Comments by Master Duncan Leung

The following comments come from a 1989 phone conversation with Master Duncan Leung, who is a well known and respected first generation student of the late Grandmaster Ip Man.

Do all the first generation students of Ip Man know each other?

No. In the old days, many people trained privately with Ip Man. Ip Man taught bus drivers, restaurant workers and people with different work skills. Parents did not want their kids going into the slum areas to learn Wing Chun, so a lot of people trained privately.

Why is everyone’s Wing Chun so different?

I don’t really know. Ip Man would teach something and awhile later, he would change it, and then change it again. Different teachers have distinct capabilities. Some people don’t have the same understanding or are different physically. Wing Chun does not have set motions. Basically, everyone does the first set the same way. Starting from the second form, everyone’s form looks different. Some people may have made it this way because they wanted to be different.

What is good Chi Sau?

Chi Sau is just a “stepping stone.” Who is going to fight you using Chi Sau? I can guarantee you if you only, you will have a hard time carrying on a real fight. Chi Sau basically trains you to cover he space so you don’t get hit. We never block. By the time you see an attack, it will already be too late to block it. But you will be able to catch the timing by just covering certain regions of your body. Sticking hands helps your reflex action or your reactions. For example, if someone grabs your hand, you automatically change to a Kwun sau and then do a Lap sau on him. It helps to automatically react, to do something without thinking about it.

Isn’t it hard to handle a kick if you are a smaller woman?

No. We don’t use force against force. Let’s say someone grabs your hand and then pulls you. He is 200 pounds and you are 100 pounds. If you resist him, what happens? He pulls you over. But if he pulls you, and you give him more by stepping into him, then your force adds to his force and goes into his body.

Let’s say a roundhouse kick comes. It is very hard to stop a heavy roundhouse kick with a Gan sau. Using this technique, you can break your own arm. The best way is the Kwun sau because it is more flexible and can stop it. Like a cushion, it takes some of the force. The Gan sau is a force against force.

What would you call a fighting art?

In the old days I went into the center and just hit. I won the fight, but people realized I aslso got hit. We asked ourselves, “is this really an art?” we concluded, “No, it’s not.” Wing Chun is a beautiful art. It should be that I can spar with you and I won’t get hurt. You should be able to hit and not get hit in the whole fight. This is an art.