Home
William Lai
Sifu William Lai trained full time for eight years under Grand Master Chu Shong Tin in seventies Hong Kong. He is Grand Master Chu’s only disciple training students in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.
Sifu Lai has been practising Wing Chun for over over 40 years and now trains students in the Sheffield. Click here for details of classes. If you wish to contact Sifu Lai details can be found on the contact page.
Sifu Lai is a life member of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association in Hong Kong where he is recognised as a coach. The Association is the founder body for all Wing Chun Practitioners worldwide.
Wing Chun is
economical,
effective
and efficient
What is Wing Chun?
Wing Chun Kung Fu is a modern and scientific Chinese martial art, yet it has over 300 years of history. Wing Chun is economical, effective and efficient. Practitioners will learn how to use their body weight, mind force, sensitivity and feeling to master the skills to their full potential. Therefore, a skilled practitioner, albeit of a small build, will be able to defend themselves and win in a fight. Its philosophy and principles are similar to Tai Chi.
The architect of this art was a buddhist nun called “Ng Mui” who possessed great martial art skills. She escaped from a fire at the Shaolin monastry set by the Manchus government in the eighteenth century. Since the Manchus had gained knowledge of Shaolin Temple martial arts from renegade monks, Ng Mui devised a new system while observing a fight between a snake and a crane.
This new system was passed on to a young girl called “Yim Wing Chun” after whom the system was named. She then passed it to her husband and further through her line of generations of masters to present day “Ip Man” who died in 1972.
Ip Man came to hong kong in 1949
A Special Connection
Ip Man came to Hong Kong and started training in 1949. Grand Master Chu Shong Tin, who was Ip Man’s third Student, trained full time under him for six years from 1951.
Grand Master Chu was known as “The King of Siu Nim Tao” because of his emphasis on spending more time on this form than any other. He had over sixty years of experience in Wing Chun when he sadly passed away in July 2014
Grand Master Chu Shong TIn was Ip Man’s third student
Our Community
In our Wing Chun club the atmosphere is that of a family. We train together as brothers and sisters. We are a friendly group and we have respect for one another as martial artists. Training together for years, as this art requires, means we get to know each other well. Along with the regular classes we have a yearly training day and regularly go for meals together as a group. Students are encouraged to help each other by sharing their knowledge and discussing the art so that we all may improve together.
There are no belts or hierarchy, there is just master and students. Senior students are those who have trained for the longest and put the most effort into the art. The training includes learning how to teach kung fu by explaining concepts to newer students. This improves your understanding of the concept as well as theirs.
The club is based in Sheffield but we have students who travel here for lessons and the training days from all over Britain and Europe.
