Ian Protheroe

Infobox_martial_artist


name = Ian Protheroe
residence = Brisbane, Australia flagicon|Australia
other_names =
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birth_date = 1954
birth_place = United Kingdom flagicon|United Kingdom
death_date =
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martial_art = Classical Wing Chun, Chung Chi Wing Chun
teacher = William Cheung, Chu Shong-tin
rank = Sifu
students = Ray Solomon, Shaun Halley, Douglas Crowther
website = http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au
footnotes =

Ian Protheroe (Sifu) (born 1954) is a well-known Australianfact|date=April 2007 Wing Chun Kung Fu practitioner, teacher, and author. Protheroe learnt the Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu system from Grandmaster William Cheung in the 1980s in Melbourne, Australia. [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.9] Protheroe broke with Cheung in the early 1990s and has been pursuing the development of his own branches of Wing Chun which he calls Classical Wing Chun [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/classical_wing_chun/classical_wing_chun.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: About Classical Wing Chun ] ] and Chung Chi Wing Chun [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] after the Chinese name he was given by Grandmaster William Cheung [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] . These are separate styles of Wing Chun. The Traditional Wing Chun system was passed on to Protheroe from William Cheung [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.org/protheroe_e.htm Bærum Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy: Sifu Ian Protheroe and Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu ] ] , whereas the Chung Chi system has been developed by Protheroe and is taught only to students to whom he extends invitations [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] .

Early years

Protheroe was born in England and migrated to Australia in 1960. The son of a British Police officer, Protheroe showed an interest in fighting arts at an early age when he started Western Boxing in his mid teens. [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Technique and Philosophy", 2002, p.4] From the mid to late 70s, he began exploring the oriental martial arts, before being introduced to Wing Chun Kung Fu under Grandmaster William Cheung in the early 1980s. Protheroe studied with Cheung throughout the mid-1980s before attaining instructor status and operating a school under Cheung in Melbourne, Australia.

Development of Classical Wing Chun

In 1986, Protheroe was invited to attend a ceremony with a select group of William Cheung's senior students. At this ceremony, Cheung made the participants formal members of the Traditional Wing Chun family by giving each of them a Chinese name and entrusting them with continuing the teaching of Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu. [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.12] . Sifu Ian Protheroe pledged to teach the Traditional system for 20 years from 1986 [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.org/protheroe_e.htm Bærum Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy: Sifu Ian Protheroe and Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu ] ] . Over the years, Protheroe has continued teaching Cheung's Traditional Wing Chun system to students at his various schools in Eastern Australia and New Zealand. In 1996, Protheroe began to use the term "classical" to describe his own version of William Cheung's Traditional Wing Chun system [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.13] . The defining ideas and principles of Classical Wing Chun were the result of Protheroe's frequent trips to Hong Kong throughout the late 1980s and 1990s and his insights gained after a decade of teaching the art. Protheroe was particularly impressed and influenced by the teachings of Grandmaster Chu Shong-tin [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.org/protheroe_e.htm Bærum Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy: Sifu Ian Protheroe and Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu ] ] thanking him in at least one of his books and visiting on many occasions [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.3] . These visits, and Protheroe's own research, have led him to develop what he now calls his "Classical" Wing Chun system and this is taught to the public [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/classical_wing_chun/classical_wing_chun.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: About Classical Wing Chun ] ] .

Protheroe points out that although the name may have changed, the forms and grading syllabus he uses are essentially the same as those passed on to him by William Cheung in the 1980s. The main differences lie in the principles and methods Protheroe employs in his Classical system.

