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TEXT TESTIMONIALS
"I studied
Wing Chun under Sifu Danny Xuan for just under 3 years. His theoretical
knowledge of Wing Chun is huge and he can put it all into practice too.
It is pure Wing Chun, stripped of all non-essentials, added bits that
pervade other WC styles. Sifu Danny really emphasizes the understanding of correct
structure, grounding and body mechanics. To say that he stresses the
most direct path to the target is an understatement. After some time
spent training with Sifu, one begins to grasp the real meaning of
economy of movement. His approach favours real close-quarters combat,
and allows no space for the opponent whatsoever. Training with Sifu Danny is good fun, thanks to his sense of
humour and in-depth explanations of theory behind each movement. Having
trained with him for this time, I know that I have a solid grounding in
the art, and I hope to one day complete the whole system under his
guidance." Bart Cowling-Norwich, UK. ****************** "I've had some martial arts experiences (karate,aikido and
wing chun) before finding Sifu Xuan's Wing Chun website. From his articles, videos and the one-on-one training during
my visits to his schools in China and Thailand, I've learned many useful
things and secrets!!! A lot of importance in his trainings is given on
body balance and body alignment for best power generation, an open mind
and a continuous awareness of the contact established with the partner
during Chisao. Learning these things make me better fighter now. The most important thing I have learned from Sifu Xuan is to
always question things/techniques that I was taking for granted just
because big masters evangelized them. I guess his quest and thirst to explain and find the reasons
behind all the movements,the best ways to utilize the body potential by
correct alignment, and his easy-to-understand explanations and patience
make Sifu Xuan a great teacher. Definitely I would recommend other people to learn or quest
Sifu Xuan's teachings." Eddie-Antwerp, Belgium ****************** "Thank you for your very informative web site and the unique
service you are providing for practitioners of (it looks to be) several
martial arts. Your school in China looks magnificent! Somewhat
depressing, actually, as it is -- by far -- the best looking school and
atmosphere one could possibly hope to learn martial art (particularly
Chinese martial art) in, and I despair in that no such facility exists
in Canada (where I reside). This being said, I'm intrigued by your
scientific approach to Wing Chun. By way of background, I have edited
several volume of the late Bruce Lee's surviving writings, when I was
working with Mr. Lee's estate (which were published by the Charles
Tuttle company out of Boston) back in the late 1990s. I have also
produced two films on Lee ("Bruce Lee: In His Own Words" and "Bruce Lee:
A Warrior's Journey," in which I put together -- with the help of his
surviving choreography and script notes -- his last unfinished film,
"The Game of Death."). Having
seen all of Lee's surviving writings on martial art, I'm not as
convinced as most seem to be that he merely remained a Wing Chun
practitioner. Nevertheless, he retained a healthy respect for the art as
being the one that "brought him to the dance," so to speak.
I recently completed a film (more of a
pilgrimage, really) on visiting the locales where Lee made his four
completed films (Pak Chong, Thailand, Macau, Rome and Hong Kong). During
this pilgrimage/travelogue I had the good fortune to interview Ip Chun
at his school and my interest in martial art was renewed. By renewed I
mean that never (shy of minor hockey) have I seen more politics than in
martial arts (and this is particularly so in my experience in Lee's art
and, from an observer's perspective from the outside looking in, with
Wing Chun -- or ving tsun -- as well). I therefore like "science"-based
approaches to anything, particularly physics, as these are "laws" that
are inviolable, and, thus, "truths" that can be discerned, experienced
and shared. I'm interested in
your teaching skills and wish we could have met during my brief stay in
Thailand. I'm a bad student when it comes to reading and applying but
would be willing to give your approach a go. I am more interested in the
art (as opposed to ass-kicking) and am approaching this the same way one
might approach the art of glass blowing, piano or painting. Art for
art's sake. Anyway, I would
welcome an opportunity to correspond with you and see if you think your
distance learning program (without local hands on instruction) would
help me to become proficient in the art of Wing Chun. In any event, I was moved to write to you
solely out of appreciation of your intellect and in the creation of a
