This page is dedicated to the Grandmasters of Wing Chun from Ip Man to the present. Ip Man was the first to teach the art to the public. Were it not for him, the art would have been lost in obscurity. His son, Ip Ching, assumed his father’s duties spreading Wing Chun while Ip Man was dying of cancer and after his death, established the Hong Kong Athletic Association, run by five prominent disciples of Ip Man, thus making it possible for the spread of the art to continue in an organized and uniform manner. Ron Heimberger started the Wing Chun Kung Fu Council in 1987 to promote the spread of Wing Chun in the western United States. Since then, the Council has become one of the largest international Wing Chun organizations in the world. These men have made it possible for thousands of people across the globe to have access to one of the most effective methods of self-defense known to man.

Master Ron Heimberger was born March 7, 1956 in Nampa, Idaho. He began his Wing Chun training in 1969 at the age of 13 under Jim Fujitsu in Hawaii. He later moved to Oregon and continued his training in the Wing Chun system in Leung Ting’s lineage. He eventually moved to Idaho where he completed the system and advanced to the position of Leung Ting’s chief U.S. representative.

In 1987, after a falling out with Leung Ting, Master Heimberger formed his own organization, the Wing Chun Kung Fu Council and moved to Utah. As head of the Council, he worked tirelessly for many years to build up a worldwide organization, eventually uniting schools in the U.S., South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

In 1994, he came to the realization that he had gone about as far as he could with the knowledge he had, and began seeking out an exceptional master of the art. His searching led him to none other than Grandmaster Ip Ching, the son of the late Grandmaster, Ip Man. In 1997, they made their association official, and Master Heimberger’s students all benefited from the experience and wisdom of two great masters of the art.

In the summer of 2007, Ron began to experience unusual headaches. Despite his suffering, he continued to write, travel, and teach around the world, helping students to the best of his ability. However, in November of that same year, my friend discovered he had brain cancer. He fought valiantly, but by the time it was discovered, the cancer was too far advanced. On March 9th of 2008, he was rushed to the hospital where this energetic and tireless champion of Wing Chun finally came to rest.

Ronny Layne Heimberger was the author or co-author of seven books on Wing Chun and other subjects, including the most comprehensive book on the Wing Chun dummy to date. He contributed articles to Inside Kung Fu, Black Belt, Combat, Kung Fu-Tai Chi, and many other respected martial arts magazines. He was the producer and star of several instructional tapes and DVDs. In addition, he acted on television and in the movie, China O’Brien. He served his country as a member of the armed forces. He is survived by his wife, two sons, and three daughters, hundreds of close friends and thousands of students in over 50 schools around the world. We miss you, Sifu.

Grandmaster Ip Ching is the youngest son of the late Grandmaster Ip Man. During the final years of Ip Man’s life, when his health was failing, Ip Ching took upon himself the duties of maintaining his father’s home and school. Unpretentious and humble, Ip Ching is dedicated to maintaining and building up his father’s legacy. In his mid 70s and in superb health, Ip Ching is dedicated to bringing Wing Chun into the 21st century while maintaining its rich and traditional roots. He currently lives in his father’s house and teaches out of his school.

Ip Man began his Wing Chun training at the age of nine and continued until his death in his early 70s. It was his fortune to study under two of the prominent disciples of the “King of Boxers,” Grandmaster Leung Jan. He first studied under Chan Wah Shan, who ran a school on the Ip family property. Later, when he went to school in Hong Kong, he met and studied under Leung Jan’s son, Leung Bik. He established a school when he returned to Fo-Shan. Grandmaster Ip Man went on to a career of distinguished service in the military and law enforcement. In the early 50s Ip Man fled the communist takeover of Mainland China. From the mid 50s to the early 70s Ip Man taught Wing Chun in Hong Kong and opened it up to the public. His two sons and several other disciples have also distinguished themselves in the martial arts world. Though lately, several Wing Chun people have claimed a more direct lineage, the Chinese government recognizes Ip Man as the most important man in Wing Chun history, and dedicated a museum to him in Fo-shan, China in November of 2002.