Ving Tsun Kung Fu International Association - Amsterdam - Ving Tsun, Ip Man - Wong Shun Leung - Philipp Bayer lineage

Ving Tsun bij Dave is leuk en zinvol. Dave beoefent de sport al meer dan 25 jaar en heeft een diepgaande kennis van de technieken, toepassingen en alle namen. Dave heeft militairen getraind, geeft training in het bedrijfsleven en leidt al ruim 10 jaar meerdere Ving Tsun scholen. Hij weet voor elke student op welke knoppen hij moet drukken om ervoor te zorgen dat die persoon het beste uit zichzelf haalt. Ik hoop nog vele jaren bij hem te trainen. 

After learning several styles of Kungfu, always interrupted after 1 or 2 years beacuse of moving to a different city, I was looking for a style that I could learn in various places. That’s how I finally found Ving Tsun. The VTKFAE schools in The Netherlands are to be found in various cities and you can even find the Phillipp Bayer lineage schools throughout Europe.

I have been training Ving Tsun for 6 years. What a pity I didn’t find it sooner. Ving Tsun is characterized by its close-quarter combat. We do not distance ourselves from the opponent and we merely stand in each other's personal space. Uncomfortable? In the beginning, yes, but that is the space in which a fight takes place. You are ‘on top’ of each other and within a flash there is an action and than the fight is over. We train for that flash action and that’s also where Ving Tsun excels. During training with Dave, you develop a controlled aggression. We are not aggressive people, the contrary is true. But during a fight you can not wait for something to happen, you might sometimes wait fort he opponents first action, but then you have to keep moving forward and finish the fight without hesitation. That can not be done without taking the initiative and acting with controlled aggression.

As with many martial arts, there is the team spirit during the training. It's sociable, we help each other and learn from one another, but we never forget that it's not a game. We train for the flash action. Perhaps you might end up in a fight or you’re witnessing a senseless act of violence and you don’t want to just stay alongside. There are no warranties that you can solve the situation but I personally think that you’ll know how to respond if it actually happens.  Many of the martial arts styles I have trained seem to forget it’s about fighting. The focus is on routine of the movements, form and sometimes even the gracefulness.  After years of training you might be very good at it, but can you survive a real fight?

Ving Tsun doesn’have many forms. From the beginning, the focus is to understand, apply and improve the applications. An average training at Dave’s school usually consists of performing the first two forms as a start. The remaining time is spent on technical applications. Usually this is done from basic drills (like Chi Sau) and you will learn what actions to do in several situations. The purpose of this is not  so much based on what actions to do in a fixed order, but to better understand the application or solution itself. During Goa Sau (a free sparring form fom within Chi Sau) or sparring, you are tested for your ability to freely apply what you have learned.  Often this results in a moment that  I realize that I need additional training on specific aspecsts.

Ving Tsun at Dave’s school is fun and useful. Dave has been practicing the system for over 25 years and has a thorough knowledge of the techniques, applications and all its names. Dave has trained military personnel, but also gives training in business life. He has led several Ving Tsun schools over more than 10 years. He knows which buttons to press for each student to make sure that person gets the best out of himself. I hope to be able to train with him for many years to come.