Wing Chun NYC

Yesterday we came together to honor our Sifu — 10 years since his passing, and the kwoon is still full.

He wasn't just our instructor. He was a father to every one of us. The discipline, the precision, the heart he poured into each lesson — that lives on in how we train, how we carry ourselves, and how we show up for each other.

10 years later, we're still here. Still training. Still a family. That's not by accident — that's a reflection of how extraordinary he was. His attention to detail, his skill as a teacher, his ability to bring out the best in every student — we carry all of it forward every time we step into the kwoon.

We couldn't have asked for a better Sifu. And we never will.

To everyone who came out yesterday — thank you.

一日為師，終身為父
A teacher for a day, a father for a lifetime.

If you would like to train with us in New York come out to our Long Island location in Huntington Station NY. 347 587 8030. Thank you!

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We are coming to Chinatown NYC on a regular basis soon! Stay tuned. This is Wing Chun.

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New video by Long Island Wing Chun

Please join us for 2 days of training on the Wing Chun Dummy/Mook Yan Jong.
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Upcoming Winter 2024 Workshop in Huntington, NY.
Stay tuned.

Remembering SiFu... Can't believe it's been 6 years... We still miss him tremendously...

___ years later, we remember.

4 years. I wanted to write something yesterday on the 4th anniversary of SiFu Allan Lee’s passing, but didn’t really have much to say. Perhaps, it’s for the best. In Cantonese, the word for “4” (sì) sounds a lot like “death” (sī). So "4" is considered bad luck. A student once told me that I remind her of an old Chinese man. Maybe, deep down my old Chinese man sensibilities were causing writer’s block lol. I don’t know.

Today, I feel inspired to share. So here goes.

When I first started training, it took me over an hour to drive from the Bronx to Queens in heavy rush hour traffic 4 days per week, paying a toll each way. I paid more in tolls and gas each month than I did in training fees.

I was not the most dedicated person to show up those days.

One day, I arrived at training with huge blisters on my feet; so bad my feet were bandaged. The new paint on the concrete floor hadn’t fully cured yet, so we trained barefoot. After a few minutes of warming up, SiFu yells “Hey! Don’t bleed on my floor!” I didn’t realize I had bled through the bandages on my right foot and was leaving a trail of blood all over the kwoon as I practiced footwork.

I was not the hardest working person in the room that day.

One day on the drive home from training, SiFu told me he was offered an amazing opportunity to teach in China. He would have gotten a house and a very generous salary and had students already waiting. He was living in a very modest apartment and struggling financially. Knowing that him moving would pretty much leave me stranded in Wing Chun, I didn’t hesitate to tell him that I thought he should take the offer. It would be a better life for him and his family.

I was not the most loyal person in that car.

SiFu Allan Lee set such a high standard of what he expected from us in terms of effort, commitment, sacrifice, and - most importantly - character. But as ridiculous and impossible as his standards seemed at times, you had to accept them. You couldn’t take refuge in your excuses, no matter how good and reasonable they were. Why? Because he was living proof that his standards were possible to achieve.

He’s physically gone now. But for anyone who spent quality time with him, his example remains as prevalent as ever.