Growth, Inspiration, Friends, & Fun! (Updated with Pictures)

Mid-August was a great time for growth for members of our club, and participants of Seminars that our organization held throughout North America.

First off, Sibok Rocco Ambrose had a good turn out and seminar in Winnipeg, Canada thanks to host and Instructor-in-Training Brett MacNeil.

Then, Sigung/Coach Ron Ogi had another great seminar at Portland Small Circle Jujitsu. Students got to experience how to flow from trapping to joint locks, and on the final day got a taste of how principles of trapping can help one in their grappling/ground work training.
Student, Mark Snow, saw this seminar as a great beginning for what would be a long training week for him and others at Sijo's Intensive seminar in Auburn, WA.

Sijo's seminar went REALLY well! Some of the Instructors (Sigung/Coach Ogi, Sibok Rocco, Sifu Ken DeMile, Sifu Pete Jay, Sifu Lonnie, and myself), and Instructors-in-Training (Anthony Morgan & John Mackenzie) got an opportunity to touch hands, and train with one another. Later, we would assist Sijo in interacting with the participants of the seminar who came from Canada, San Diego, New York, London, and from the Pacific Northwest, as well as our own club. These participants really got a great overview of what we have to offer, and how they can apply the principles and techniques into their own repetoire of self-defense; some coming in with backgrounds as Jeet Kune Do instructors, the Police force with Defensive Tactics experience, and Traditional Wing Chun.

Being exposed to everything from footwork, to Closing the Gap, to Chi Sao, to Trapping and to the Floating Punch, all participants really enjoyed the level of detail offered with the training. They also enjoyed how this level of detail in instruction helped make this seminar more than just mimicry and sweat inducing; instead becoming training with purpose to help start the participants on their journey to make the information, principles and techniques, truly "their own" - fitting their body type, personal tendencies, and physical abilities. Thus, allowing everyone to have the opportunity to go home and both remember what they did, and how to improve on it, and again, make it part of their own repetoire.

It was a great experience, and many voiced how inspiring it was to see the other "family members" of our organization, and interact with them as well as touch and feel the energy of Sijo DeMile himself! It was great to see old friends, as well as meet and make new friends. Hopefully, someday we'll all get a chance to interact with each other again.

Sifu Michael visit Sibok Rocco & The Ambrose Academy of Wing Chun Do Gung-fu

On July 1st, Sifu Michael had an opportunity to visit Sibok Rocco, Liz, and the rest of the Ambrose Academy of Wing Chun Do Gung-Fu in Livonia, MI near Detroit.

"I had a really great time! Sibok, Liz, (Instructor-in-Training) Jeff Maletz & his daughter Haley, and David Ambrose welcomed me in my afternoon arrival to a great chinese restaurant that they frequent. I got a chance to really get to know the Ambrose family and the Maletz family before classes started later on that evening.

They are really welcoming and great people! I was very impressed to hear of David's work in getting into stuntwork for film, and hearing that Jeff has started taking up Barefoot running; something I apparently got him curious in since I've been doing it since April of 09 (and it was cool to hear that one of the students that I unfortunately didn't get to meet, also wears Vibram Five Fingers for training...I wore my Brown/Walnut Classics for this visit).

And it was great to get to know both Sibok Roc and Liz in areas other than just the martial arts and the business of the industry.

Later on I got to meet a student of theirs who though he said it was an honor to meet me...I really think it was more of an honor to meet him! His name is Dom (I can't remember his last name). To me he is an inspiration because he is someone I hope to be like in the future. At soon to be 80 years old he is actively training in WCD, salsa dances, and does plenty of other activities and carries himself with a sense of youth that would make one really question of he's going to be 80! Just a great guy, and proof that age has nothing to do with ones ability to do self-defense. Too many times I hear people tell me 'I'm too old to train in any type of self-defense or martial arts', but LOOK at Dom...he's proving that that's not true...You're never too old, or too young!

I also had an opportunity to watch Sibok Roc's advanced kids class and see some really focused young individuals training well. Following that I got to train and touch hands with Sibok's advanced class and meet one of the two first Women Black Belt of Wing Chun Do, Donna Smith.