magnificent training establishment (your wooden dummy also looks worth
acquiring -- very nice job on that one!). I believe even Shik Kien would
be envious!" John
Little-Ontario, Canada "By
the way, once I entered in the password last night I felt like a kid in
a candy store having access to all of the essays and videos on SLT. I
felt like I had to look at everything -- and then I quickly realized
that I was in WAY over my head (information overload) and recalled your
council to take it slow and one lesson at a time. Starting from the
beginning and progressing slowly seems a most welcome concept
now." John Little-Ontario,
Canada ****************** Translation of Aldo's Italian video testimonial:
Hi--My name is Aldo, I'm 46 and I live
in Italy ... I'm Italian. I'm a fan of Wing Chun since the age of 32
years, the year that I started to practice it. After 1 year of practice,
I changed my workplace, and my new family situation did not allow me to
practice the art, although I continued studying WC from a theoretical
point of view. During these years, when surfing the internet, I came
across several sites of WC, but was particularly impressed by Master
Danny Xuan's site. He had a bit free material on the SLT. From what
little I read, I immediately realized that behind it was a great
teacher, a great expert. But I could not, during those years, contact
him. It was only 3 years ago when I started to practice the art again in
my hometown that I decided to contact him. And I must say that the
reality has exceeded expectations. Because, in addition to finding a
great teacher, I also found a great friend. But beyond personal
relationships, I would invite anyone to know Sifu Xuan. From him, the
forms, the indecipherable movements were given life and meaning. His
approach is based on the study of biomechanics, research on the
effectiveness of the movement in combat. Maybe these are things that you
have already heard that WC offered, but it becomes much clearer with
him. Well, as it is difficult for a sports player to become great, he
makes the WC understandable to everyone, from the very first lessons.
With him every piece of the puzzle is solved. WC in reality has no
secrets. It was time, fragmentation and hostility of the various schools
of WC that made this art so indecipherable. WC is only about study and
application. Those who are skeptical about WC courses on-line, I would
say that they are right, because the risk is real. WC cannot be learned
from books. You learn by practicing. But while practicing the effort
would be futile unless you had a good teacher behind. That's why I
recommend it to all practitioners to confront. This does not mean to
betray his master, for whom there is still respect. But personal growth
is just ... personal! And everybody at some point will have to make
choices. And for those who would choose to meet, or just communicate
with the master Xuan, I can testify: "It's worth it." In his lectures
there are breaths of sincerity, friendliness and intrigue. It is a
different breath of time from when WC was taught secretly only to
descendants. Now the family has expanded and, with new technology,
everyone can join, we can exchange our views, we can grow. I decided to
go with Sifu Master Xuan, although I had a master already. Anyone can
make that choice freely. I take this opportunity to greet Sifu Xuan and
all those in the martial arts community. Aldo-Italy ****************** "My name is Zayid Jones, I was born in good ole New Zealand
but my travels allowed me to train with martial arts instructors around
the world (including 3 Wing Chun schools that just weren’t cutting it),
before I finally found Sifu Xuan tucked away in South East Asia. I was
EXTREMELY lucky our paths crossed at all! At first I was not impressed.
I expected a large school based on the profound teachings on his
homemade website. But instead he chose to live humbly and not make a big
deal of himself. He settled instead for hands-on quality instead of
bigger classes. I could see the benefit in that, so, I put my prejudices
aside … and found myself blown away. WHY? Well. many reasons, but what really got to me at first was
that, at 60 years old, he was still training and fighting with his
younger and stronger guys without breaking a sweat. It was stuff from
the movies!!! I watched in awe as he LITERALLY: - Dissolved attacks by sending force down
his structure
- Delivered attacks by sending force UP his
structure
- Fought blindfolded and knew our moves through
touch
- Exploded with sharp, short and efficient power
- Controlled his opponent’s
limbs and rendered them impotent
- Flowed from technique to technique
seamlessly
- I almost couldn’t see what was happening!
IT WAS LIKE FIGHTING RUBBER!
