I first started martial arts at the age of fourteen. I grew up in a small town in New Zealand, so the choice of styles were limited. I trained in Kempo Karate and a little boxing. I studied on and off until I moved to Australia where I continued my training in boxing for a couple of years, until I met a man from Thailand, who introduced me to Thai Kickboxing. I studied for two years until I moved to Sydney, where I continued training in Kickboxing, which led me to start fighting in the ring. I trained hard and fought in the ring for five years, which led me to winning the ISKA Cruiser Weight Australian Kickboxing title in March 2004. At this stage I started to look around at other styles. I trained grappling and ground fighting for a short time, but came to realise that if there were two fighters both with the same skill, same fitness, same fighting spirit but one was heavier, the heavier of the two would win the fight. So again I started to look around for another style, which could take care of the heavier fighter. This led me to  the Wing Tsun School in Randwick. Within thirty seconds of watching Si-Fu Fisher demonstrate the principles and technique of WT I knew this was my calling. Everything that I was looking for in a system was right in front of me. I joined up and I'm on the journey.

I really enjoy the classes. It's very hands on, everyone is there to help each other, no big egos. Si-Fu and Si-Hing are always moving around the class making sure that all the students are doing their techniques correctly. No one misses out, it doesn't matter if you have taken on WT as a hobby or more seriously, everyone gets the same amount of time.

WT gives you a great balance and confidence in life,the forms in WT can be used as a form of meditation,which i find it very peceful to the mind.

 WT  is a no nonsense self defence system that is real and works. It is designed to overcome the attacker or attackers with the least amount of time.you don't have to be  stronger or  heavier  than your attacker to defeat them,this is why the WT system was designed for woman.

WT is by far the best self defence system that i have seen and also training in,for those people out their who what to learn the the real thing,i would not go past the WT system, YOU WON'T BE SORRY.

BRENT TAMATI

I was looking around at various martial arts for quite some time, but with no background in the arts, wasn’t sure where to start. I tried a Shaolin Kung Fu class, where I had to join and pay membership fees before even getting through the door. Thinking this was how martial arts schools operated, I complied. Unfortunately the class involved 30mins of general stretching and 30mins of the beginners being shown a couple of forms with no explanation and then virtually being ignored. This put me off, but I wasn’t prepared to give up.

I knew what I was seeking but nothing seemed to measure up. I wanted to learn a martial art that involved real self defence rather than a sport that’s competition based. I wanted something that would be practical and effective. Something I, as the weaker sex, could use that works. I was also searching for an internal ‘school’, not just the ‘external’ or physical defence form. Then I literally stumbled onto WT. Wow!! What an insight! After attending the demonstration evening, I was hooked. Not wanting to get carried away, and after my previous experience, I took advantage of the free week to get a better feel and understanding of the school and its members, the art-form itself, and how professional the instructors were. I wasn’t disappointed. I was impressed!

The classes are great fun. The environment is ego free, and it doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner or advanced because everyone helps each other. You have the opportunity to train with people of differing shapes, sizes, strengths and abilities which encourages you to be flexible and adapt to diverse situations. Trying to defend myself against someone bigger and stronger was always in the back of my mind. I wanted something that I could employ if needed. With WT, strength and size is not a factor.

With their experience and expert tuition, Si-Fu & Si-Hing teach you how to execute techniques correctly and importantly, effectively. There is no pressure during classes and everyone gets equal attention regardless of whether you are there for fun, fitness or are more serious. The opportunity to test your skills is also available through mock real-life scenarios that are created. This complements the form and technique training done through regular classes. After all, if you ever need to utilise your WT skills for self defence, it will be in an everyday situation.

Well who’d have thought it could be so much fun? The more you learn in WT the more you want to build upon it and progress! There are many dimensions to WT: physical, mental, and spiritual. Of course, it’s up to you what you get out of it.

WT is what I was looking for, and more! I’m still at the beginning of my journey and am enjoying the experiences, successes, failures, learning’s and discoveries along the way. But hey, don’t take my word for it – give WT a go for yourself . . . you won’t be disappointed!

G Acres

I would like to share with you my path to WT. My first taste of self defence began when I was 11 years old doing Karate, I found this did not appeal to me so I stopped. I then took up Tae Kwon Do with some friends at a local PCYC in my home town of Cairns. After doing approx 2 years of this I felt that I was not able to cover every aspect of self defence principles, therefore I stopped going and decided to do what most other teenagers were doing at the time, and that was boxing.

