist?
A: Besides the obvious "Train hard", "Use your knowledge for the right reasons", "Respect your elders and superiors in the art" and the old favorite "Wax on, wax off", I may have some tips to offer:
In your training, try to keep mind, body and spirit in balance. It is easy to train the body, with forms training, drills, sparring, weight training, etc. The mind is a little harder to train, but reading, watching video, learning about the culture and language of the country your art comes from are all ways of improving mental strength. But to train the spirit is a much more intricate process. Each person is different, and must strive to find the things that make them stronger spiritually. Some people find it in religion, others in charity work. But whatever it is that you need to do to make you feel "clean" and "deserving" will also serve to strengthen your spirit. Some people work extra hard on only the physical aspect, like bodybuilding. Others can be literally rocket scientists, but are extremely out of shape. A religious figure may be both spiritually and mentally strong, but lacking in physical fitness. But a true martial artist should strive to be strong in all three arenas to be complete, in my opinion. In this way, when confronted by an opponent, you will have the strength to deliver effective techniques, the knowledge to make them succeed, and the self-worth to say, "Dammit, I deserve to be here more than you do. And I'm not gonna let you take my life."
I would also advise a martial arts instructor to remain a good student for his entire lifetime. If you are a meticulous note-taker and have a great memory, coupled with actually going home and diligently training what you have learned, seen and heard, it is possible to improve your skills even without constant supervision from an instructor. You can even surpass the skills of those that live in the same city with him, but that don't have the same learning potential and drive that you have. For example, I have students in Italy, Germany, Singapore and many other places whose skill levels are higher than those local students who train with me much more regularly but aren't as "driven".
Lastly, I would advise a student to pick his style and teacher with the utmost care and attention. You must weigh certain factors and decide which are the most important to you - Does this art appeal to me? Will I practice it daily? Is the school in a convenient location? Do I have the time to dedicate? Do I have potential in the art? Am I looking for self-defense, sport, spirituality or all of the above? Is the teacher someone I want to follow? You must also be careful of student/teacher relationships. In my experience, jealousy can unfortunately play a part in driving a rift between student and teacher. At some point, every bird must leave the nest, but it would be nice to pick a teacher who won't push you out and then try to eat you (laughs).

Q: What do you consider to be the major changes in the arts since you began your training?
A: Widespread availability, not only more schools and more styles, but also more information available through books, video and the Internet. I also feel that competition in the sense of many different schools and instructors as well as NHB-type competition has "raised the bar" in terms of quality.

Q: Who would you like to have trained with that you have not (dead or alive)?
A: Yip Man, Wong Shun Leung, Moy Yat, and of course, Bruce Lee, like almost everyone else out there.
There is also one guy that I did train with, and put my heart and soul into paying tribute to, but since he now disavows having taught me, I guess I'd have to include him on my list too (laughs). You may be able to figure out who it is, but I can't tell you because it'll just wind him up (laughs).

Q: What would you say to someone who is interested in starting to learn martial arts?
A: If I said it promoted decency, fitness, high moral standards and character, that would imply that I was therefore an example of those virtues. So instead, I would just tell them that it's a lot of fun, and will expose you to the most interesting people and places you will ever know.

Q: What is it that keeps you motivated after all these years?
A: Great students, who are also my best friends and practically my extended family. The fact that they want to learn what I have worked so many years to develop makes me want to always be able to satisfy their drive to achieve. So I have to stay at the top of my game in order to live up to their hopes and expectations.

Q: Do you think it is necessary to engage in free-fighting to achieve good fighting skills in the street?
A: Yes, at some point in your life. At least to experience what it is to hit and to be hit, and to appreciate the importance of fitness and conditioning, as well as crucial elements of distance and timing in actual combat. But I have to qualify that statement by saying that I personally train in the martial arts at least in part NOT to be beaten up. So it doesn't make a lot of sense to me to purposely expose myself constantly to damaging punches and kicks to the head and body. If my training had included being hit solidly in the head at least once a day, in the course of 30 years of training, I would have suffered (at the very least) a whopping 10,950 punches in the head - considerably more damaging blows than I might have suffered not knowing a thing about martial arts and losing even a hundred street fights in which my opponent had hit me 20 times per fight. The first and foremost purpose of Gung Fu is self defense - that doesn't just mean protecting yourself against bullies who want to beat you up. It also involves defending yourself by using your head in your training to avoid injury when you can. This inherent self-preservation is why there are so many revered masters of the martial arts who are still actively training and teaching well into their 70's and 80's, but so few boxers can make a similar claim. Muhammed Ali, arguably the best boxer of all time is now unfortunately suffering the ill effects of just such brutal training and competition.

