The Sound of Ving Tsun - The Grandmasters and Masters [Author Signed Copy]

This is an Author Signed Special Edition!

The sound of Ving Tsun is a compilation of interviews with four grandmasters and five masters of the Ving Tsun Kungfu system.  Darrell Jordan’s questions concentrate on the Ving Tsun system, training, chi sao and fighting techniques.

Author Darrell Jordan brings us back to the good old days of martial arts with penetrating interviews of the great masters of Ving Tsun Kung Fu.

Here is a living legacy of warriors, preserved in their own words - the hardships, the discipline and the violence.   For them, the martial arts were more than just a means to self defense, it was a vocation.   Their art wasn’t critiqued.   It was challenged on the field of combat.   For aficionados of any art, Jordan provides an album of inspirational stories from those who sacrificed their very flesh and blood in pursuit of greater skill.

  -Gene Ching, Associate Publisher, Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine & KungfuMagazine.com

INTRODUCTION By the Author
When my Sigung passed away in 2001, I realized that Ving Tsun’s most valuable teachers were gaining in age and gradually leaving us. In the hope of preserving as much of their perspective and expertise as possible, my Disciple (Todai) Brian McDonald and I visited Hong Kong and interviewed the Grandmasters that March. Ving Tsun is very popular in North America and Europe but very few of the grandmasters live abroad, so most are not privileged to receive instruction from them. Nonetheless, I believe you will sense these men’s power and the very spirit of Ving Tsun in their words [here].
Except for some of my subjects’ training with Yip Man, I stayed away from historical matters in our conversations. Over the years alternative history has been presented and while these stories may be interesting, in the end I find they do nothing for my Kung Fu. Most of my questions pertain to the concepts of attacking and defending, and of fighting in general, the topics of primary interest to most students. Even so, the final interview, with Lee Moy Shan Sifu, is especially philosophical. He reminds us that Ving Tsun can guide us through our lives outside the gym, developing our compassion for our fellow human beings and even aiding us in our professional lives. This martial art’s scope is far broader than most beginners ever imagined.
Ving Tsun Kung Fu works its way into a student and hooks him. I know of no other martial art system that so often leaves every student smiling at the end of class. The constant smacking and pounding on the arms and legs takes a little time to grow accustomed to and will discourage some of the toughest from continuing. But once past that stage, a student realizes there is nothing in the world like Ving Tsun Kung Fu.
A Ving Tsun fighter uncovers his opponent’s intentions through their contact and so controls him, a fascinating concept. In Chi Sao one refines the continual flow of the arms, hands and legs from one strategic position to another. The fighter with the superior position can hit without being hit. Whenever one uses his energy inappropriately, an opening appears and he is hit.
Ving Tsun requires diligence, consistency and patience, and many beginners are unwilling to invest the necessary time. You will sweat and experience some soreness, but in the end your work will transform you. This martial art is not strictly about self-defense; it’s about living, so live a little.
Ving Tsun is aptly called the thinking man’s art: once it is in your bones; you think about it all of the time. How can these simple positions and small movements be so effective? The question lingers in your mind as you perpetually work out the systems nuances. Of course, the easiest answer lies in geometry, where leverage is discovered. If you understand leverage, you do not have to be stronger than your opponent to defeat him.
The combined experience of the men I interviewed for this book total over 300 years, nearly as many as Ving Tsun has existed. All of these Grandmasters and Masters hail from the Yip Man lineage, but each understands this system in their own way. Likewise, The Ving Tsun you learn becomes you, you do not become it. Grandmaster Moy Yat’s advice expresses this phenomenon perfectly:
“Enslave yourself to Ving Tsun, and then free yourself from it.”
I hope you find as much value in these interviews as I have. Experiment with the knowledge learned from them in your own way and use it to your own advantage. In the end, all that is left is to grow. The key to your growth in Ving Tsun is effective application of your imagination; the observations and stories of the Grandmasters and Masters are food for your imagination.
<2023 Addendum to the Introduction>
With the passing of Grandmaster Chan Chee Man in 2022 – Chairman of the World Ving Tsun Association, I was at a loss for words. The sorrow I felt affected me tremendously, his passing was a tragic loss to the Ving Tsun family worldwide and to martial arts in general. It was most fortunate that I had the foresight to publish this book when I did and is what motivated me to publish this 2nd edition of The Sound of Ving Tsun. The second edition, now in hardback includes not only B&W pictures but color pictures as
well. The purpose of this was to better ensure its existence for readers in the future. Also, one additional interview has been added. I’m proud to feature Dr. Wong Moy Ping (25) (William Wong) from the old Moy Yat - Ding Leg school in Brooklyn NY. Dr. Wong does not hold back nor minces his words when it comes to Ving Tsun.
Thank you and enjoy.

Table of Contents

• Dedicated to the Memories of: iii
• Grandmaster Moy Yat 1938 – 2001: iii
• Grandmaster Chan Chee Man 1936 – 2022: iii
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: v
• INTRODUCTION: vii
• 2023 Addendum to the Introduction: viii
• CHAN CHEE MAN: 3
• CHU SHONG TIN: 19
• CHOW TZE CHUEN: 31
• SIU YUK MEN: 45
• WU CHUN NAM: 57
• CLIFF AU YEUNG: 65
• DONALD MAK: 77
• LEWIS LUK: 95
• LEE MOY SHAN: 109
• DR. WONG MOY PING: 145
• About the Author: 163
• Other Products by the Author: 174

Book Length: 192 pages

6 x 9 Trade Hardcover (Full color)

ISBN: 979-8-88556-030-6