Bamboo Forest Wing Chun

I have followed Master Pham for a number of years. Some of the things I am about to tell you may differ from your notion about WC.I admit it has taken time to appreciate why Wing Chun (WC) is the Art of Interception, contact and Control. It is more correct to say Wing Chun is the Art of Contact and Control, than it is the Art of Chi Sao. Chi Sao implies contract and control. However Chi Sao is often misunderstood as rolling hands in a fixed pattern when beginning WC. This is not what chi sao and contact and control is ultimately about. Chi Sao must have contact and control, but contact control is a much deeper topic. Getting into a position of contact and control is where the fight happens in WC. There is no such term as trapping in traditional WC. Control is a foundational pillar of traditional WC. Trapping is a Jeet Kune Do term that denotes techniques based off the WC foundation principal of contact & control. The truth is WC control is a very deep topic and cannot be mastered after even 5 years of training. Not having control on the opponent, means the opponent will be able to strike. This fundamentally is where Ho Kam Ming WC, places a lot of focus. The truth of the matter, it is generally uncommon for a beginner to appreciate why control is needed. WC requires passion and patient learning to develop proper control. As a beginner it is impossible to tell differences of control between one WC practitioner vs another. Control is the most important skill developed in HKM Wing Chun.WC vs Boxing or WC in sparring is not really a good depiction of WC. Why? Because Authentic WC’s most effective tools are either banned or not effective with gloves on. There isn’t a YouTube video that depicts WC with it’s most effective tools applied. Only 1 out of 5 of the hand structures can be used in athletic competition. You never see chop, bil jee and open palm applied for real in a tournament. If the 4 hand structures don’t break the rules of a Tournament, then they can’t be applied effectively because of gloves.Traditional and Authentic WC doesn’t train boxing. It does however train intercepting incoming strikes. If there is no interception established in Ho Kam Ming WC, the fight hasn’t got into WC’s area of expertise. The real fight begins once interception is established. If I am not in interception & control range, then I am positioning and maintaining distance. I really want to be outside the range of a boxer until I intercept. This is necessary to avoid a boxing match which is Boxing’s and not WC’s expertise.Master Kiet Pham’s knowledge of WC is profound. He completed WC from 2 lineages. His deep knowledge in Prey Mantis Plum Flower and 6 Harmony, has manifested an understanding of WC that is deeply insightful. Why is this? WC is primarily based on linear forces, where as Plum Flower Preying Mantis uses circular forces. How linear forces deal with circular forces has been Master Pham’s focal point. He has not modified traditional WC. Instead taking two approaches:1) adjusting the foundational elements of WC, thus adjusting timing & control as an example2) created a bridge “so to speak” from his WC to deal with circular forcesFrankly speaking, martial arts has evolved at a rapid pace since the 90s . So his Martial Arts knowledge has also evolved, while preserving the Art of Ho Kam Ming WC.The Late Grand Master Ho (closed door disciple of Ip Man) spent nearly half his WC life as a teacher in Canada. During this time he poured much of his efforts into teaching a small group of students in Toronto, while personally grooming Master Pham to carry on teaching the Art of WC in Canada. What this amounts to is the embodiment of the Art of WC, as passed down from Ip Man to Ho Kam Ming, then to Kiet Pham. Ip Man taught Ho Kam Ming the fine details of WC. Those details are evident in material taught by Master Pham, including developing a strong foundation. Master Pham is very much a believer that patiently developing a strong foundation will yield better WC.

