Sifu Klaus Brand

[Nicholas82555]

Does anyone know anything about Sifu Klaus Brand (WT master) from Santa Cruz California? I've been to his website and other and can't seem to trace a bio on him...hhmmm

(ie trained and certified under)

If you have any 411 let me know.

Thanks

 

[Svemocn1vidar]

He trained under Leung Ting untill he moved to US and found his own organisation. For how long and when,i do not know. But it's certain he learned Wing Tsun from Leung Ting. He is a Grandmaster of his own Wing Tsun system right now.
If that's something that would generally bother you,it should not. Many Masters left Leung Ting's organisation and founded their own. Many are self-declared Wing Tsun Grandmasters. Usually that happens because either their own masters charge alot,or they pursue their own way in the art,both skill-wise and money-wise.

 

[geezer]

He trained under Leung Ting untill he moved to US and found his own organisation.... If that's something that would generally bother you,it should not. Many Masters left Leung Ting's organisation and founded their own. Many are self-declared Wing Tsun Grandmasters...

Does it bother me? Yes and no. That someone would leave Leung Ting doesn't bother me. I did that myself. That they would start their own organization? Why not. "It's a free country", as we like to say. I belong to a separate organization that split away from LT's. But calling yourself "Grandmaster" is a bit much! I know a lot of the top guys do it. Emin, Segio, this guy Klaus. Heck, an old si-juk or kung fu nephew of mine now goes by the title "Si-Jo"... can you believe it? Whatever. It's their business, but I would think that the term Master carries more than enough prestige. Grandmaster just seems over the top to me. Even if you are a superlative practitioner of WC. Unless you are dead, or really old... at least 70 or so and have have made a lifetime of contribution to the art. Well that's my view

 

[Xue Sheng]

it always makes me laugh when I hear a guy in CMA calling himself a grandmaster

 

[Vajramusti]

Does it bother me? Yes and no. That someone would leave Leung Ting doesn't bother me. I did that myself. That they would start their own organization? Why not. "It's a free country", as we like to say. I belong to a separate organization that split away from LT's. But calling yourself "Grandmaster" is a bit much! I know a lot of the top guys do it. Emin, Segio, this guy Klaus. Heck, an old si-juk or kung fu nephew of mine now goes by the title "Si-Jo"... can you believe it? Whatever. It's their business, but I would think that the term Master carries more than enough prestige. Grandmaster just seems over the top to me. Even if you are a superlative practitioner of WC. Unless you are dead, or really old... at least 70 or so and have have made a lifetime of contribution to the art. Well that's my view

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Si Jo is an ancestor teacher- often dead!!!

joy

 

[yak sao]

I'm embarrassed by and for the people who call themselves GM.
I can begrudgingly give in to an old timer who's been at it for say 50 or 60 years. But like was already said, isn't it enough of an honor to be called Master?

 

[geezer]

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Si Jo is an ancestor teacher- often dead!!!
--joy

Too funny. And worse, this guy is teaching down in Tucson! Better warn your Sifu that there's a WC Zombie loose in his town! --Steve

 

[bully]

GM is way over the top for pretty much anyone. Master is sufficient. Not sure even Ip Man would have been comfortable with that lable.

 

[Nicholas82555]

Thanks to all who responded....I like to do my research ahead of time if I plan on stopping by a school. There's no harm in knowing who trained the instructor, sifu or teacher. Just an oh' habit I have.

 

[yak sao]

BTW, I checked out a couple of his videos on youtube.
That may be the hardest interpretation of WC that I've seen....at least in the videos that I viewed

 

[Domino]

I'm not sure what it is about what I have seen, I'm left unsure.

 

[tenzen]

That's what karate would have looked like if the japanese got wing chun instead of fukien white crane.

 

[yak sao]

That's what karate would have looked like if the japanese got wing chun instead of fukien white crane.

So somewhere there is a parallel universe where japanese people are dressed in white gi, sporting black belts, going through a sanchin looking version of SNT and breaking the arms off of wooden dummies? Talk about your Bizzaro World.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I'm not sure what it is about what I have seen, I'm left unsure.

Why do they all look so angry

 

[OzPaul]

I don't study Wing Chun but that video is nothing like what i have seen previously. Can someone who studies WC give some insight? He looks like Mr Han from Enter the Dragon...

 

[profesormental]

Greetings.

First, his videos shows that it is a hard style Wing Chun that hopefully won't collapse under street pressure. That is a good thing. What I mean is that I agree that an evolution of Chi Sao that trains against heavy street combat attack pressure should be emphasized in self defense.

