Grandmaster Yip Man Refused to teach a Cantonese Speaking Brit! | The Kung Fu Genius Podcast #79

[@drunkenmonkey1887]

I remember my aunt telling me that in the 60s/70s when Lee Shing was teaching in London, he didn't accept female students either.

[@1888swordsman]

Makes a lot of sense about the man. People watch the Ip Man movies and think it's real, but Ip Man was a man of his time. He taught who he thought he should. No matter how "nice" we think it would have been to learn from Ip Man as a Westerner, but reality says sorry, no you can't. That's just the way it was.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

exactly!

[@hotlanta35]

I will try not to lose sleep over that 😂

[@benlawson3851]

Thanks, KFG, TFG, BFG and EFG (for Andrew, Editing F'ing Guy)! Great episode, I'm definitely using your book recommendations.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

You're welcome!

[@sardalamit]

Another great episode! When I saw the poster I assumed this will be the next part to Yip Man's story- Looking forward to that!

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I think the next episode will be part 2 (not sure though, we recorded these all many weeks out).

[@creightonfreeman8059]

Ju Jutsu was actually developed as a way of killing an armored opponent on the battlefield. Because hitting the small gaps in Samurai armor with a spear or katana was so difficult, and because Samurai code focused on one on one personal combat, taking the opponent to the ground where his movement could be restrained and striking the gaps in his armor with your tanto (knife) was the most efficient way of dispatching him. The ideal was to stay up on top of the opponent and mobile while restraining and dispatching, both because he also had a knife, and in case his comrades decided to join in. I would argue today the same principles apply in a self defense situation. The basic idea was known in European historical martial arts, and in Chinese battlefield martial arts too. This is why Shuai Jiao considers the battle won when the opponent is on the ground.

[@BaiLong45]

I was thinking that as well. Grappling was important in Japan especially in a battlefield situation and it seemed to make sense in the Chinese example. You're unarmed, you need to disarm someone who's rushing you so you give them a hip toss. Wrestling is a huge part of Chinese martial arts especially in the North. Maybe the reason we don't associate it with Chinese martial arts is because the more popular styles are Southern ones where they don't wrestle as much? Hmmm, I'll be the first to admit that I'm just speculating right now. Maybe the KFG can get some of the Shuai Jiao guys to speak out on this.

[@JKDVIPER]

I agree .. however. Trying to struggle on the ground works when you’re fighting a guy your size or strength. Try it on KIMBO SLICE. Or if he has a weapon? I saw a guy rip an arm bar, only to have the looser pull a knife. People will jump in too. For war though? One on one. Absolutely works. Just not every situation.🤛💥

[@TheKungFuGenius]

No idiot rushes for an easy hip toss

[@JKDVIPER]

@@TheKungFuGenius exactly.. I like to say detached. 3 distances to enter. Maybe a struggle once all else fails.. but never off the rip. 🤛💯

[@CinematicTendency]

“I didn’t say it was Lucy Liu!” Lol

[@TheKungFuGenius]

The cavernous gap between what I say and what Dre hears could fill volumes of books

[@CinematicTendency]

@@TheKungFuGenius 😁

[@tokyo333]

On the GwaiLo thingy, same happens here in Japan with the word 外人 (Gaijin). Some people taugh it off, while others get angrier than they would if you shot their mother and their dog on the same day. I'm of the same mindset as you - the only power words have over you is the power you yourself give to them.

[@vortexsophia]

There were so many great questions/talking points in this episode

[@JKDVIPER]

21:52 right. The British kid thing. I mean, I’m sure it was that way, I’m not speaking from knowledge.

[@sullyb23511]

I really hope that British boy found a sifu who was willing to teach him. I doubt it, but I still hope so.

[@colreef]

I don't blame him! I gotta feeling there's gonna be lots of nonsense. Some of it will even be hot! You're the man Mr KFG.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Thank you!

[@Artist21st]

Very, very interesting Alex! 🤔

[@TheKungFuGenius]

thank you!

[@Thesenseiformerlyknownas]

I would recommend the book "A Path of Mastery" by Jim Brault. He recollects the life lessons he learnt during his time training with Francis Fong. The format of the book is not too different from David Goggins book, complete with afterthoughts and/or practical applications at the end of each chapter. Intriguing & informative episode as always KFG!

