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Ip Man - the Man who Taught Bruce Lee Kung Fu

Ip Man was the second son of a wealthy andschool on behalf of the Hong Kong Restaurant
influential family. His early years were setWorkers Association. At that time Wing Chun
against a backdrop of civil unrest andwas an obscure style of kung fu practiced by
conflict. A bloody conflict with Japan wasa minority. However as his school grew and
lost and China was forced to cede territoryhis pupils took part in and usually won the
and money to Japan A coup d'etat followedmany illegal rooftop fighting competitions of
three years later and for the following fewthe day, Ip Man's reputation grew across the
years the country was thrown in to furtherisland, and students flocked to his school.
turmoil by the "Boxer rebellion" (a bloodyHe never advertised , feeling that this would
uprising of martial artists against foreignnot give him the option of turning away
influence in China). By the time he was 12potential students that he thought would be
the uprising had long since been quelled andunsuitable, but as a result of the fighting
the remaining martial artists who hadn't beenprowess of his students he was never short of
put to death were maintaining a very lowpeople who wanted to train with him.Ip Man
profile.It was at this time that Ip Manmade a point of teaching Wing Chun to each
started to take an interest in Wing Chun,student in a way that was adapted to their
after watching classes run in the Ip familypersonality, profession, education and body
clan hall by Chun Wa Shun. Although Ip Manbuild. One example that he gave was when he
was only able to train for three years beforetaught a professional hairdresser, because of
Chan passed away. At 15 Ip Man moved to Hongher job she found it very difficult to keep
Kong to attend high school. Ip Man describedhe elbows in, spending her entire working
himself as an arrogant youngster quick to getlife with her elbows pushed out. So rather
into fights. After a fight with a policemanthan try to correct this, he taught her
he found beating a Chinese woman, duringtechniques to compensate for this poor elbow
which he impressed those around byposition.It was this constant adaptation and
dispatching the much larger and older manvariation in teaching that led to many
armed with a baton, he came to the attentiondisputes following his death about the
of Leung Bik a student of Chun Wa Shun's own"correct" way to perform particular
teacher.Their first meeting went very badly.techniques. In one case one of his students
He was unaware of why he had been summoned toclaimed that he was the only person Ip Man
meet Leung Bik, but turned up as requested,had ever taught the "true wing chun" to. Not
as the tradition in those days was that youngsurprisingly most of these squables and
people were expected to respect the wishes ofgrandiosed claims came after Ip Man's so that
their elders. Leung Bik asked Ip Man tohe couldnt' refute them.It was during this
demonstrate his Wing Chun, which Ip Man wasperiod in the fifties and sixties that Ip Man
initially happy to do and then pointed out atrained some of his most famous students.
number of deficiencies in his skills. Ip ManAmongst these was the young child actor and
was enraged and when he was finally asked toson of an opera star Bruce Junfan Lee. Bruce
practice Chi Sau (a form of sparring used inaged twelve had been beaten up by a local
Wing Chun training) thinking that he now hadgang and wanted to learn how to defend
an opportunity to teach the old man a lesson,himself. Initially Ip Man was reluctant to
Ip Man immediately threw a punch which wastake the young boy on, and only agreed as a
blocked, with Ip Man thrown effortlessly toresult of his persistance, a character trait
one side, two more attempts both left Ip Manthat he was legendary for having in
lying on the floor wondering what had justabundance. Bruce Lee studied with Ip Man for
happened. Ip Man was furious and stormed out,two years before moving back to his country
it was only the next day when he had calmedof birth the united states only having
down and asked who Leung Bik was that helearned a small part of the Wing Chun system.
realised that he had a lot to learn from thisAs there was nobody in the US qualified to
man. He went back to see Leung Bik,further his training he took an interest in
apologised and asked him to take him on as aKarate and taekwondo to supplement his
student. For the next four years, until histrainning. Eventually he merged all these
death, Ip Man refined his Wing Chun skillssystems into his own hybrid system called
under Leung Bik's guidance.In 1912 Ip ManJeet Kune Do.The story of Bruce Lee's rise to
returned to Foshan, being from a privelegedstardom is well known, within a few years of
and wealthy background he didn't need to workmaking his first martial arts film, he had
and was able to devote the next few years tobecome a household name in the West. The fact
refining his Wing Chun skills and passingthat Lee had learned Kung Fu from Ip Man
them on to others. Challenge matches betweencreated a demand for Ip Man's students to
kung fu schools were an everyday reality ofteach wherever they went. As a result schools
Chinese Martial Arts culture and Ip Manquickly sprang up across Europe and the
quickly acquired a reputation that made himUnited States.As is the tradition in Chinese
the target for many of these challenges. HeMartial Arts schools senior students (Si
was however, able to despatch all hisHing's) are expected to take an active role
challengers. One of these more famousin teaching their younger "kung fu brothers"
encounters involved a master of Praying(Si Dais). The temptation to distort this to
Mantis, who, when laying down the challengea claim that they had taught kung fu to Bruce
smashed his fist through a brick wall. TheLee and gain a lot of kudos with his army of
fight was held on a stage and watchedfans, proved too much for many of Ip Man's
excitedly by the whole town expecting anstudents. Hence today there are many
evenings entertainment, their evening was cutconflicting claims about who Bruce Lee's
short as Ip Man managed to finish the fightinstructor was, although non dispute the fact
within a few seconds of it starting bythat he studied under Ip Man during his time
throwing his opponent off the stage andin Hong Kong. This more than any other
breaking three of his ribs in the process.Indisagreement has been a significant factor in
1937 following the invasion of China by thethe many splits and political divisions that
Japanese Empire, Ip Man's fortunes changedhave occurred between the schools of the Ip
radically. The family wealth was confiscatedMan lineage.Ip Man died of throat cancer in
and Ip Man was obliged to find a job to1972, almost certainly as a result of the 20
support himself. As a result of hiscamel cigarretes a day that he famously
reputation not only for martial skills, butsmoked, sometimes whilst stood at the side of
for his honour and honesty, Ip Man washis classes watching his students train. Ip
offered the job of police chief for Foshan.Man's two sons maintain the family tradition
He carried out this job dilligently usingto this day and head up his "Hong Kong Ving
much of his spare time to teach wing chun,Tsun Association" with satellite schools in
until the communists took power in China inevery country in the world, maintaining Ip
1949. He joined the exodus of nearly aMan's no-nonsense approach to teaching a
million Chinese to Hong Kong, to escape thefighting system based on simplicity, speed
forced reformation of Chinese culture.Ip Manand efficiency.Daniel Land is a student of
spent the rest of his life teaching in HongWing Chun Kung Fu and an editor of the
Kong. He arrived in Hong Kong without a pennyMartial Arts Open Directory.
to his name, so to support himself ran a



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