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Sifu Alex Richter - Head Instructor, 3rd Level Technician |
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Certifications:
3rd Technician Level Instructor
Trained full time at Langenzell Castle, headquarters for the EWTO in Germany
Other Martial Arts:
Taekwondo
Non-classical wing chun
Wushu & other kung-fu styles
Judo & Jiu-Jitsu
Escrima
Jeet Kune Do
Current branches:
New York, NY
Norwalk, CT
Alex Richter has been training in the martial arts since the age of eight.
Currently, he is one of the most successful instructors in the International Wing Tsun Association,
running branches in New York City, Seattle, and Connecticut.
Alex received most of his WingTsun training at Langenzell Castle, the headquarters for the European WingTsun Organization (EWTO).
It was there that he trained WingTsun full time, six hours a day, five days a week.
While in Europe he studied under the top masters of the EWTO from that time period.
Alexs previous martial art experience includes seven years of Taekwondo (black belt), as well as Chinese wushu, grappling and Bruce Lees Jeet Kune Do.
He began training in Tsun Jo Wing Chun under Sifu Johann Sasynuik while living in a suburb of Seattle.
This set him on a path that would eventually lead him to the Leung Ting system of WingTsun.
Alex prides himself on producing quality students by teaching WingTsun with strict standards just as he has learned it.
In addition to teaching WingTsun to his regular students, Alex has also taught WingTsun to police officers, bouncers, and expert martial artists of other styles.
A perpetual student, Alex continues on his WingTsun path through private instruction from
Great Grandmaster Leung Ting and Sifu Carson Lau.
  
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Si-pak Daniel Enge - Assistant Instructor, 1st Level Technician
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Daniel Enge is the second-most senior instructor (Yee Si-Hing) at City WingTsun.
Daniel trained with several master instructors of WingTsun in Germany and in Italy under the European Wing Tsun Organization (EWTO).
Since coming to America, Daniel has continued his WingTsun training under Grandmaster Leung Ting and Sifu Jeff Webb.
Daniel is currently a private student of Sifu Alex Richter.
In addition to WingTsun, Daniel has had exposure to other martial arts such as karate, judo and boxing.
He has also trained in Muay Thai kickboxing with Manu Ntoh (1995 Lumpini Champion) for two years.
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Si-sok Dan Hsiao - Instructor, 2nd Level Technician
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Dan had always wanted to study martial arts, but at the age of eight, thought he was too old to begin.
A decade later, Dan learned about and tried Leung Ting WingTsun.
He was amazed at the effectiveness and logic behind the art, and was even more amazed that such a highly-developed system
was available for him to learn.
After meeting Sifu Alex in 2002, Dan found his passion for WingTsun rekindled.
Dan continues his WingTsun education through lessons with Great Grandmaster Leung Ting (Hong Kong), Sifu Carson Lau (Toronto), and Sifu Elmond Leung (San Francisco).
He continues to refine these lessons through training with his si-hing, training partner, and good friend, Sifu Alex.
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Si-sok Gaute Forbergskog - Assistant Instructor, 1st Level Technician
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Gaute Forbergskog is a long time friend and training partner to Sifu Alex Richter.
Gaute is (along with Sifu Alex) one of the very few instructors in the USA who has trained WingTsun full-time at Langenzell Castle.
With his previous martial arts experience in Taekwondo and Kickboxing, as well as his military experience,
we are proud to have Gaute as an addition to the City WingTsun team.
Currently, Gaute is training WingTsun in Norway.
He visits City WingTsun 2-3 times per year to continue his training with Grandmaster Leung Ting and Sifu Alex.
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Si-hing Fabian Rivera - Assistant Instructor, 1st Level Technician
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Since he was young, Fabian has always wanted to study the Martial Arts.
For many years he researched different martial arts and watched countless demonstrations,
searching the entire time for the most effective style for himself.
Carefully researching all Wing Chun schools in his local area, he came across Sifu Alex Richter's City Wing Tsun.
It didn't take him long to realize that Wing Tsun was exactly what he was looking for.
From the instructor, the students, and the atmosphere of the school, he knew right away that this is the place for him.
All of this, combined with the beauty and simplicity of the art, has kept Fabian hooked.
Being one of City Wing Tsun's most diligent students has resulted in Fabian also being a patient and detail-oriented instructor,
especially for those just starting out!