Q: What is your opinion about mixing styles (karate with kung fu, kick boxing with jiu jitsu) Does the practice of one nullify the effectiveness of the other or on the contrary, can it be beneficial for the student?
A: Cross-training has already proven to improve a fighter's effectiveness in a competitive environment. But in terms of keeping an art systematic and preserving its original essence, there have to be "dinosaurs" like myself who also keep the arts separate and to some degree "pure" and original. Take your pick.

Q: Do you have a particularly memorable martial art experience which has remained with you as an inspiration for your training?
A: I have a number, but an experience I had at the San Francisco school of White Crane Sifu Quentin Fong probably had the most impact on me, and sticks with me the most. Fong Sifu was on the cover of the very first IKF magazine I ever read, and to me, he embodied everything that Gung Fu was supposed to be. So I convinced my mom to let me take a bus trip all alone from LA to San Francisco to visit his school.
After the long bus trip up, I found his school just off the cable car route. When I knocked, a couple of the students who came to the door were mean to me and wouldn't let me in. But since my bus wasn't leaving until later that night, I decided to sit outside and wait. When Fong Sifu showed up later, he asked me where I was from and why I was sitting outside instead of inside watching the class. When I explained, he took me inside and asked, "Which one of these guys was it? Was it him? What about this one?" He then scolded the guys and made them stand in very low stances until their legs shook. Then he had them clamp quarters between the handles of those springy hand-gripper things and made them throw hundreds of Crane punches, arms fully extended with the grippers held tightly closed so as not to drop the quarters. When they were sufficiently humbled, he had the entire group demonstrate forms for me - empty hand, weapons and even one with a sawhorse-like work bench. Afterwards, he took me into his office and picked out a nice T-shirt with a picture of a crane on it and the Chinese characters for White Crane written in red across the chest, which he gave to me. Then he insisted on driving me back to the bus station and waiting for me to get on before he left, because it was on a bad part of Market Street. He waved goodbye as he drove off.
I still have that shirt, and the memories of that day, many years ago.
Had he not taken the time and effort to treat me so well, I might've given up my passion for Gung Fu long ago.

Q: After all these years of training and experience, could you explain the meaning of the practice of kung fu?
A: It's a way of unifying mind, body and spirit. A way of building strength, confidence and of building lifelong relationships. A path to attaining the courage to stand up and fight when it's absolutely necessary, and the courage not to when it isn't, without fear of being called a coward. A constant gauge by which to measure your personal progress and growth. A quest for knowledge. Tapping into the mystique of Asia and its culture. Pride in your students' development and achievements, and pride in passing the art down to another. It's a doorway to countless adventures and journeys around the world. An opportunity to see the world, to meet new people, and to beat them up (laughs). No, seriously, it's all of the above wrapped up into one, plus more that can't be easily put into words.