Now, here I was ... a 2nd-Dan Blackbelt
in Taekwondo; several tournament titles under my belt; learnt various
martial arts since a child; almost 40 years younger, fitter, stronger,
faster AND bigger than this guy. So, you can imagine I was eager to test
him out this “kung fu master” myself and took him on in a sparring
match. I found myself tangled
up and on the floor in seconds! No matter how many times, no matter what
attack I used, every attempt ended up the same. 15 years of my martial arts training was
reduced to a puddle on the floor. What had I done wrong? How could this old geezer beat me no
matter what I did? Noticing
my puzzled look. Sifu explained that I had spent my life simply cramming
techniques into a bag and dishing them out as I fought. As he received
every one of my attacks and gave it back with interest It dawned on me that I had spent my life
learning techniques that I had to recall rapidly one after the other,
countering moves with different moves. But the problem with that
approach is, there is a never-ending supply of moves! I was useless against someone who did not
draw his attacks from set moves, but from adapting naturally; in other
words … His whole body WAS
the technique. Wingchun in
its true form is a methodology that trains your body to fight
instinctively and naturally based on the universal principles of combat.
I had wasted my time by not training my body to adapt to ANY move or
situation. All my other martial arts training had taught me simply the
branches … but not the ROOTS. And that was just one of my problems. In
several weeks of classes, I realised dozens of limitations of all the
martial arts I had studied. Yep, I had been fooling myself all these
years. Sifu Xuan’s teachings
addressed the root of fighting itself. The universal physical laws of
the world we live in. In fact I’ve applied his Kungfu to many aspects of
my personal life with great results! I also realised I wasn’t alone in
my admiration! Many others who had found him through the internet or
head hunted him down knew his teachings were life changing stuff. A session with him was a mixture of Geometry, Physics,
Biology and perhaps most heavily, his teachings drew from the ancient
yet ever relevant battle strategies of the Great Generals: Sun Tzu’s Art
of War and Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of 5 Rings. He showed me how the Wing
Chun system had hidden concepts through its forms for your body
structure to decipher. It was difficult for my ego to admit. but, it was powerful
teachings that all my other teachers combined could not compare to. I have now returned to New Zealand, and have started a
training group under the guidance of Sifu Xuan." Zayid Jones-Christchurch, New
Zealand ****************** "(Having been a student of wingchun for 10 years now)...I
already knew that Wing Chun was a system based on efficiency, but Sifu
Xuan laid it out in such a way that made perfect sense. I also realized
that much of what I was taught before was not the most efficient and was
simply a mindless transmission of generalizations...Sifu Xuan's
explanations were so detailed that it allowed me to improve my technique
dramatically in a very short time. I have not been able to ask him a
question that he hasn't answered to my satisfaction, and he is more than
happy to prove his ideas through scientific testing and experimentation
whenever there is a challenge. I feel extremely blessed I was able to
find him. Seriously, if you spend a few minutes talking to him, you will
instantly know he is the real deal." Dennis Lee, United States ****************** "When I found your website it was like an oasis. I found
exactly what I was looking for - direction behind the moves. I can
honestly say that I have done the entire Siu Lim Tao without
understanding any of it. After reading steps 1-11 on your website I know
understand those moves and are constantly repeating and re-learning them
(emptying my cup so to speak). I particuarly enjoyed the classroom
lessons." Tommy Ngunyen-USA ****************** "Looks like you are doing wonderful work
and have an ideal way to enjoy your life - good on you, Sir!
:)" David
Peterson-Australia/Malaysia ****************** "Congratulations for the Wing Chun site, it introduced me to
serious research about what WC really is (I'm a starter and I think my
WC courses here aren't very good..). The explanations of the theorical
and stategical aspects enlightened me, as you're the only one who used
graphicals to expose the lines/gates structures... Great!" Franck Marchand-Brussels, Belgium ****************** "I wanted to email you to greet and thank
you for your new aproach to Wing Chun, which is enlightening to a new
beginner like me. I am especially interested in the way you locate
vulnerable points on a human body, and the way you compare a human body
with a castle, among other things which are much beyond my
understanding."
