Ip Man Wing Chun School opens in Lake Placid

The Ip Man Wing Chun Lake Placid school of martial arts recently opened and is currently accepting adult and youth students. Taught by certified Level 1 instructor James Gann, Wing Chun is a martial art focused on the balance of Yin and Yang energy, relaxation, and centeredness.

Wing Chun does not require great strength or flexibility, but instead uses a series of basic movements that can be executed for effective self-protection by people of all ages.

The history of the Wing Chun system has been handed down over many generations and is thought to have been developed by a Shaolin Temple nun named Ng Mui, who taught it to a young woman named Yim Wing Chun and named it after her. The story is that Yim Wing Chun learned the martial art in order to fight her way to freedom from a powerful suitor who would otherwise have forced her to marry him.

Arguably the most well-known teacher of Wing Chun was Ip Man, who was the first Grandmaster to openly teach it. The most famous of his students was Bruce Lee. The Ip Man kung fu movies have been so popular that many people in North America have now begun seeking instruction in the art.  The last movie, The Final Fight, was recently released on DVD.