Yet the pressure comes with body momentum, thus the attacker should aggressively try to occupy the space while attacking, instead of just arm swinging, thus the Chi Sao techniques should account for the striking weapon and the crashing body to control the space and maintain structure.

Also, the dude's hair is awesome, and you should always train with someone that is either bald or with awesome hair. It moves with every beating of the training partners.

About the GrandMaster thing... I get uncomfortable with the oriental title thing and imagine calling someone GrandMaster, or worse, be told to address him as GrandMaster... awkward...

I've seen peoples calling themselves Sijo too... or Si Tai Gung... Si Fu is more than enough for most circumstances.

In this case, he seems to have a large organization and long tenure. Thus in an organization sense it seems ok for the Grand Master title for his org. He seems to call himself Sifu though.

 

[Xue Sheng]

with every beating of the training partners.

About the GrandMaster thing... I get uncomfortable with the oriental title thing and imagine calling someone GrandMaster, or worse, be told to address him as GrandMaster... awkward...

There are no Grandmasters in China, this is why I find the title so funny and the self-appointed Grandmaster are hilarious. It use to upset me...now I just think it is funny

I know a few Chinese born and trained Martial Artists that call my first sifu (also from China) "Grand Master" but it is an insult.

The only time in China you hear Grandmaster is either for the benefit of the westerners of to start a fight or comment on teh skill level of the person being called a "Grandmaster" and they are not saying he/she is highly skilled.

 

[wtxs]

Greetings.

First, his videos shows that it is a hard style Wing Chun that hopefully won't collapse under street pressure. That is a good thing. What I mean is that I agree that an evolution of Chi Sao that trains against heavy street combat attack pressure should be emphasized in self defense.

Yet the pressure comes with body momentum, thus the attacker should aggressively try to occupy the space while attacking, instead of just arm swinging, thus the Chi Sao techniques should account for the striking weapon and the crashing body to control the space and maintain structure.

Excellent unbiased assessment, you can only do so much realism with the mook jong, looking at it as trying out the punishment you lay on the jong on a "live" dummy. Some times the "softer" WC is not an option.

You and your partner will definitely find out if your arms and body are conditioned enough to handle the raw power and pressure of an attack as mentioned above.

At some point in time, we have to stop and empty our cups ...

 

[mook jong man]

I just watched the video and I must say those people were the epitomy of muscular tension and seemed to use some very convoluted actions.
Not a whole lot of deflection going on there , you could hear the hard blocking coming through on the video.

The problem with hard blocking and being tense as was shown on the video is that not only does it slow you down and waste energy , but it also offers a conduit to which your opponent can effect your balance and stance.

Any type of tension , particularly in the shoulders can be taken advantage of and basically used as a handle to have a direct link to your body , as you could see in the videos there was a lot of body movement in the stance as the heavy blows came in because the arms and the shoulders were absorbing all the force instead of the force being taken down to floor.
A lot of that force could have easily been neutralised with a Bong Sau and a bit of pivoting
All that energy has to go somewhere and it was taken on one point and straight into the shoulders
Being relaxed in the arms and shoulders is a must , in order for the incoming force to be directed down through the stance and into the floor

This hard way of dealing with force is very limiting , because it's basically two blocks of wood hitting each other and who ever has the the biggest block of wood wins.

When you see people who are very good at Wing Chun neutralise heavy blows , what you tend to see is that the body itself does not move when the force is absorbed , or if it does it is turned as one unit to dissipate the force.

This is due to mainly two things , a good stance but also the proper use of deflection.
In my opinion a couple of things have to be adhered to in order to make correct use of Wing Chun deflections.

• Unlike hard blocking , don't take the force on one point , spread the impact along the forearm.
• Stay relaxed so the arms and shoulders can act like shock absorbers , don't be like the two blocks of wood hitting each other.
• Maintain the proper angles of the arms so they don't collapse under heavy force .
• Use the correct timing so that as contact is made with his attacking limb , your deflecting limb is already in motion so that it can spread the force of the impact up the arm.
• Wing Chun deflections generally use the principle of a circle to dissolve force , and this is done a couple of different ways usually simultaneously. We have our arms scribing a circular path from our shoulder joint to redirect force either vertically up or down , horizontal , or diagonal.
• At the same time we have a much smaller circle operating as our forearms themselves revolve in some deflections so as to spread force along a wider surface area of the arm.
• Finally we have the whole body turning as a circle in the pivot , and when coupled with the other above methods can be used to turn away an incredible amount of force.

 

[tenzen]

We have now entered the twilight zone.