or the past year and a half, Patrick Gordon has been instructing Chinese Martial Arts at Momentum Athletics fitness gym in the Glebe. The style he teaches is Wing Chun Kuen.
Wing Chun traces it's origins to the south of China. The most popular story is that it originated with a Shaolin nun named Ng Mui more than 300 years ago. She in turn passed her unnamed style to a young woman named Yim Wing Chun, for which it was later named due to refinements she made. Like many styles of Kung Fu, it was kept fairly secret, passing selectively from teacher to student.
In 1949, a talented Martial Artist, Yip Man moved from China to Hong Kong and opened the first Wing Chun Tong (school) to the public. Many of his students left Hong Kong and opened schools of their own, spreading Wing Chun throughout the world.
Grandmaster Yip Man's taught the entire system to one of his disciples, Ho Kam Ming, who then started instructing his own classes with his teacher's permission.
His most talented student, Augustine Fong, become an instructor under his guidance, later moving to the United States, were he became a recognized Kung Fu master.
Patrick Gordon, who spent a lot of time, practice and patience learning from Mr. Fong became a certified instructor and was encouraged to teach Wing Chun in Canada. Yip Man, Ho Kam Ming, Augustine Fong; this is the line to which Patrick Gordon traces his professional lineage.
Mr. Gordon recently hosted a two-day seminar with grandmaster Ho here in the nation's capital and is currently working at bringing his teacher, Augustine Fong, to town aswell.
Patrick is in very good standing with the local Chinese Martial Arts community. As part of his desire to develop high quality Chinese Martial Arts in Ottawa, he wants to teach quality Kung Fu so people can enjoy its many benefits.
Wing Chun is a very effective means of self-defense. It looks quite simple with only three hand forms, a wooden dummy (training apparatus) form and two weapons forms, much fewer than many other Kung fu styles.
The forms are easy to learn since they don't require difficult or aerobic type movements. But don't let this fool you. The forms may appear simple but can take years to fully understand and master. And there are constant adjustments and refinements to be made.
Wing Chun relies heavily on hands for defending, trapping and striking movements and feet for mobility and kicking. It does not rely on brute force or strength but on efficiency of motion, making it suitable for anyone regardless of size or strength.
Wing Chun is direct, simple and effective. When practiced correctly, this style will lead to a balanced development of three aspects - physical, mental and spiritual.
Patrick Gordon has been involved in Martial Arts for twenty years and has tried several styles. He is partial to Wing Chun because of its efficiency, practicality and because it is an intelligent style which makes one think as well as lots of fun.
For any information or class schedule, contact Mr. Gordon at 236-4467, by e-mail at p.gordon@cyberus.ca or visit his web site at www.cyberus.ca/~p.gordon/WingChunOttawa.htm