Wing Chun Women

Wing Chun Does Not Discriminate.

- Antonella Spatola

 

WHEN I WAS SEVEN years old, my family moved from Germany to Australia. My siblings were excited about the kangaroos; however, all I could think about as I disembarked the plane was, when can I go see Chinatown and learn Gung Fu?

My Sicilian parents were very strict, and it wasn’t until I turned 18 that I gained my independence; I moved out, started my degree in psychology, and finally started to learn martial arts.

My best friend at the time heard about a new Gung Fu school, so we didn’t waste time and signed up. The beginning of my training was different from any of my preconceptions of martial arts training—Google wasn’t around for me to research Wing Chun, so I had no point of reference. But when the instructor told us that Wing Chun was developed by a Buddhist nun, two things ran through my mind: I have found MY art, and how can I improve?

Twelve months into my training, my Sifu opened up a fulltime hall not far from Brisbane City. Many people tried the classes but couldn’t commit; since my Sifu had a military background, he taught with a no-holds-barred attitude. Training, therefore, was confronting, unrelenting and tough. I wasn’t anything special, just determined and hungry for knowledge, so I was able to overlook and cope with his regimental approach because it didn’t faze me, though now, looking back, I can appreciate how his regimen made training impossible for many people and not how Wing Chun should be taught. A fact confirmed during my subsequent training trips to Hong Kong.

After a while, I was asked to start teaching the kids and women’s only classes; they’re still my favourite to teach because the look on their faces is priceless when they see how powerful they are using only technique and structure.