Amazing

At the Bamboo Forest Wing Chun school, I witness Master Pham sharply proficient at using surprisingly effective springy soft agility and at manipulating specific points of the body (for example, certain joints) to disable the stronger opponent in a manner that avoid serious permanent injury/death (a good deescalation). Compared to the past, he is gentler, more patient, calmer and a bit more sensitive now for learning struggling students. Sometimes he showcases moves that are exquisitely fluid and graceful, yet fierce if used for the proper situation.The dogma that the stronger opponent cannot be overcome is dispel in Master Pham's school. Besides strength, there are other qualities as well. When utilizing these other qualities, strength is surprisingly not as overwhelming as one would expect, and a fight is no longer simply a contest of strength where strength is the sole determinant.At the Bamboo Forest Wing Chun school, the students are to over time develop their endurance, fighting spirit (adrenaline attentiveness and fury perseverance), proprioception (perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body), balance, posture, stances, coordination, deep body mind inner awareness+control, flexibility, moves that are both defence+attack, attacking the opponent’s balance and centre of gravity (not only body parts), fluid snakelike graceful motions, cat like feet nimbleness, gentleness to the innocent, and controlled fierce courage at unjust persons. The synergistic catalytic fusion of movement physics and human kinetics+anatomy.There is at least some value in developing some Wing Chun qualities in oneself because one is not 100% protected by society from all the ills in society.However, I think that the real value of Wing Chun is in cultivating a Wing Chun spirit and consciously actively applying this spirit to real life, that oneself is transform into a more valuable person. I deeply wish to move more easily, gracefully, and intelligently in life, to be deeply observant+insightful, to grow flexibility in creativity, and to solve problems in awakened insightful nonabusive ways, to have a fury courageous persevering mind in the struggle that is life. To be sharply aware vigilant about all the hidden unstated problems+opportunities in life, in society. Who knows how far one’s potential can grow when it is water like a plant.

Everyone here is friendly and teaches you the traditional way of wing chun. I was horrible at first and am still not the best but there's been a significant improvement in both my skills and overall life.

Authentic in every sense of the word. To learn from Sifu Pham is a tremendous honour. Thank you for having me as a student in your school and wing chun family.

My reasons for training at Bamboo Forest Wing Chun because the teacher has an exceptional eye for catching errors. He cares about what my progress. He has deep knowledge in Wing Chun. In his personal journey, he lives and breathes Martial Arts as a singular focus. He has a pragmatic view on WC during these modern times, and is able show me Wing Chun in it’s true colours. There is no question in my mind his Wing Chun is authentic. This is why I have sought out Master Pham’s school.

Real Kung Fu! You will not find another Master in Canada with the same knowledge as Sifu Kiet Pham. He dedicated his life to pass on the art and is the real deal.The lineage of the school comes from Ip Man -> Ho Kam Ming. Sifu Pham is one of the most respected closed-doors student from Sifu Ho Kam Ming. It is important to know a few things before you come to school:1) You will need to go through an acceptance phase where the Sifu will conduct an interview and test if you are a good fit for the school.2) Don’t get cocky about your “vast martial arts experience” because in the first demo you will learn very quickly how little you know about traditional martial arts.3) Don’t get discouraged by having limited martial arts experience, that normally comes handy - humility and no bad stance habits to be fixed.4) Training with a real and traditional Sifu requires discipline, patience, control, mindfulness and self-awareness.5) The amount of caring, compassion and acceptance the Sifu and students show towards each other is absolutely amazing. It really feels like a tight-knit family.6) The school’s purpose is absolutely NOT commercial. So, forget about belt tests, marketing, and any other money grabbing activity.

I have been living in Toronto for 14 years. I am now preparing the leave the city permanently. There are many things I will miss. But as I prepare to leave, I have only one real regret. That regret is that I did not spend more time learning Wing-Chun from my Master at the Bamboo Forest Wing-Chun Academy.For the last 2 years or so, I have been learning the art of Wing-Chun in the lineage of Grand Masters Ip Man and Ho Kam Ming.My Sifu is a man named Kiet Pham. He is, to my mind, a fully-realized master of Chinese wushu. The subtlety, sophistication, and beauty of the Wing-Chun I have learned from him has created a feeling of deep awe and respect in me for both this man and the art he teaches. It has been a singular privilege.I strongly strongly suggest that if any of you have even the slightest interest in learning a martial art, that you go and learn from this man. There is a lot of superficial martial arts out there. Finding a master who understands the inner art of timing and control, who has full comprehension of touching hands and energy is very rare indeed. Master Kiet Pham is such a person.It has been an honour to learn from this man and I am saddened that I did not have the time to learn more from him.