Page 13 - MidWeek - Jan 26, 2022

Di Virgilio: Carrying On The Rich Tradition Of Wing Chun
JANUARY 26, 2022 MIDWEEK 13
FROM PAGE 12
that gives you a core founda- tion with tools to help you find your own way.”
The system first burst upon the international scene in the mid-’70s, thanks mostly to the Bruce Lee phenomenon. At the time, many of those caught up in the kung fu cinema craze wanted to simply know who taught Lee to fight, and when it became clear that the inter- national movie star had stud- ied briefly under Wing Chun master Ip Man, schools began popping up all over the planet to satisfy the growing interest among martial arts fans. De- cades later, Wing Chun would get another boost in popularity after Donnie Yen began por- traying the legendary master in a series of Ip Man movies.
This is where Di Virgil- io’s martial arts lineage helps explain — at least in part — why he’s such an in-demand instructor. Although he did not learn directly from Ip Man, Di Virgilio did study under sev- eral of the kung fu grandmas- ter’s most notable pupils. They include Ip Man’s most senior student, the famous Wong Shun Leung, who earned the nickname “King of Talking Hands” during his younger days due to his success in Hong Kong’s street fighting competitions, and who was Lee’s primary teacher; and well-known practitioners Wong Chock and Wong Long.
(Above) John Di Virgilio does baat cham do touch drills with Kalin Ito during a visit to Ko‘olau Wing Chun Academy in Kahalu‘u.
(Top right) Di Virgilio (standing directly behind his seated sifu, Robert Yueng), began his training in Wing Chun in the mid-’70s.
(Right) In 1980, Di Virgilio began studying under two of Ip Man’s most venerable students — (from left) Wong Shun Leung and Wong Chock.
PHOTOS COURTESY JOHN DI VIRGILIO
Di Virgilio also worked closely with “Uncle Tommy” Yuen Yim Keung — a Wong Shun Leung disciple whom Di Virgilio credits with preserv- ing the butterfly sword system known as baat cham do.
“I was at the Y getting ready for football when I met him and one of Bruce Lee’s stu- dents, James DeMile. They were giving a demonstration there and making a compar- ison between what Bruce Lee taught James and what a classical Wing Chun guy like Robert would do,” explains Di Virgilio. “I thought James DeMile looked really good with his one-step actions, but Robert was able to (string together) multiple steps and his hands system was more
Indeed, the student — who would eventually turn into the successor at Yeung’s school —waswellonhiswaytobe- coming the master.
One of Wong Chock’s best students was the Kow- loon-born Robert Yeung, an aggressive young fighter with a judo background who, along with his wife, moved
Eventually, Yeung gave in and told Di Virgilio to join his class. Not surprisingly, Di Virgilio already knew more than many of the pu- pils who had been studying
Not wanting to waste a min- ute, Di Virgilio immediately went to work. By breaking down the san sik steps to their
13to Hawai‘i in 1971. (Yeung
SEE PAGE 14
would go on to establish the islands’ second Wing Chun school that could trace its roots back to Ip Man. The first belonged to Stanley Au.) Less than two years later, Di Virgilio, then just 18 and con- templating a career in college football, crossed paths with Yeung while working out at the YMCA in Nu‘uanu.
unified. I remember being so impressed with what Robert was doing.”
Their connection wasn’t immediate, but the encoun- ter turned out to be the first step in an eventual lifetime partnership.
Whatever the reason, Di Virgilio remained undeterred. While other prospective stu- dents eventually gave up wait- ing around for an official invi- tation to join class, Di Virgilio kept showing up at Yeung’s school on Hotel Street. He’ d patiently wait on the sidelines and quietly observe Yeung’s lessons, making copious men- tal notes along the way.
provement.”
His growth in Wing Chun
“Robert Yeung used to say, ‘There’s imperfection every- where — in oneself, in others and in things. But a true mas- ter knows how to work around or with this,’” says Di Virgilio.
“We’ve been working hard on the books,” says the for- mer director for Pearl Harbor History Associates, who was presented with the Emperor’s Award in 2015 for his efforts in “creating acts of reconcili- ation and renewed friendship between Japanese and Ameri- can veterans. “The books have been something of a calming point for me.”
Di Virgilio wound up study- ing under DeMile for about six months before deciding that he wanted Yeung as his teach- er. Yeung, however, refused to take him in and Di Virgilio suspects it had to do with the instructor’s close relationship with DeMile and his unwill- ingness to poach students from a friend’s school.
with Yeung for months.
“I wasn’t just going to sit there and do nothing, so I would learn the forms indi- rectly,” he recalls. “At the time, I was a young guy look- ing for something that I felt I needed as a core. My thing was to challenge myself in a martial way and to see im-
was quick and Yeung soon recognized that his newest student had much to offer the school. One day in 1975, Yeung asked Di Virgilio what he would do to improve the system of drills known as san sik if given the opportunity. Before the student could an- swer, the teacher requested a detailed plan by the follow- ing week.
bare essentials, he was able to codify them into a more per- fect system. Today, that sys- tem is enjoyed and practiced by scores of students both here and abroad.
Danger, This is No Drill and They Are Killing Our Boys). A fourth book is scheduled to go to print later this year and a fifth one is tentatively slated for release in 2023.
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student of history — and most notably when it comes to military chronicles. In the last seven years, he has carefully researched and co-authored three books on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (No One Avoided
esides being a teach- er at heart, Di Vir- gilio is an ardent
His military focus also makes sense considering his parents both served in the U.S. Army, and one of his master’s degrees was in American History with an emphasis on American military history. His first master’s was in Education Curriculum.
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