Dinh Khoi-Vietnam/USA ****************** "I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these
videos, and it has given me a lot to think about. It has helped me see
some of the practical uses of the movements and how to maintain
structure while moving. It's a lot to take in - even though it's only
one training session. It's also hard to really internalize the lessons
without a partner, but I can definitely see the power of sinking in and
striking/pushing/pulling as one unit. I haven't had a chance to watch the rest of the videos just
yet, but I am looking forward to it. I feel like I still have a lot to
learn from rereading your lectures and doing a lot more forms. There's
so much involved in each movement, it's incredible. I can honestly say I
love wing chun... I feel very fortunate to have stumbled onto your
site." Mark
Remeikis-USA ****************** "Your web page is fantastic. Not only does it offer you a way
to share your vast knowledge of Wing Chun, but it also demonstrates your
excellent web page skills. I am truly impressed on both levels. I have been training in martial arts on and off for years,
and I am familar with Wing Chun. I feel competant in the first empty
hand form. But my training has been sporadic. I attend seminars and
martial art workshops on occasion, which have allowed me the opportunity
to train with some excellent instructors. But I have not been able to
devote myself to "one" style or sifu. Your training classes interest me
very much. My martial arts background started in Judo
as a young boy, and matured into American Karate in the 80s, when I won
1st place in the Tri-State Kickboxing Championships in 1984. Soon after
this I traveled to Thailand, where I fought in a tournament in Phucket.
While in Thailand, I spent most of my time with the Ahka tribe in North
Thailand. It was a real pleasure to visit your country. After leaving Thailand, I spent a year in Alaska, where a
Vietnamese man introduced me to Wing Chun. From that day on, Wing Chun
became my primary focus in Martial Arts. Unfortunately I have not lived
in a place that has a Wing Chun instructor, but I took seminars and had
short training sessions when visiting other cities. In addition I read
most anything I can find on the subject, and have for years. With the training (particularly my training with the
centerline theory), all my physical movements take on an efficiency and
flow that is with me always, even when my mind is on other things. I would like to locate a sifu who is willing to help me pull
together my scattered teachings. Being under your Wing Chun instruction,
would enable me to move forward in an orderly, stable fashion." Tom Murray-USA ****************** "I have been visiting the wcats site for a while now and
really enjoy all of the information you have presented in such an
unselfish way. The quality seems to be there as well. I only say seems
to be because I am simply a wing chun beginner. I have studied numerous
other martial arts since I was a child and have recently become
fascinated with the philosophy of wing chun. I'm dying to learn the art
and hope to study it for a long time, possibly one day to teach in order
to further myself in it as well as promote it to others. There are no
instructors in my area that seem as qualified as I would like them to
be. So I continue to search . In part this is why I'm so greatful to the
wcats site. It is allowing me to learn a little technique and study
mental aspects of the art while I look for the right instructor. Thanks
again, it really has been a help to me and turned me on to this
exceptional martial art. To me it was sort of a throwback to the days of
old when knowledge didn't always have a price in dollars, but the reward
was simply promoting the art you love. The premise of an online school is amazing! Whjat a visionary
approach to promoting a truly wonderful art. I must once again say that I'm so impressed with your
attitude and openness that I'm beside myself. The way you approach the
arts is always the way I promised myself I would share knowledge. I
thank you for it." Don Twing-Michigan, USA ****************** "I've been reading your work and would like to commend you on
the very well written material you present. It is both clear and
instructive. I would like to support your efforts by paying to view your
works." William
Lye-Melbourne, Australia ****************** "I come from a Taekwondo background. I cannot begin to tell
you how much I have enjoyed reading your lessons and studying the
history and basics of Wing chun to this point. I have never been taught
so easily as with your descriptions. I really enjoy learning from
someone who explains the "why" instead of just going through the motions
so to speek. I am very eager to continue your lessons." Matt Brown-Ohio, USA ****************** "I have been studying your lectures and
videos over the past few days. They are proving to be very enlightening.
I'm grateful for you taking the time to so carefully and eloquently
explain the principles, concepts, and motions and making them available
online." Joshua
McMichael-USA
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