Austin Goh
Encyclopedia
Austin Goh is a Wing Chun
instructor, Qigong
and T'ai chi practitioner, actor
and fight choreographer based in London.
in order to study a degree course in physical education. Due to the popularity of Kung Fu at the time, partially due to Bruce Lee
, Sifu Goh found that martial arts was a profitable business and not knowledge to pass. This prompted him to pursue careers in being a body guard, club bouncer and Wing Chun instructor. He has been teaching Wing Chun since 1971.
Once his school, based in central London
, became profitable Sifu Goh devoted his time in being a full time Wing Chun instructor. He caused controversy amongst the Wing Chun community by being the first to openly teaching Wing Chun in its entirety to both Chinese and non-Chinese students. In the past Wing Chun had been taught privately only to Chinese students and whilst some practitioners taught non-Chinese students the latter would not be taught the system in its entirety.
Austin Goh has written several books and DVDs including the popular 'Breaking Power of Wing Chun'.
In 1995, Austin Goh appeared on UK television in a show called 'Just Amazing' and beat the, then, world record of breaking consecutive concrete blocks.
In 2006, Austin Goh appeared in a music video for X-Press 2
's single "Kill 100". The single reached number 59 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Sifu Goh currently teaches Wing Chun, Qi Gong and Tai Chi as well as "Human Energy Courses" in London and Eastbourne and holds seminars across the UK as well as worldwide.
, groin. Therefore, damaging your opponents' centre area is effective while defending your own is vital.
Although Sifu Goh is trained in just Wing Chun as a combative martial art he respects other martial arts. He feels that each martial art is a different path towards the same goal of self fulfilment and betterment of a person both physically and spiritually.
Although he firmly believes that Wing Chun is a complete martial art Sifu Goh does not think comparing martial arts is a useful exercise. This is because he feels each martial art excels in its own domain and, as such, direct comparison is difficult. Similarly any competition between different martial arts is not indicative of any arts' superiority due to the rules required. For example, due to the dangerous nature of most Wing Chun techniques if any cross discipline competition is set up then Wing Chun will be disadvantaged by not being allowed to use many of its main techniques. What's important then isn't a comparison of which martial art is the 'best' but which martial art a person enjoys and suits them.
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
instructor, Qigong
Qigong
Qigong or chi kung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation...
and T'ai chi practitioner, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and fight choreographer based in London.
History
Grand Master Austin Goh originally moved from Malaysia to England in the 1960s1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
in order to study a degree course in physical education. Due to the popularity of Kung Fu at the time, partially due to Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, Sifu Goh found that martial arts was a profitable business and not knowledge to pass. This prompted him to pursue careers in being a body guard, club bouncer and Wing Chun instructor. He has been teaching Wing Chun since 1971.
Once his school, based in central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, became profitable Sifu Goh devoted his time in being a full time Wing Chun instructor. He caused controversy amongst the Wing Chun community by being the first to openly teaching Wing Chun in its entirety to both Chinese and non-Chinese students. In the past Wing Chun had been taught privately only to Chinese students and whilst some practitioners taught non-Chinese students the latter would not be taught the system in its entirety.
Austin Goh has written several books and DVDs including the popular 'Breaking Power of Wing Chun'.
In 1995, Austin Goh appeared on UK television in a show called 'Just Amazing' and beat the, then, world record of breaking consecutive concrete blocks.
In 2006, Austin Goh appeared in a music video for X-Press 2
X-Press 2
X-Press 2 is an English electronic and dance music duo. The members are DJ Diesel and DJ Rocky . Ashley Beedle left to pursue solo projects in 2009.-History:...
's single "Kill 100". The single reached number 59 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Sifu Goh currently teaches Wing Chun, Qi Gong and Tai Chi as well as "Human Energy Courses" in London and Eastbourne and holds seminars across the UK as well as worldwide.
Lineage
Grand Master Austin Goh was taught by the great and influential Wing Chun master Lee Shing and thus inherits Lee Shing's Wing Chun heritage which contains Centre Line Wing Chun, Pien San Wing Chun and Dai Lim Tao. Grandmaster Lee Shing was the first ever person to teach Wing Chun in Europe/UK in 1956.Wing Chun Principles
Sifu Goh teaches a combination of Centre Line Wing Chun and Pien San Wing Chun.Centre Line Wing Chun
This describes the basic principle that runs across all lineages of Wing Chun. It states that the objective of the practitioner is to both attack an opponents centre as well as to defend one's own centre. This is because the centre is where most of one's vital organs are located, e.g. head, heart, celiac plexusCeliac plexus
The celiac plexus or coeliac plexus, also known as the solar plexus, is a complex network of nerves located in the abdomen, where the celiac trunk, superior mesenteric artery, and renal arteries branch from the abdominal aorta...
, groin. Therefore, damaging your opponents' centre area is effective while defending your own is vital.
Pien San Wing Chun
This describes the stance of an uncommon style of Wing Chun where, instead of standing square to an opponent as in most Wing Chun lineages, the practitioner faces slightly to the side in order to extend his reach. This allows Wing Chun to be used at a medium to long distance. This does not mean that the practitioner is stuck at a longer range. Sifu Goh believes that a practitioner can combine this longer range stance with the traditional Wing Chun stance to be able to fight at all ranges.Simplicity
Austin Goh believes that although Wing Chun and its forms teaches numerous techniques in any practical application only a few of the very basic moves are needed. For example, there are many possible ways to kick but in reality the most effective and most often used are still the basic front kick, side kick and roundhouse kick. Learning long chains of combos is discouraged because they are almost never practical. In their place is a stronger focus on learning simple techniques that have more multiple or universal application.Openness
Sifu Goh believes that martial arts, especially those of Chinese origin, should be taught openly to anyone who is willing to invest the time to learn it. He rejects some traditionalists' views that it should be kept as a secret for Chinese people on the basis that such an idea is outdated, impractical and does not conform to the martial art spirits of openness and pluralism.Purity
Sifu Goh also rejects the now popular view that a martial artist should try to learn many or all martial arts. Whilst there's nothing inherently wrong with it, Sifu Goh feels that by training across different disciplines at the same time the practitioner risks not being able to delve fully into any particular martial art. He feels it's particularly detrimental for a non-professional individual to practice more than one martial art because most people do not have the time to devote themselves to so many disciplines. As such, Sifu Goh believes that one should focus on mastering one martial art before seriously looking into anything else.Although Sifu Goh is trained in just Wing Chun as a combative martial art he respects other martial arts. He feels that each martial art is a different path towards the same goal of self fulfilment and betterment of a person both physically and spiritually.
Although he firmly believes that Wing Chun is a complete martial art Sifu Goh does not think comparing martial arts is a useful exercise. This is because he feels each martial art excels in its own domain and, as such, direct comparison is difficult. Similarly any competition between different martial arts is not indicative of any arts' superiority due to the rules required. For example, due to the dangerous nature of most Wing Chun techniques if any cross discipline competition is set up then Wing Chun will be disadvantaged by not being allowed to use many of its main techniques. What's important then isn't a comparison of which martial art is the 'best' but which martial art a person enjoys and suits them.