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Si-je Mary Austria - Assistant Instructor, 1st Level Technician
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Mary Austria is one of Sifu Alex's most senior students.
Mary is a very real example that WingTsun is functional regardless of size or gender.
She is especially known for her smooth and elegant execution of WingTsun movements.
Along with her husband, Fabian Rivera, Mary assists Sifu Alex in many of the group classes at the NYC facility.
Not only is Mary one of the most senior students at City WingTsun,
she is also one of the few students to be selected by Sifu Alex to be in every single public demonstration.
You can see Mary in action on our trailer.
Mary is also available as a private instructor.
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Si-hing Mike Yahn - Assistant Instructor
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Raised by ninjas in the Far East on a large mountaintop, Mike Yahn studied all the arts of the crab, the sparrow, and the velociraptor in order to perfect his Martial Arts Zen Chi prowess.
No longer satisfied, he moved to NYC to study acting at N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the arts.
There Mike was exposed to the art of Stage Combat, the illusion of violence without actual violence.
Mike eventually decided to seek out a real martial art, one with actual effectiveness in fighting.
He found exactly what he was looking for in WingTsun.
Besides learning practical fighting skills, Mike finds the most important part of City WingTsun is in the people.
It is his WingTsun classmates that have become like a family, a group of caring martial artists whom he wouldn't question to help out.
Mike has also recently discovered the vertical fist and low elbow of Wing Tsun runs in his family as evidenced by this photograph (below left) of his grandfather circa 1940.
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Si-hing Victor Berrios - Assistant Instructor
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Victor Berrios is one of Sifu Alex's very first students in NYC.
Victor's previous martial arts experience included karate and Moy Yat Ving Tsun.
His introduction to WingTsun by Sifu Alex's Si-Hing (elder kung fu brother) Kenan left quite an impression on Victor ;-).
Unlike most of the new students who only know City WingTsun's professional midtown location, Victor has seen the complete evolution of City WingTsun.
Victor has seen the transition from Sifu Alex's humble beginnings teaching at dance studios, a tai chi school in Chelsea to eventually opening his midtown location.
The road for Victor to become a WingTsun instructor was not an easy one, but Victor's persistence and dedication has eventually paid off.
Sifu Alex is very proud to have Victor on his City WingTsun team.
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Si-hing Paul Cully - Assistant Instructor
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Ever since he saw his first kung fu movie, Paul always wanted to learn martial arts.
As fate would have it, an old injury would help Paul see that dream come true.
While in therapy for his knee, it was suggested he join a gym to continue the progress made.
The only problem was that the gym routine was boring and he quickly lost his motivation.
This rekindled his interest in learning martial arts.
With a little research and a lot of luck, Paul came across City WingTsun.
It was here that he realized he could get everything he needed and much more.
Try as they may to get rid of him, Paul has become a fixture at City WingTsun.
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Si-hing Elliot Sanchez - Assistant Instructor
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Elliot Sanchez began his martial arts career at City WingTsun.
Elliot is a patient and attentive instructor who enjoys helping students progress in WingTsun.
Elliot assists, along with Paul Cully, the Beginner and Basics classes.
Elliot is also available for private instruction.
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Si-hing Thomas Stanford - Asheville Branch Instructor
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Thomas developed an interest in martial arts early on in his life.
He first learned some boxing from his father (a former Marine), and later learned Chinese martial arts under master Cheng Ai Ping.
Under master Cheng, Thomas learned Chinese wushu, taijiquan (tai chi) and bagua.
Eventually Thomas decided to learn something more practical than what he previously had learned and WingTsun was exactly what he was looking for.
Thomas has assisted Sifu Alex as an apprentice instructor both in Connecticut and in New York City.
In addition to being an excellent WingTsun instructor, Thomas is also a certified pilot and flight instructor.
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Si-hing Adam Almog - Seattle Branch Instructor
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Adam began his WingTsun training in Redmond, Washington,
and found his interest in the art fervently re-invigorated some years later during a visit to Germany.
He then decided to continue his training as a student of Sifu Alex,
and discovered a genuine enjoyment for learning and teaching WingTsun that continues to this day.
From his regular home in Seattle, Adam takes frequent trips to New York to see Sifu Alex and his fellow students.
Adam's other martial arts experience includes escrima, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and karate.
He is also a licensed massage practitioner.