[@MikeS24-v4s]

Yes! When I was younger training, I had had kids that use to say that I was going to burn in hell for practicing Martial arts.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Crazy!

[@BillSengMA]

I read that book too and it’s hilarious. Taming the tiger.

[@JKDVIPER]

2:01 it’s a full relationship 😉(nosa) 🤛😂

[@JKDVIPER]

58:32 Frank Dux might know some stuff, but knowing it and making it work against somebody superior is difficult.

[@JKDVIPER]

Frank Dux is such a self promoting ham. 😂☝🏻he’s full of it. He says he had never lost and he was trying to describe the KUMITE and had no good details.. all murky at best

[@davidreynolds2126]

Fun podcast 👍. On the side note, I’ve briefly been studying wing chun. It’s fun but rotating on the heels is bit of a challenge.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

That’s why I highly recommend not rotating on the heels

[@frikandelkroket9335]

I love your Cantonese sifu.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Thank you!

[@JKDVIPER]

This was a good one. 💥💯🥊

[@CinematicTendency]

Word of the day: appended (append).

[@CinematicTendency]

English is not my first language so I kinda added Word of the Day in the comments.

[@Garrett316]

The part where Mikey Deane was “insulted” by his now ex-girlfriend was hilarious. Had I been Mikey and she called me a “colonizer”, I’d have said “Yeah I am. And if you don’t shut the fuck up, I’m going to invade you again! And when I’m done with you, you’ll still smell like fish and chips!”

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I screenshot this comment for him and he loved it...

[@fuforthought]

Hey Sifu Alex! A quick question. Do you have a favourite weapon you like to see in kung fu movies? Do you have a favourite weapons only fight scene?

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Great question!

[@Mattastrophic1]

Kennedy and Guo's _Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals_ is an eye-opening read. It helped a younger me better understand all of the myth-making that has been going on in martial arts for literally hundreds of years. I grabbed my copy after hearing KFG mention it and found that I had underlined this when I last read it, years ago: "Tang Hao's teaching approach emphasized basic conditioning--a lesson that is often lost. Many students, today as much as in the past, spend a lot of time looking for something exotic--some trick or secret method. Tang Hao ridiculed this approach. *Martial arts excellence is largely a matter of good basic physical conditioning merged with a strong grasp of the fundamentals of one's chosen art.* If one's martial arts goals include the ability to fight, then a lot of time spent in non-cooperative sparring is necessary" (p. 41). That's what's up. Tang Hao was a Chinese lawyer and martial arts historian who seems to have had a very refreshing no-nonsense approach to things. Wish I could have met him!

[@JKDVIPER]

0:39 😆👌GOOCH

[@JKDVIPER]

You wouldn’t believe what happened this week.. 😂👌😆☝🏻

[@JKDVIPER]

I meant to tell you.. I got called out as a fraud by DAN THE WOLFMAN.😆 I told him.. my cousin is Joe Lauzon so I’m no stranger to a UFC GYM? I wrestled in high school n had a winning record. I won tournaments. I taught JOEY how to fight. Not completely, but I got him started in shootfighting. I studied under BART VALE school. SENSAI BENNETT. I took karate. I boxed all through junior high n high school. Not competitively but I knew what I was doing. I’ve had honestly 20 street fights. Grew up in BROCKTON MASSACHUSETTS. Look it up.😂💥dangerous place. I just find it funny that he couldn’t stop by to see me CONCUSS the bag like I do.😊 made me laugh. Sad that people can’t control themselves. He pulled a fascist move. Didn’t like a polite comment.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Man sorry to hear that! I can't imagine anyone looking at you hitting stuff and wanting to mess with you! I don't know who Dan the Wolfman is by the way.

[@creightonfreeman8059]

The real downfall of competitive, fighting martial arts in China was the cultural revolution, when not only traditional arts were prohibited and deemed "black", but lei tai matches were outlawed on the principle that "comrades should not fight comrades".

[@BaiLong45]

To add on to that, the Chinese martial arts has a long history of being selective, secretive, and to an extent "mysterious." No one really questions these things. The Cultural Revolution just made Chinese martial arts even more underground.

