Master William Kwok of Gotham Martial Arts Interviewed for New Book Publication

Nov. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Master William Kwok is a closed-door disciple of Grandmaster Wan Kam Leung of Practical Wing Chun. Master Kwok teaches this form of martial arts along with Taekwon-Do at his school in New York City. As a result of his devotion and commitment to martial arts in general, he has decided to provide detailed information on this unique form of Wing Chun. Below you will discover excerpts from the new publication, The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Martial Arts.

Q.) Why did you decide to teach Wing Chun?

Master Kwok - I love martial arts, and I wanted to find the one that suited me the best. I have experienced quite a few different martial art disciplines, and before teaching Wing Chun professionally, I had 10 years experience teaching traditional Taekwon-Do. I decided to teach Wing Chun professionally because these days non-Chinese tend to be more interested in learning and teaching Wing Chun than Chinese, so as a native born Chinese from Hong Kong, I felt a responsibility to introduce this scientific and practical martial art to martial art lovers in America, and more importantly, to introduce traditional Chinese culture to the rest of the world.

Q.) Does this form of martial arts also help with focus, strength and overall fitness?

Master Kwok - Absolutely! Every technique in the form has a practical application so when we practice, we really need to focus on structure, breathing, and relaxation. We need to have a very calm mind when you practice. Don't forget that Wing Chun was created by a Buddhist nun. When we practice the Siu Lim Tao form, it can be almost like meditating. For strength, we learn how to generate lots of power with body structure. Students much bigger than me are amazed at how much power I can generate through my body structure. In terms of overall fitness, exercise does not equal fitness. All forms of exercise, running, weight lifting, etc., can be bad for the body in some ways. Wing Chun is not a hard style, so people are less likely to injure themselves during practice. We also focus on proper breathing which improves blood circulation. By using body structure, we use our body more efficiently and will gain muscle strength, tone and flexibility.

Q.) Can you provide any additional details about Wing Chun that may help a person understand more about the art?

Master Kwok - While there are DVDs and books on most martial arts, it is not an effective way to learn Wing Chun. Wing Chun is a martial art that emphasizes sensitivity and feeling. That's why Wing Chun has a unique training exercise - Chi Sau. A person could learn the movements from a book or video, but to really understand the unique combat system, it is necessary to feel the teacher's techniques and train with a partner because the techniques are very precise and depend on sensations. It is impossible to advance without a training partner, so to really learn Wing Chun, it is necessary to go to class and have an instructor teach how the concepts apply to movements of the body. Like all other martial arts, it takes a lot of hard work and time to be proficient at Wing Chun, but it must also be the right kind of work in order to get good results.

To learn more about Master William Kwok, please follow the link below:

http://www.wankamleung.com/index.php/english/branches/ame...

To find out more about the new book publication, the link will follow.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Beginners-Guide-Martial-Sp...