DAVE HUTCHINSON – INSTRUCTOR

I have spent over a decade studying Ving Tsun exclusively, and several more years training in other martial arts. I am very fortunate to have been trained by Sifu Matt Johnson, at the Ving Tsun Self Defense Academy in Chicago IL.

Sifu taught us, among many vital lessons, that Ving Tsun is like a toolkit and we are the mechanics who use it. This was the first time I was exposed to a Wing Chun school that emphasized the fact that the System is meant to be utilized by each individual according to their physical and mental needs – not followed as dogma or as a collection of fixed techniques. The VTSDA class structure follows that of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association in Hong Kong – an open, informal setting where students ask questions, get answers or ideas and train diligently to process the information and experience they receive. My time at the academy showed me that FAMILY is as important as skill, as we depend on each other to move towards mastery. It is in this spirit that I hope to continue passing on the art, which has had a profound impact on my life and how I live it.

I incorporate many useful drills and methods from my other experience into your training as well. This is not to say that I’m teaching a ‘modified’ version of Ving Tsun, (truth is, it’s ALL modified really), but I am reluctant to throw away anything useful. I believe that a balance of nuts and bolts study and sweaty, vigorous exertion is key to becoming a real martial artist. You don’t have to be an athlete to train with me by any means, but your endurance, strength and determination will be pushed! Hopefully, you will discover like I did that training the traditional system gives you a different kind of strength that allows you to efficiently endure the more external exercises, while this type of training in turn feeds a healthier body, mind and spirit.