[@sardalamit]

Hello Alex. Submitting a Q for an AMA: There's a theory prevalent in the martial arts world that 'It's not the martial art, it's the martial artist.' What are your thoughts on this? (Hey Dre! putting this in brackets so that you don't have to read out this long ass message in case this gets picked up! My 2 cents- if the above statement is true, there is no point in practicing martial arts for learning self defense, fighting. For eg.: One reason why BJJ is so good is because they have the element of sparring/ rolling. I have been to 4 BJJ schools and have finally settled down on one now. 1 thing which stood out about all 4 BJJ schools from different lineages is that they ALL had time spent on live rolling for everyone! In this UFC Mumbai gym I went for a demo session, there was a lady on her 1st day of martial arts. She could have been to a Karate school for all she cared- she didn't know the difference. The head instructor sparred with her! He obviously held back- was very gentle on her, spoke to her during the roll...but she rolled on her 1st day in martial arts nevertheless! It is this kind of LIVE TRAINING that sets BJJ apart from other combat sports. So maybe a lot of people who are not "born fighters" will suddenly become better fighters in a BJJ gym )

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Great question(s).

[@kuo.taichi]

Re: Yip Man not teaching Northern Chinese... there is also a long history of Northern China being conquered by foreign dynasties like the Qing (the Jin, the Yuan, etc). Specifically regarding the Qing, the South was the last respite of Ming Dynasty loyalists and many Kung Fu schools retain the 反清复明 Rebel against the Qing/Restore the Ming ceremonial practice, so Sifu Yip could also have viewed Northerners as "softy Manchu collaborators" (and 共匪 Gongfei Communist Bandits).

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Absolutely!

[@JKDVIPER]

29:39 Good question DRIZZY. KUNG FU could be used for evil if somebody is hurting weaker people with it. I always tell people on my site, never use this in violence because it won’t work right. It’s hard to intercept when you’re the aggressor? 😂☝🏻

[@brucewayne7831]

You can summon a demon if you practice Bagua circle walking while listening to the Big Trouble in Little China soundtrack

[@JKDVIPER]

@@brucewayne7831 I heard that too.. 😉☝🏻

[@ruiseartalcorn]

Great stuff! :)

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Thanks!

[@jjma5894]

Great insight to Ip Man mindset toward teaching foreigners. I have a question that dips into "Dryson" territory. Given everything you know about Bruce Lee's life from Hong Kong China to America. Given what you know about Hong Kong culture and American culture. Hypothetically speaking, do you think Bruce Lee gets to be Bruce Lee if he stayed in Hong Kong? My hypothesis is that Bruce Lee would never have gotten a chance to be Bruce Lee as we knew him without his exposure to American culture. You see I think what Bruce Lee did is what all American Born Chinese (ABC's) do, because our acculturation was incomplete we had to take from surrounding cultures in the area. Also Bruce Lee uses the "Melting Pot" to his philosophy in JKD, "strip away the non-essentials until the truth is revealed" (Although I don't know if that's a direct Bruce Lee quote).

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Great question!

[@CinematicTendency]

@1:11:22 Is it just me or Dre start reading /narrating the story Beerdy style? 😅

[@TheKungFuGenius]

He might be Beerdy!

[@skoog7091]

There is so much about Yip Man. It would nice to hear the stories about how wing chun spread in the 70-80s. When people got murdered for teaching the third form and stuff.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I’ll tell those stories if you can substantiate them

[@skoog7091]

@@TheKungFuGenius Maybe this can be a new book? Working title: "Wing Chun History - the years after Yip Man"

[@AndreBeaulee]

Hello sifu Alex. Bruce lee is a big topic but stemming a little bit away from that. QUESTION FOR PODCAST. What is your opinion on Hong Kong as a destination to visit as a white guy who trains in Martial arts, what are the best places to go and do in relation to the martial arts , wing chun and jkd. What's the inside places to train and people to train with. And two parter: any interesting stories you'd like to share of you in Hong Kong you think the podcast would enjoy

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Great question

[@jdaywork2693]

Sifu Alex, do you have a favorite episode of Xiaolin Showdown? Would a crossover episode of XS and Jackie Chan Adventures be interesting? How would you write it if you could?

