| Siu Fu Tom Wong | |
|---|---|
Tom Wong at Santa Monica Pier 1982. |
|
| Born | 黃智燁 China |
| Style | Wing Chun Yuan Kay-shan |
| Teacher(s) | Shum Lung |
| Rank | Master |
Sifu Tom Wong is a Master of Yuan Kay-shan Wing Chun and Shaolin Dei Sut or Dishuquan (地术拳), also known as Dog Kung Fu which specializes in takedowns and groundfighting as well as Taijiquan.
His study of martial arts began at the young age of 10 under Taoist Wudong Chi-Gong Master Lau. Master Lau was famous for his "Cotton Stomach" technique and reportedly could withstand being hit in the stomach by ten men charging at him carrying a 300 pound log.
At the age of 11 he began training under police chief Master Tam with the Wu family style of Tai Chi. One year later at the age of 12, Master Tam introduced the young Tom Wong to the legendary Wing Chun Master Sum Nung.[1]
Given the political state of the PRC at the time, Sum Nung was already incredibly selective about who he taught and was especially hesitant to accept a student so young. However, Wong displayed an incredible learning ability and memory that none could deny and was accepted as an inner-door disciple.
After Sum Nung WC was sanctioned by the People's Republic of China in 1989, Sum Nung appointed Tom Wong as the top master outside of China.[2]
Master Tam would continue introducing Sifu Wong to various other legendary figures in the vast martial arts world of China including Chen Ko. Chen Ko was a master of Shaolin Dì Sù, a relatively obscure and unknown art until the early 1900′s. Chen Ko had attained status as a national treasure of China due to his many fine accomplishments with Shaolin Dì Sù and was also nicknamed “Immortal Leg”, as he had the ability to kick and bend a 4 cm in diameter steel bar.
Among these more prominent figures, Sifu Wong also studied with various other masters before moving to Los Angeles to meet his grandfather.[3]
Sifu Wong continued his training after moving to the United States by returning to China every year for three to six months at a time.
Sifu Wong’s teaching emphasizes practical fighting skills that can be applied to real fights. This however doesn't mean that his teaching can’t be applied in the ring. In 1989, he helped coach the Chinese Sanda team with Lee Chi Ming.
Drawing on his more than 30 years of experience, he has distilled his teaching into its most potent form. This allows his students to get maximal fighting skill in minimal time. Innovating new training methods based on classical ones, his teaching covers all ranges of fighting (including grappling on the ground with his Dì Sù experience) and doesn’t neglect the importance of physical conditioning.[4]
Because of his custom training methods, he has enabled some of his students to kick a double ended bag as fast as six kicks per second. Another example is the ability to use a one inch punch to break two boards that are held on one end with only two fingers.