Grandson of Yip Kin - 葉福财

Grandmaster Yip Fook Choy (1943–2019)

Grandmaster Yip Fook Choy (叶福财) began learning Wing Choon at the age of 8 under the tutelage of his grandfather, the renowned Yip Kin. In the late 1950s, as he matured in the art, he began assisting his grandfather in teaching.

Each day after school, his grandfather subjected him to rigorous kung fu training before allowing him any personal time. This intense, decade-long mentorship under Yip Kin laid an exceptionally strong foundation in Wing Choon for young Fook Choy. His dedication and skill later earned him recognition as one of the "Kuala Lumpur Ten Tigers" — the top ten martial artists of that turbulent era — where he was notably the youngest among them.

Following the passing of Yip Kin, Grandmaster Yip Fook Choy assumed leadership of the school and dedicated his life to spreading the Wing Choon art. Over the decades, through unwavering commitment, he successfully nurtured a new generation of martial artists, including three of his most prominent disciples:

1. Shifu Kahar (大师兄) – Widely recognized for his efforts to promote Wing Choon, with over 100 appearances across media and newspaper platforms

2. Shifu David Hirst

3. Shifu Loke Wah Tuck

In addition to martial arts, Grandmaster Yip was a respected lion dance instructor and an internationally recognized judge for lion dance competitions. His reputation extended beyond Malaysia, with active involvement in regional martial arts and cultural exchanges.

Grandmaster Yip Fook Choy passed away in 2019. Today, his legacy lives on through his senior disciple Shifu Kahar, who continues to uphold and transmit the art, together with his fellow disciple Lucian Lim (师弟).



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

History of Wing Choon (詠春源流)

Image
The history of Wing Choon Kuen (詠春拳) began with Ng Mui Shi Tai (五枚师太), a legendary nun of the Southern Shaolin Temple (南少林), who created a revolutionary new martial art system. Designed to be practical and efficient, this system had no formal name in its early days and was secretly adopted by rebellion groups in the Fan Qing Fu Ming (反清复明) movement—those who opposed the Qing Dynasty and sought to restore the Ming. As Ng Mui traveled across China spreading her art, she eventually arrived in Guangdong province, where she met her most gifted disciple, Yim Sei (严四). Under her tutelage, Yim Sei became a formidable martial artist and a key figure in the resistance against the Qing. Yim Sei’s daughter, Yim Wing Choon (严詠春), later learned the art and refined it further. She introduced a balance between hard (阳刚) and soft (阴柔) energies, emphasizing fluidity, agility, and the concept of “borrowing force to counter force” (借力打力). In recognition of her contributions, the system was eventually nam...
Read more

Guardian of The Legacy - Shifu Kahar

Image
In 1991, at the age of 17, Kahar began his Wing Choon journey under Grandmaster Yip Fok Choy, while still in Form 5. In a conservative era where traditional Chinese martial arts were rarely opened to non-Chinese, Grandmaster Yip stood out with an open heart—welcoming Kahar, a young Malay man, to learn this prestigious art. Kahar’s early training was rigorous and rooted in the traditional methods. For the first three months, he was instructed to stand in the Er Zi Qian Yang Ma (二字钳羊马) stance for two hours straight each session, followed by another three months of practicing Zi Wu Ma (子午马)—turning left and right. These seemingly simple yet intense foundations forged Kahar’s strength, balance, and internal structure, earning him a fearsome reputation in the push-hand community as an “Unmovable Giant Rock.” After nine years of diligent study, Kahar went to the United Kingdom for further studies. There, he joined a full-contact underground fight club that included seasoned fighters: A Karat...
Read more