About the Maine Academy of Wing Chun Kung Fu
The Maine Academy of Wing Chun Kung Fu was established by
Robert Anthony, Sr., in October 1999. The Academy is an extension of Authentic
Wing Chun Kung Fu as taught by Si-Fu Scott Baker and Sifu Timothy Jeffcoat.
He still maintains contact with the Utah school, and with Si-Fu Baker, who
resides in South Carolina, and travels to these locations when he can. There
are also semiannual seminars with Si-Fu Baker here in Maine each year.
Training takes place in the traditional sense. The Academy
strives for quality, based not on aesthetic appeal, but on substance. We train
as is done in China, i.e.,generally out of homes, and at parks. This is done
to provide the highest quality of training with the lowest overhead costs.
After all, the quality of an art is not based on appearance (the size of the
school, the number of trophies, etc.), rather, it is based on effectiveness,
and so we strive to teach the highest quality of combat. Classes are small
in number, so that quality is not diluted by there being too many students.
Learning an internal art takes a great deal of time and effort, and class
size is designed so that everyone can benefit.
Training in Internal Wing Chun is a balance of both Qigong
and Wing Chun. Qigong training is done at every class, and the Thursday
class is devoted purely to Qigong. Emphasis is placed on five posture standing
meditation, brocade, circle meditation, bone marrow washing, Siu-Nim-Tou
Qigong,
and kidney washing. Any spare time at the Saturday class is used to refine
and hone the internal skills in Wing Chun itself.
Robert began training under Si-Fu Baker in October of 1989,
and continued under Sifu Timothy Jeffcoat from October, 1998, when Si-Fu Baker
moved to Illinois, until July of 1999, when he (Robert) and his family moved
to Maine.
The Academy provides an open forum for all Wing Chun practitioners,
and invites input from all who wish to contribute, in any form.
For more information, contact Sifu Robert Anthony:
Phone: (207) 353-2558
Cell Phone: (207) 776-9743
STATEMENT REGARDING
MMA-For those who are training in MMA, and
are seeking training in Wing Chun, will not be accepted by the Academy. To
train only to reap the benefits of what a perspective student sees in an art
is in my opinion a waster of time. The goal of training in a martial art should
be aimed at completion of training. MMA is a sport art, and those seeking to
gain something from Wing Chun will learn that Wing Chun itself is not sport
oriented. While there are many in the Wing Chun world have sought to compete
in the UFC arena, the rate of success is low. Training in Wing Chun is not
about rules, which exist in the sport arena, rather in the realm of combat,
where rules do not apply. A Wing Chun fighter should concentrate on hitting
vital area, such as the throat, and even train to tear at the groin, strike
vital blood paths, such as the femoral region and other vital blood vessels.
One cannot attempt to gauge what might happen in a street fight, as one cannot
know what an opponent has in mind, and so speed in attack, and seeking to seriously
injure an opponent to end a fight as quickly as possible is our goal. For those
in the Wing Chun world who are creating tournament-type settings, such as Chi
Sau competition or even forms competition have lost sight of what the art stands
for. While it is not my place to judge others in the Wing Chun world, there
needs to be a sense of unity, and an avoidance of political bickering-Robert
Anthony
Last Updated 20 April, 2008
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