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Never saw XS!

[@jdaywork2693]

@@TheKungFuGenius I recommend checking out the video called Xiaolin Showdown - Omi's Fail Slang. I'm down for hearing what your favorite episode(s) might be from Jackie Chan Adventures.

[@JKDVIPER]

40:01 Good looking out Sifu Alex, ⚠️1. If you use a rear naked choke in the streets you’ll be arrested for STRANGULATION. (Facts) 2. If you attempt to grab or wrestle a knife guy with jui jitsu you’ll be sawed up real quick. (Trust dat) 3. If you use high flying kicks n just so happen to kick your opponent/attacker in the head? (ARRESTED) facts ... if you tap a guy out, who’s to say he doesn’t just start back up again when you let him up. 4. BREAK THE LIMB THEN? ⚠️That’s where we get attested again for MAIMING. 😂🤛💯💥😆🥊I’m dead ass serious too.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Good points!

[@JKDVIPER]

@@TheKungFuGenius thank you my brother.💯🤛

[@JKDVIPER]

DRIZZY 😂🥊

[@workaholick]

I'm not surprised or even mad about his feelings. Those same sentiments; on treating foreigners different, exist here and never left. So why belive the same is not in other countries and people?

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Absolutely

[@brucewayne7831]

@28:49- Dre you have no idea..or do you? kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6PKcpysrshmjJY

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Thanks for posting that! I knew Tony Danza was a former boxer, but never took the time to look him up on KZbin!

[@kevnev007]

More amazing stories.

[@BaiLong45]

Hi Sifu Alex. I was wondering would you be willing to address the use of Wing Chun in law enforcement or the military. Wing Chun in the military was a plot point in Ip Man 4. Yeah, that was exaggerated, but it's an interesting notion. How you had experience with training members of either community? Is Wing Chun useful in the situations police officers or soldiers find themselves in? Or in light of recent events, maybe not? If you could talk about this it would be cool. If it doesn't feel right at this time, totally understandable.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I'm not super qualified on this topic and I don't know much about this particular history.

[@BaiLong45]

Understood Sifu Alex. Thank you.

[@CinematicTendency]

Digging your Bruce Lee shirt 🤙🏻

[@TheKungFuGenius]

thank you

[@rademarinkovic4582]

Great poadcast against 🤗

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JKDVIPER]

Just saw a video where they called AMIN BOTZEPE “DAI SIFU?” 🤮 I remember we talked about that already? I thought these guys followed n payed attention? Tisk tisk tisk 😂🙏

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Yeah, but Sifu Emin is a legit badass, so I'm not touching this particular topic with a ten foot long pole lol.

[@PrinceNamor777]

peace my SG peace my SH

[@sardalamit]

Soooo...my 3rd comment today! For some reason KZbin is recommending a lot more WC channels today. Seems it's 'Hate KFG Day!' I have come across 2 new channels- one calling you out, another with comments calling you unflattering names! Knowing you, your comment will be 'not going to lose sleep over this cacophony of hot nonsense' 😄 damn! WC KZbin channels are fun! And I don't even practice it!

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Literally don’t care 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I appreciate all the commenting though!

[@ChrisChrisan]

Hello Alex, I have a question. Did Bruce Lee train his son Brandon martial arts? What was his training and from who?

[@dannydevito4899]

Brandon learned from Ted wong and Dan inosanto

[@TheKungFuGenius]

There, now I don’t need to answer this question lol

[@ChrisChrisan]

@@TheKungFuGenius OK but what did he train in? how many years? how good was he?

[@John-xk2sd]

Yes Bruce trained the young Brandon, he had Brandon on a Hong Kong TV show demonstrating some techniques

[@ChrisChrisan]

@@John-xk2sd Thank you.

