There are No More Gatekeepers in Wing Tsun… Thankfully

Let me repackage a saying from the mighty Mark Twain to serve my own field of martial arts: “Loyalty is supporting your martial art all the time and your association when it deserves it.”

Since my latest trip to Europe, I’ve been overwhelmed with thoughts about the future of Wing Tsun in the Old Continent. While the European Wing Tsun Organization continues the work started by the late Sifu Kernspecht, it seems that Eastern European Wing Tsun is hitting an uncontrollable skid. The last few months have been eye-opening for many members of the Hungarian and other Eastern European Wing Tsun associations, as the embarrassingly tyrannical behavior of their leaders has been on full display for the world to see. Many students are leaving for greener pastures in the numerous competing Wing Tsun associations available today.

The main man in charge of Sifu Leung Ting’s “eastern empire” has been exposed as an abusive dictator, forcing his members to toe the party line and adhere to oppressive and rapacious policies that would make a psychopath blush. In a particularly cultish move, this Eastern comrade even goes so far as to tell his own members—adults, by the way—that they are not "allowed" to connect with anyone on social media who has left the association. This behavior has only fueled the desire of many to leave even quicker, with some simply waiting for another opportunity to learn Wing Tsun before they jump ship.

To make matters worse, the Eastern European leader forces compulsory seminars on his instructors and mandates that they buy his latest book—usually some drivel written about "Yip Man," complete with AI-generated content and low-resolution photos taken from Google. People, you do not need to suffer this!

The glaring fact that our Eastern comrade has missed is that Wing Tsun no longer requires a gatekeeper. The power of Wing Tsun monopolies and the gatekeepers that run them is fading. It's clear that the best way to learn Wing Tsun is not within an oppressive high-control group. Perhaps one day, they will get the memo.

Most martial arts, at least in their initial stages of development, suffer from gatekeepers. In the beginning, there are only a few people who know the art—sometimes just one or two. This is why lines of succession were once so crucial. However, now that martial arts have gained popularity worldwide, most are no longer in the hands of a single gatekeeper. The issue arises when current “grandmasters” or past heads of pioneering associations fail to realize that their time has passed.

In the specific case of Wing Tsun, Sifu Leung Ting and his students have spread the art globally. Had Sifu Leung Ting done his job as he sometimes implies, his Wing Tsun should now be carried on by multiple highly qualified masters. While this might be the case on paper, most who have experience with Sifu Leung Ting know that he doesn’t fully trust anyone with his art—paradoxically, not even his highest-ranking supporters.

At this point, many highly qualified Wing Tsun instructors have left the mother organization, creating a landscape where hardcore enthusiasts now have options. They no longer need to submit to the monopoly of the IWTA; there are many better training alternatives available now. Whether one desires a more European or Hong Kong flavor, no one needs to suffer under the tyranny of the IWTA, with its strange rules and culture, or its cultish adherence to “in-group” and “out-group” thinking.

If you like Wing Tsun, thankfully, you have choices now! The only people who still cling to the notion that the gatekeepers in Wing Tsun are the only “real” ones are those who are neck-deep in the cult themselves. They consider it a virtue to be loyal to an organization that would throw them out on the curb the moment they became inconvenient or voiced an independent opinion. Let me be clear: it is not a virtue to be loyal to corrupt people.

Many schools are teaching solid Wing Tsun in a positive training atmosphere, free from the politics and constant backbiting that so often plague other organizations. It's a breath of fresh air to see students thriving in environments where the focus is on skill development rather than power struggles.

As we move forward, let’s celebrate this new era in Wing Tsun where the gatekeepers are fading and the art is accessible to all. It’s time to embrace the freedom to learn and grow in an environment that encourages individual expression and mastery. So, let’s raise our fists and toast to a brighter, more open future in Wing Tsun!