Development of Chung Chi Wing Chun

During the course of his twenty year pledge to teach Cheung's Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu, Protheroe developed his own unique approach to Wing Chun [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] . Chung Chi was the name given to Protheroe by his teacher, William Cheung, at a formal ceremony in 1986 [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.13] [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] . Protheroe decided to use this as the name of his personal style of Wing Chun [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.13] .The system incorporates sword drills, chin na and soft chi sao inspired by the teachings of Grandmaster Chu Shong Tin [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.org/protheroe_e.htm Bærum Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy: Sifu Ian Protheroe and Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu ] ] to which Protheroe was exposed during his frequent training trips to Hong Kong [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.3] . Chung Chi Wing Chun does not incorporate a formal and explicit grading system [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] . Instead, the "traditional Chinese system of dedication, time spent training and advanced skill level is the only basis for seniority" [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] . In addition, training is by invitation only [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] . Those who are taght the system are at least reasonably fluent in the Classical Wing Chun system before they begin in Chung Chi Wing Chun [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/chungchi.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools - Chung Chi Wing Chun Kuen ] ] .

Studies and writings

Protheroe has studied martial arts history and particularly Wing Chun history and development intensively. This has led him to write a broad range of books about various aspects of Wing Chun. Although focussed mainly on the Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu system, Protheroe's books are notable for their focus on previously "secret" aspects of the art. Notably among these, the traditional weapons of the Wing Chun system and the Wing Chun wooden dummy (Muk Yan Jong). [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/books_video/books_video.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Published Books and Videos ] ] Protheroe has not followed the lead of his teacher and written articles about meditation, chi, healing, or alternative medicines.

Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu vs Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu

Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu incorporates Chin Na (locking and controlling) techniques and extensive traditional weapons training into the syllabus structure. In many martial arts systems, weapons training is reserved for practitioners which have become senior students (usually black belt equivalent or higher). However, in the classical system, traditional weapons are taught to students from the very beginning of their training. In addition, Chin Na techniques are introduced at a relatively early stage in students' training. A natural follow-on from the usage of Chin Na is a heavy focus on controlling an opponent's balance and/or breaking their stance. Neither Chin Na nor advanced weapons training are a feature of the Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu system (nor many other Wing Chun systems for that matter). Although Cheung's Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu promotes a holistic development of Wing Chun practitioners, particularly when compared to many other systems, the Protheroe's Classical system incorporates advanced weapons training and control techniques traditional to the majority of Chinese martial arts but seldom seen in Wing Chun.

The Classical system is a combination of mainland Chinese and Hong Kong weapons systems as well as a great deal of trial and error on the behalf of Protheroe [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.org/protheroe_e.htm Bærum Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy: Sifu Ian Protheroe and Classical Wing Chun Kung Fu ] ] . He makes much reference to this in his work on the subject and this is evident in the training he espouses. [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Weapons: Butterfly Swords and Dragon Pole", 2003] Cheung's Traditional system, on the other hand, employs a primarily Hong Kong derived weapons syllabus which is comparable to many of the weapons forms and systems prevalent in Hong Kong Wing Chun [William Cheung "Kung Fu Dragon Pole", 1986] .

Support for Cheung's traditional system

Protheroe generally supports the assertions of William Cheung that Wing Chun consisted of two main branches, the "traditional" family system and the "modified" system taught to non-family members. He states this quite clearly in several of his publications and on his website. This has caused some controversy, though it should be noted that, in Protheroe's own words, many of the claims made by Cheung amount to just "another story in the history of Wing Chun" that cannot be either confirmed or denied by any party. [Ian Protheroe "Wing Chun Theory and Composition", 1998, p.12]

Current activities

Protheroe now operates several schools on the East Coast of Australia. [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/schools.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Schools ] ] He is also the head instructor for an affiliated school based in New Zealand and his student, Ray Solomon. [ [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au/schools/ashburton.shtml Classical Wing Chun Australasia: Academy Schools - Ashburton, New Zealand ] ] Protheroe teaches full time, mostly with private students. He also conducts classes open to the public several times per week and is a well known martial arts author in the Australasian martial arts community.

Notes

References

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See also

* Branches of Wing Chun
* Classical Wing Chun
* Chung Chi Wing Chun
* Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu
* William Cheung

External links

* [http://www.wingchun-kungfu.com.au Queensland Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy]