About
Sifu Steve McGowan
Sifu Steve McGowan began his study of American karate at the age of 9. One year later he began his study of Wing Chun. He served in the US military for 7 years in the Ranger Battalion. Through the years of training, he practiced many styles of Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese arts, but his heart and roots have remained Wing Chun. He has 33 years of experience and is a dedicated teacher in the art of simplicity.
Experience
Wing Chun: 33 years
Karate (American style): 2 years
Shotikan style karate: 6 years
Iyai (samurai sword): 4 years
Bolisong (butterfly knives) 23 years
Arnis: 23 years
Contact
Sifu Steve teaches both group and private lessons for kids and adults. He can be contacted by email at: steve@goldenharvestwingchun.com
Sifu Bennie Casas
More than ever and unknown to many, arnis or stick fighting, known as KALI in some parts of the world, has been known to exist for and has been said to have been in use since hundreds of years ago in the Philippines.
It is a fact that arnis has been a Filipino martial art and sport for many centuries which shows that it is not only for fighting an opponent, but it is also a kind of sport, a game, a physical exercise, an art of self defense aside from being a discipline as practiced by the Filipinos for the past many centuries and as practiced by people in many parts of the world in the last two decades.
Not all people can learn this, however, because this discipline has its principles. Its rules and regulations that have to be followed along with the steps and requirements that have to be done and are needed in order to succeed in this to climb up its ranks. Not all people can be accepted and given instructions in this kind of martial art-sport because one of the criteria in screening the applicant is their character.
I have been studying the art since I was a kid with my first teacher of the art, Jose Colendra, and my Lolo (Grandfather) Gaudencio Casas, because they believe that the Art should be kept alive in the family tradition.
As a teacher in the Elementary Level, I decided to teach my students the Art of Arnis in our school until I met people who were also a believer that Arnis should be kept alive; Dr. Meneleo Estepa, Rey Postanes and Generoso Martinada. Together we agreed to put up a school of Arnis in San Pedro.
Contact
Sifu Bennie Casas heads up the Philippines branch of Golden Harvest Wing Chun. He can be contacted by telephone at 092-7528-4087 or by email at: bennie@goldenharvestwingchun.com
The History And Origin Of Wing Chun
Wing Chun Kung Fu is said to have been founded about 400 years ago by a Buddhist nun named of Ng Mui, in the border region between Yunnan and Szechuan. Legend has it that she created this style while watching a snake and a crane, or a fox and crane in combat. Whether this is truth or myth really doesn’t matter. What is known is that the Shaolin Temple was her home, and therefore she was highly proficient in the art of kung fu. Her years of knowledge and also being quite intelligent gave her new insights in the advancement of the martial systems at that time.
She passed the style she created to a young woman by the name of Yim Wing Chun (or Tsun). At that time the new art had no name prior to Wing Chun herself studying it. The art remained a secret passed downed through a few chosen students, such as Leung Bok Chau (the husband of Wing Chun), Leung Lan Kwai, who taught (Si-Kung) Wong Wah Bo, who taught Leung Yee Tai, who taught Dr. Leung Jan, who taught his sons Leung Bik, Leung Gee, Leung Tsun and Leung Ko. The art remained a close secret in the town of Fatshan. Chan Wah Shun was also a student of Leung Jan, and was the teacher of the Late Grandmaster Yip Man.
Wing Chun
Wing Chun Kung Fu consists of three forms. Below is a very brief description of each form.
Sil Nim Tau
The first form is called Siu Nim Tau and it consists of 104 movements. Sil Nim Tau translated into English means “a little idea” – the name may sound humble, but when applied in combat it’s anything but. There are three important concepts rooted in this form.
The first is the idea of the centre line. Since Wing Chun derives its energy from the body center, your body must be absolutely centered by standing in what Wing Chun practitioners call the Kim Yeung Mah stance, or inverted stance. The primary attack is a punch aligned to the center. This centerline punch can achieve maximum power and accuracy and also takes “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line” principle to heart.
The second concept is the Kim Yeung Mah stance which enables you to stand firmly against your opponent’s pressure without losing balance, but the opponent’s own balance will be used against him. The stance itself takes only a short time to master, but when achieved, you can increase the offensive attack against your opponent with devastating speed and power.
The third concept is breathing or Chi. In order to master the type of martial art that you are studying, it is important to understand the idea of chi. Today we call “chi”, stamina and self confidence. Without them you can neither defend nor attack. A fatigued fighter is a dead fighter. Sim Nim Tau is not just a hand form, but also a breathing form teaching you to regulate your breathing properly while attacking, or being attacked.
Chum Kiu
The second form called Chum Kiu or “Seeking Bridge” is the movement form of Wing Chun, and consists of 115 moves. Where as Sim Nim Tau is a defensive form, Chum Kiu is a more offensive form. Chum Kiu is divided into two concepts. The first part is the Kim Yeung Mah stance. Balance is essential since movement is incorporated into this form.
The second concept is deflection. To achieve this one must first learn and understand a series of hand blocks. Two of the most important blocks in Wing Chun are the tan sau, meaning “flat hand”, and bong sau or the “side hand”. These two alone can stop many types of attacks, setting the opponent up for a counter attack.
Biu Tze
The Biu Tze, or “Darting Fingers” consists of 177 movements. It is the third and most advanced form of Wing Chun. The old masters considered it the emergency form, and wouldn’t teach it to any student unless it was seriously needed. It is mainly an offensive training form, and consists of two parts: advance attacks and chi channeling.
Biu Tze trains you to press the opponent with many types of offensive and defensive hand and foot techniques. The elbow or “park jong” is a vital tool in the Biu Tze arsenal. When used properly, the results are devastating. Kicks are primarily aimed at lower targets, such as ankles, knees (inner and outer kneecaps), the groin, pelvic area, the abdomen and ribcage. Lower kicks are the most powerful and will cause serious injury to the opponent.
The fingers are the hardest to develop, so rigorous finger strengthening is required by weights and striking hardened objects gradually to increase the power. The fingers mainly attack the soft tissue areas of the body such as the throat, eyes, abdomen, and groin with devastating results. Please note these areas are the striking points or dim mak pressure points, and can cause respiratory, renal distress, or even death. Take extreme care in practicing these techniques.