Q: Could I ask you what you consider to be the most important qualities of a successful martial artist?
A: That depends on what you consider successful. If you mean skilful, I think it's important to set a goal and remain focused. I have always known from a very young age what I wanted to do and be in the martial arts, and I stayed focused on that for the most part. So I would advise you to put yourself into a situation conducive to the success that you're after - if you want to be an actor, move to Hollywood. In martial arts, it is also very important that you find the right teacher. Then, above all, self discipline is the most important quality. A martial artist can not afford to be lazy. To be a good student, and eventually a good teacher, takes many, many hours of hard work and many gallons of sweat.
I have always felt that having a good sense of humor can help you rise to the top of any field, not just Gung Fu. In my opinion, you need to have the ability to not take yourself too seriously. I learned something about humility from Sifu Quentin Fong, and I try to follow his example by taking the time to answer every letter, phone call or e-mail I receive, and to treat everyone who contacts me with questions about CRCA Wing Chun with respect and friendliness.
If success for you means commercial success, then I would advise you to put out a good product, be it instruction, books, videos or magazine articles. I can tell you from experience that you will have to look at that article and those photos for the rest of your life, so you better do the best you possibly can, or you'll regret it for many, many years to come. And although I'm not sure it helps all that much commercially, at least in the short term, you have to be able to guide a student in what he needs - not necessarily what he wants. You must demand of them almost as much as you demand of yourself; this will lead to quality, not quantity.

Q: What advice would you give to students on the question of supplementary training?
A: I am a strong believer in weight training. But you have to be careful how you use them. It is very possible to train with weights and to actually increase your speed. It may slow you down if you aren't training right for the sport you're in, but I find that most of the guys who say it'll slow you down ain't that fast or strong to begin with (laughs).
My rationale is this; If two guys are the same size and skill level, the stronger and fitter one will win nine times out of ten, so it just makes sense to be the strongest and fittest you can be, on top of whatever skill level you are able to achieve.
I also believe in jogging, but if you see Sifu George Yau, please don't tell him!

Q: Why is it, in your opinion, that a lot of students start falling away after two-three years of training?
A: It's not as easy to learn as many people might think, and not everyone has the intestinal fortitude to put in the hours and sweat required to achieve a high level of skill. They often come in thinking it'll be like "The Matrix" and quit when they realize they aren't going to be Jet Lee anytime soon.

Q: Have there been times when you felt fear in your training?
A: Of course. My first instructor inspired all kinds of fear in me. His teaching methods could be brutal at times, with the result of a missed block being a black eye, a lump on the head and/or a fat lip. And I already told you about his propensity for shin kicking.
And there's always fear before a real fight. Of course, you can use that fear, channel it into faster, more powerful technique. But it never goes away completely, and maybe that's good.

Q: How important a part do you feel that lineage plays in a martial artist's credentials?
A: My own view of what is important in Wing Chun can at times be very different from many other traditional Gung Fu instructors. Although I certainly appreciate and respect the history of Wing Chun and the importance of its lineage as it is handed down from generation to generation, I am personally more concerned with the more tangible aspects of skill, knowledge and performance. In other words, I respect my elders and seniors in the system, but I do not necessarily believe that when someone began their study or with whom they study is the primary criteria for their ranking or status in a system. Instead, I look at the person's skill level, ability to explain their system in detail and - most importantly - their ability to perform. In other words, I take a more practical approach - almost an American sports attitude. For example, if one looks at the game of football, it will be noted that most fans probably do not care who taught Jerry Rice to catch a football, that Jerry Rice may not know the entire history of football, nor that he may not have a genealogy of all of the players by which it was passed down to him from the founders of the game. What is important to most fans, though, is that he is one of the best (if not the best) Wide Receivers of all time. He may have learned from his father, or more likely from just getting out there and playing the game. But above all, he got out there and did the job, head and shoulders above the rest. That is what makes him an all-time great. It is my belief that Wing Chun in the modern world has become much the same, and rightfully so. With the abundance of instructional materials available today through books, videos, seminars and even the Internet, virtually anyone with an earnest desire to learn Wing Chun can do so with relative ease. Personally I am more interested in watching a player who can do his job with excellence rather than watching a player whose coach, father or grandfather was a star player, but who may himself not be exceptional. And similarly, I respect those that can actually "get out there and do it" much more than those that just talk about it. I feel that the martial arts is one of the few fields where many of us are graded by with whom we have trained instead of what we have achieved, published or produced.

Q: What are your thoughts on the future of the martial arts?
A: I believe that the martial arts will always move forward with the times, as they must. As in all other forms of science and technology, I believe that Wing Chun must move ahead, adapting and improving to keep pace with the rest of the world. After all, would you want to go to a doctor from 300 years ago, from the present, or from 300 years into the future?