Leeds Ip Man Wing Chun first opened in Bradford in 2010 and expanded to Leeds in August 2021. We are dedicated to teaching original and traditional Wing Chun in the Leeds and Bradford areas of West Yorkshire. Wing Chun is a simple and effective martial art based on economy of motion and minimum movement. It’s also the only martial art known to have been developed by a woman.
Using deflection and evasion rather than force, Wing Chun is a style developed to overcome someone bigger and stronger with sleight of hand tactics. It also uses soft power and explosive energy. It uses low kicks and strikes to the head and body. The heart of Wing Chun is chi sau. Chi sau can be likened to a fight put into a game context. It concentrates on a solid centreline defence and simultaneous attack and defensive moves.
Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right. The most famous among them was Bruce Lee.
Ip Man Wing Chun – Evolution Of Wing Chun
Wing Chun is only a few hundred years old and it is still being developed through its teachers and practitioners. Most of what is taught today came from Ip Man and the people he taught interpreted the style in different ways. Ip Man was known to have taught different students differently according to their body shape and personality. Both of Ip Man’s sons, for example had different leanings in their martial arts style. Ip Chun was of smaller build than his younger brother Ip Ching. As such his Wing Chun differed to that of his brother.
Ip Man Wing Chun – Chu Shong Tin
Chu Shong Tin was Ip Man’s third student and he sadly passed away in 2014 aged 81. You can see him in this photo to the right of Ip Man’s grave with Ip Ching, Siu Yuk Men, Cheung Chok Cheuk Hing, Ip Chun and Lee Wai Chi.
Chu Shong Tin’s teaching differed a lot from many other of Ip Man’s students and he had been teaching for decades when his altered his approach. Here’s a video which shows him teaching effortless power:
Wing Chun Effectiveness & Health Benefits
While Wing Chun is essentially a fighting system, the soft approach to power can lend itself to a greater understanding of the body and mind and promote good health. It’s no coincidence that many of these masters live to a ripe old age! Chu Shong Tin was 81 when he passed away. Ip Chun is 98 years old and attributes his good health to Wing Chun.
Our School + Heritage
Our school is dedicated to teaching traditional Wing Chun. This means nothing is added to the system. The lineage we come from is through Ip Chun from Sifu Colin Ward. Tim Halloran began studying Wing Chun in 1993 with Sifu Ward and continued his studies for over 20 years. Tim Halloran continues to further his development and understanding of the system of Wing Chun to maintain high standards in the school and has sought out a number of other Wing Chun instructors over recent years. Since 2021 he has been learning from Sifu Daniel Parr who is from the Chu Shong Tin lineage of Wing Chun and is a Hong Kong qualified instructor.
