GM Kernspecht | Old Style Yip Man Wing Chun

Grand-Master Keith R. Kernspecht is the head of the EWTO - the largest Wing Chun organization in the world, numbering over 60,000 students. Having practiced Wing Chun (his is 'WingTsun') for over 50 years, and having written over 20 books over his career, he is a foremost authority on this martial art. In this video, 74 year old Kernspecht is seen exploring a different Wing Chun system, taught by his younger colleague, grand-master Gwok Wai Jaam from China. GM Kernspecht courteously allows GM Gwok to show him various fighting principles through a partner drill, merely providing forward pressure, rather than attempting to do anything, so that he could learn from his distinguished colleague.

GM Kernspecht is the best and most senior student of GM Leung Ting, a disciple of Yip Man. His colleague GM Gwok, learned his Wing Chun from his father Gwok Fu, Yip Man's last student in Foshan (or at all), before Yip Man moved to and settled in Hong Kong.

Note how it is all made of just five movements, recycled and repeated: Bong Sao (Wing Hand), Tan Sao (Spreading Hand), Fook Sao (Eating Hand), Kuen (Fist; punch) and Elbow (whatever that is called in Cantonese). Most Wing Chun styles tend to teach just the first three of the five, as means of controlling the opponent's arms in flow while playing Chi Sao. Master Kernspecht also noted, that this older line of Wing Chun does not follow the common 'centerline theory'. Master Kernspecht is actually putting in much more pressure, and is physically bigger than master Gwok, to which Gwok at times replies by moving outside of Kernspecht's centerline, or intentionally not covering his own.