I also got to meet her husband, and Instructor-in-Training/Black Belt, Paul Smith. Both really great people who have the wonderful joy of knowing they're whole family is better prepared than most for self-defense because their kids were all in the advanced class that I watched earlier, also ranking in Jr. Black Belt, and Jr. Brown Belts!
I also have to mention that it was great to meet all the students I've already met through Facebook and train and touch hands with them and give any advice I could to help them with whatever they wanted me to help them with. It was both a pleasure and an honor.

Hopefully I'll be able to make more trips out there, and hopefully longer ones in the future! The Ambrose Academy is lead by the great leadership of both Sibok Rocco & Liz Ambrose, and it shows in the fabulous community that they have there! That energy alone is cause enough for them being deserving of the award in the past and hopefully in the future of "Nickelodeon's Parents Pick Award for Best family martial arts school in the Detroit, MI area."

Thanks for having me, and welcoming me Ambrose Academy!"

- Sifu Michael

Sibok Rocco had this to say about Sifu Michael's visit:

"Michael, your generosity as an instructor and secondary and willingness to share your knowledge excited and inspired my students. I was watching a mature instructor, no fear, no ego, ocmpletely open, willing to share and grow. I look forward to your next visit. WCD is in good hands on the West Coast.

Your visit inspired so many people. Imagine how my students felt when they touched hands with such a skillfull and insightful WCD Instructor AND he actually lives 2,000 miles away. It was like finding a long lost brother. They loved you. You represent and have showed them the next level of Wing Chun Do in which they now aspire to achive. Thank You."

Seminars, Seminars, Seminars!!!

August is going to be quite the month for anyone interested in learning from the very talented Instructors of the Wing Chun Do/DeMile Defensive Tactics family!!!



Sibok Rocco Ambrose Winnipeg Seminar

Sunday August 8th, 2010

Noon to 4pm

Located at the University of Winnipeg Duckworth Centre Auxiliary Gym

Sibok Rocco will be teaching concepts of Wing Chun Do Gung-fu, the Floating Punch, and Wing Chun Do Chi Sao.

For more info contact Brett MacNeil at macneilwcd@hotmail.com or 204-223-2121

Sigung/Coach Ron Ogi Portland, OR Seminar

August 13th - 15th

Located at Portland Small Circle Jujitsu Dojo

For more info contact host Sensei Stan Miller: sensei@portlandjujitsu.com or (503) 281-9060

Sijo DeMile 1-week Intensive Seminar

From August 16th to 20th

9am to 4pm (with 1-hour lunch break)

Located at the Cardio Self-defense club's headquarters at Auburn Gold's Gym in Washington state.

Open to the Public!!! This will be Sijo DeMile's last intensive seminar. It will be a 2-part seminar with participants getting the chance to learn directly from him as the 1st part, and the 2nd part being a type of "instructor summit" for Instructors from all over to come together to train together and give the participants a chance to meet them. Don't miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity!!!

Cost is $1,000.00

To register contact Sijo DeMile at sijo@wingchundo.com

Exciting Summer News!!!

Happy Birthday wishes went out and go out to Sijo DeMile on June 6th!

No Classes will be held from June 28th to July 7th. Regular Group lessons will resume starting the week of July 12th.

Sifu Michael will be visiting the Ambrose Academy of Wing Chun Do on July 1st to visit with Sibok Rocco and his students. It will be Sifu's first time visiting the Ambrose Academy! Should be lots of fun seeing the other members of the DeMile lineage!

Keep visiting out site to keep a look out for a special events in August!...

..Sigung/Coach Ron Ogi will be teaching a seminar at the Portland Small Circle Jujitsu Club August 13, 14, & 15. Don't miss out on learning from one of Sijo DeMile's original students, and a direct student of Professor Wally Jay, founder of Small Circle Jujitsu!!! more details to come!...

...Sijo DeMile will be holding a 1-week training course August 16th - 20th in Seattle, Monday thru Friday, with 6-hour training/lessons each day! It will also be somewhat of a "instructors summit" for all the instructors across the country and globe who are active and non-active to come together to train. Sigung Ron Ogi, Sibok Rocco Ambrose, Sifu Michael, Sifu Ken DeMile and Sifu Pete Jay have been confirmed to attend so far. Should be a blast. This 1-week course is NOT restricted to instructors only anyone interested in an opportunity to learn & train under Sijo DeMile should not miss out on this opportunity! More details to come, but if you're interested let us know!