[@Mattastrophic1]

Sorry for doubling up on comments, but I wanted to respond to that bit about how Christians react to East Asian martial arts. I live and train out in Pennsyltucky, _where we JUST now got dat indoor plumbin' we've been seein' on the TV box!_ Anyway, I am not religious but I am surrounded by people who are, and I can't remember encountering any friction with religious types over martial arts. I also can't recall hearing about conflict like that from any of my training brothers or sisters. Actually, I find that Christians 'round here tend to jive with the self defense angle of martial arts...of course that means there are a lot of guns around as well... Anyway, while I don't doubt there _are_ rural Christians out here who think martial arts are cults, _I haven't_ encountered any in about 20 years of training in the sticks of Kentucklevania. They don't come up _to us_ to proselytize at us or tell us about how Chum Kiu is really a ritual that opens Satan's asshole or whatever.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Thanks for the insight.

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Also, super funny btw.

[@Mattastrophic1]

@@TheKungFuGenius Thanks! 👍

[@LupusRexRgis]

Why doesn’t Sifu Alex consider Tom Bleecker a trustworthy Bruce Lee source?

[@TheKungFuGenius]

If I confused corticosteroids with anabolic steroids, would you continue to listen to my assertions about what substances people are using?

[@LupusRexRgis]

@@TheKungFuGenius Good point. Thank you. 🙂

[@TheKungFuGenius]

He seems like a nice guy, but there are some assertions without evidence and some glaring errors in his "toxicology" which even a non-expert and complete idiot like myself can see.

[@deanjones7270]

lets not forget the amount of Americans helping themselves to Hong Kong eh

[@TheKungFuGenius]

Of course not, we can never talk about one thing without talking about the other.

[@maykellavarrereschavez664]

Good afternoon Sifu Alex Richter. Greetings from Cuba. Thank you for helping to make known and understand part of the history of Wing Chun. I would like to ask you 3 questions: 1. What could you tell me about Sifu Emin Boztepe, his contribution to the world of Wing Chun, both as an instructor and as a fighter? 2. The problem is that I'm following your advice on wall bag work and heavy bag work, which you talked about in one of your podcasts. But a few days ago I've been having a little pain in my hands (wrists and knuckles) and I wanted to know if that pain is normal or a bad application of training? I have friends who trained boxing at the national academy and they told me that when they finished training they put their hands in very cold water or ice. I would like to know your opinion about it, because what has been observed in some Wing Chun schools is that they use medicine in their hands after training or exercising the iron fist. You spent a lot of time in the German Castle and now in Hong Kong. Perhaps in one place as in the other they had a solution for those pains. 3. A false criterion is being created about the effectiveness of Wing Chun in combat. There are many videos on KZbin where many Wing Chun "sifu" are easily defeated by other martial artists (mainly Chinese Sifu). What is your opinion about it? Physical preparation or low technical level? Thank you very much

[@frikandelkroket9335]

Would Yip Man teach Hakka people?

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I would assume so as many Hong Kong Chinese are of Hakka descent. But I cannot confirm that.

[@louiskruse5441]

Sifu Richter-I've been watching some of the Joey Chen videos. He makes a lot of claims about his friendship with Bruce Lee. I find most of it hard to believe and his rambling, incoherent presentation does not help him. Has anything he said ever been verified by anyone? What can you tell us about Joey Chen?

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I've watched those too and honestly I can't figure out heads or tails of them. I don't know enough about this particular relationship to comment on what could be true or not. Joey calling Sammo "that fat guy" says a lot though.

[@BaiLong45]

Great episode Sifu Alex. Thank you for contextualizing Ip Man. He was a man of his time. And at that time, Western imperialism, nationalism, and ethnicity made people angry and prejudiced. I'm glad that you said "non-Chinese". In the Philippines around the same time as Ip Man, Chinese wouldn't teach Filipinos Kung Fu. Prejudice, discrimination, and misunderstanding on both sides led to that. Cool that you describe how the opposite is true now. The ones who are really keeping Chinese martial arts alive today are non-Chinese. That's bittersweet. Yes, Chinese martial arts are alive. Just wish more Chinese would be part of that. Also, hope you have been enjoying Peter Lorge's book. Really great read. And thank you for mentioning the Hakka and Hung Kuen books too. Thank you Sifu Alex. Shout out to Dre, Mikey D, and the rest of the crew too!

[@TheKungFuGenius]

I'm loving the book and would love to have Peter Lorge on the KFG Podcast.

[@eddietours3728]

you demon 😀