It is from boxing that I thought I could reach my goal of self defence and attack and learn some tricks of the trade along the way. During my boxing days, I would train up to 4 days per week and thought I was really excelling from the training. I was fortunate enough to have several amateur fights on the boxing circuit, including entering a "tough man "competition, and competed in a cage fighting competition and have a taste of "grappling which was becoming big sport at the time. However WT has given me the ability not to let myself be on my back in a situation. At the time I thought I was doing the right thing as far as self defence goes, now looking back I think how wrong I was. Enduring several lashings is not the best way to learn.

Since joining WT I feel that I have given myself the best possible discipline to equip myself in situations where tension is the enemy. Prior to joining WT I made sure I shopped around for the most appropriate technique and now I am definitely sure I made the correct decision. WT principles are precise and are derived from real life scenario's, so it is not the case of just doing something at training and it's not possible to relate it to real life situations, WT only works on scenario based techniques. Not only have I learnt not to let my opponent touch me in any way shape or form, instilled in me is principles of position and control. I have also learnt that strength and power are not the winning formula. I recently completed my law degree and now I am working in Criminal law which has opened my eyes to antisocial activity which makes me appreciate my wanting to take up self defence again. For me WT is interesting to learn and it has programs designed for women, whereas not a lot of martial arts have. WT is my answer to confidence and ability.

James

My name is Bob Elder and I am a 7th grade student at Randwick HQ, Sydney Australia and train under Sifu Stefan Fischer. I have no previous martial arts experience and come to think of it, I've never really hit anything in my life - maybe a door or wall, but that's about it.

I've been a musician for nearly 30 years, 15 of which were full time professional. In that time I've done records, cds, videos and a million gigs around Aust.& NZ., anything from executive functions and weddings to bush rodeos and the most hostile bikie gang gigs.

Music equals fashion and trends and there is always someone who disagrees with or dislikes your music, hair, clothes, shoes, makeup, moving, whatever - they have an opinion! Go back 30 years and you've got quite a few wardrobe and hair style changes and a few of the times I hated it more than they did!

Anyways, as you can imagine, I've built up quite an arsenal of smart arse come backs and put downs and this was always my first reaction and response, give as good as you get and they will leave you alone. Man, I was aggro, ready, didn't have a clue but hey bring it on brother! Note to the editor; not with the bikies, they were alway right.

A couple of weeks ago I played at a pub in the Rocks, same drunks, same 'play some blah blah blah ya poof'. All night long. Thankyou. But I realised I wasn't responding, I was letting it wash, I realised I wasn't that insecure anymore. It wasn't arrogance, I wasn't a fighter or a martial artist, I just wasn't that interested. Instead of absorbing I was able to deflect. Don't take it personally. As my Si hing Stefan Mai often says, 'look but don't touch'.

This is something that, upon starting a martial arts school, I never really expected to achieve. I am a small guy, I've seen people go around bigger band members to get to me to whinge about the very people they just went around! GO TELL THEM!!

Life goes on, and I've moved on - I've got the marriage, the mortgage and the menopause, but this is better than I expected, this WT thing. I have trained as hard and intense as I can, made some bloody good friends and leant some incredible things about myself and other people. I personally don't want to ever find out how good this is, I don't want to hit anyone. But I never expected to have this inner peace, this confidence to walk away, this responsibility of power and control.

Thankyou - Chung Si Yip Man, Si Jo Leung Ting, Si Gung Kernspectt and Sifu Stefan Fischer.

Bob Elder - Sydney

Although fitness, not self defence, was my initial reason for starting WT, from the first class I felt significantly more confident in my ability to defend myself from an attack. I am happy to say I haven't been disappointed on the fitness side either! After 9 months and 3 gradings I am still constantly impressed with how practical and intelligent this system is. It is based on an excellent understanding of body mechanics allowing a weaker victim to defend themselves successfully against a much stronger opponent. In addition , the teaching method in WT is very much "hands on". The majority of each class involves contact with various partners of differing strengths and builds. This trains you to become familiar with the force and techniques used in an attack and to automatically respond effectively. These two points make WT the perfect martial art for women.

The atmosphere in class is friendly and encouraging. The instructors areextremely professional and safety during class is always a priority.

Try it, you'll be hooked!"

Linda S