Yip Man is the iconic Grand Master of the Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) Kung Fu system responsible for bringing this martial art to the public. Before Yip Man, Ving Tsun was mainly a secret style passed down from master to student for generations.
In his life, Yip Man taught thousands of students in China and produced some of the most renown masters including Moy Yat, Wong Shun Leung, Chu Shong Tin, Mak Po, Moy Bing Wah, William Cheung, Leung Sheung, Yip Ching, Yip Chun, and Bruce Lee.
Moy Yat was a fully sanctioned Sifu under Yip Man at 24 years old. After becoming a Sifu, Moy Yat continued his studies under Yip Man. He Studied his instruction method for the next 10 years gaining an unprecedented insight into the Ving Tsun Kung Fu system. A Master of Masters, Moy Yat achieved a profound understanding of the Ving Tsun system and how to pass it on.
He moved to New York in 1974 and started teaching Ving Tsun in America. An accomplished artist and acupuncturist alongside being a Kung Fu Master, Moy Yat cultivated his daily life based on Kung Fu principles.
He created the Special Student Association, and members of this organization are the Masters and Grand Masters that currently teach Ving Tsun Kung Fu all over the world.
Grand Master Moy Tung started training in 1980 under Moy Yat. From the beginning of his training his dedication to the Ving Tsun System was uncanny. Even though he resided in Philadelphia at the time, he would make the long commute to NYC multiple times a week to learn from his Sifu Moy Yat.
In 1986 Moy Tung became a sanctioned Sifu under Moy Yat and opened his school in Richmond, VA. Moy Tung's powerful and authentic presentation of the fighting art has always been a professional focus, and he has continued making Ving Tsun his career to this day.
At the recent 30th anniversary of Kung Fu in Richmond, you could see just how many people were influenced by Moy Tung and the people that learned from him. Over 200 participants, many of them masters and Sifus themselves, gathered from around the world to celebrate.
Moy Yat Tung is the senior student of Moy Tung. While getting his medical degree, he opened a school in Iowa City that went on to produce some powerful Kung Fu Sifus currently teaching around the country. His attention to detail and scientific break down of the Kung Fu system yielded great clarity in the teaching of the system.
Moy Yat Tung embraces Kung Fu principles in all of his endeavors. He is a successful surgeon, father to 3 active children at the same time as being a great grand teacher to over a dozen schools. He still finds time to record an album and play shows as a lead guitarist in his blues band.
Moy Yat Tung currently resides in Virginia Beach teaching the Ving Tsun Kung Fu system there and to his many students around the country.
Lung Yat Tung started his training in Iowa City under Moy Yat Tung. He moved to Detroit in 2000 where he continued his Kung Fu practice and put together a private workgroup.
As this group grew, he became sanctioned as a Sifu in the lineage in 2002 and began taking students publicly in 2006 as the Detroit Kung Fu Academy opened its doors. He has succeeded as a professional Sifu since then.
After becoming a Sifu, he trained aggressively with his Sifu Moy Yat Tung, and the Grandmaster of the lineage Moy Tung. During this time he gained significant insight into the Ving Tsun system that he works to pass onto his students.
Lung Yat Tung has hosted Grand Master Moy Tung on trips to Hong Kong and mainland China. This began connecting the American martial art Masters to Southern Chinese history.
The Detroit Kung Fu Academy has expanded and Lung Yat Tung's students are now teaching the Ving Tsun Kung Fu system.
In 2013 Alan Hoffmann began training with his Sifu Lung Yat Tung in Detroit. In 2015 he joined Lung Yat Tung’s inner circle, and in 2017 he committed to live in practice. After moving in with his Sifu, he began his work as an instructor at the Detroit Kung Fu Academy.
In 2018, with the blessing of his Sifu, he moved to Asheville, North Carolina, to begin putting together a school of his own. On top of staying consistently connected with his Sifu Lung Yat Tung, he is also a member of Grandmaster Moy Tung's MY5 inner circle. Sifu Alan continues to make trips to Detroit and other branch locations, as well as host the family in Asheville, to further his training so he can share his Ving Tsun as authentically as possible. He is committed to passing down the system the way it is being passed to him.