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Si-hing Elliot Leung - Norwalk Branch Instructor, 1st Level Technician
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Elliot, along with his brother Wai, developed an interest in martial arts when he was very young.
As a teenager he studied wing chun for a couple of years under Sifu Peter Chow.
In 2003, he finally enrolled with City WingTsun after researching many martial arts schools in the Fairfield County area.
Elliot and Wai both lead the Norwalk classes under the guidance of Sifu Alex.
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Si-hing Wai Leung - Norwalk Branch Instructor, 1st Level Technician
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Wai developed an interest in martial arts when he was very young and as a teenager he studied wing chun for a couple of years in the seventies under Sifu Peter Chow.
In 2003, he finally enrolled with City WingTsun after researching many martial arts schools in the Fairfield County area.
Wai was extremely impressed with the efficiency and effectiveness that the Leung Ting WingTsun system provided.
He was even more impressed with how Sifu Alex elucidated the art with simplicity.
Wai, along with his brother Elliot, assist Sifu Alex in Norwalk.
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Si-hing Ryan Leung - Charlotte Branch Instructor
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Ryan Leung is a Hong Kong native with seven years experience in the martial arts.
After studying years of Tang Soo Do and Japanese Karate, Ryan finally discovered WingTsun kungfu.
Ryan found that the Leung Ting WingTsun system does not rely on strength against strength during fighting,
which makes WingTsun highly adaptable to students of all sizes.
Ryan has truly found his home with the systematic training system of Leung Ting WingTsun.
After having trained under the expert guidance of Sifu Alex Richter for three years as a member of City WingTsun,
Ryan is proud to now have opened a branch in North Carolina.
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WingTsun's Great Grandmaster Leung Ting (梁挺宗師)
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Professor Leung Ting is the founder and permanent president of the International WingTsun Association (國際詠春總會) ).
He began learning Wing Chun kungfu at the age of 13 from Great Grandmaster Yip Man's first student.
In 1967, Leung Ting began teaching WingTsun Kungfu as an amateur instructor.
In 1968, he started a Wing Tsun class in the Baptist College, becoming the first kungfu class ever established at a university of Hong Kong.
Earlier that year, Great Grandmaster Yip Man (teacher of Bruce Lee) had just "closed his door" — a Chinese phrase that means to retire from teaching.
However, he soon accepted Leung Ting as his "closed-door" student and personally taught him the most advanced techniques in the home of Leung Ting's Second Si-Hing (elder kungfu brother), Kwok Keung.
Soon, a young Sifu Leung Ting realized that what he was learning from the Great Grandmaster was quite different and far more profound than what he had previously learned.
He started to appreciate the most advanced ideas of "unloading the force from the strong opponent and defeat him by making use of his own force".
To distinguish his newfound understanding of the art, he chose to spell in English his interpretation of the style as "Wing Tsun," which, although pronounced the same, is quite different from the generic spelling of wing chun.
However, the most important point is not the difference in spelling; it is the difference between the "superficial techniques that look alike" and the "profound fighting concepts behind these techniques"!
In September of 1969, Sifu Leung Ting organized the first WingTsun Kungfu Contest in the Baptist College in Hong Kong.
It was the first Chi-Sau contest ever held since Great Grandmaster Yip Man began teaching Wing Tsun in Hong Kong in 1949.
In this contest, Great Grandmaster Yip Man was the VIP, and it was the only time he was ever present at one of his own student's open functions.
In May of 1970, Sifu Leung Ting set up a well-equipped gymnasium, called the Leung Ting Gymnasium (梁挺拳術館) , and began to admit students publicly, turning teaching martial arts into a career.
Academically, he was a graduate of the Hong Kong Baptist College and obtained his Bachelor Degrees in Chinese & English Literature in 1973.
On account of his success in the development of the WingTsun System and propagating it worldwide, he was conferred the title of Doctor of Philosophy in the USA in 1979.
More recently in 1997, he was appointed by the National Sport Academy of Bulgaria as the "Guest Professor of Combat Arts".
The WingTsun Kung Fu system developed by Professor Leung is practiced worldwide by tens of thousands of martial-arts practitioners,
many of whom were already experts of other martial-art styles before they took on WingTsun.
They include instructors who hold high Dan (grading) and individuals who have won titles as National Champions, runner-ups, and even World Champions in various international martial-arts tournaments.
Professor Leung Ting's students also include instructors of the army and security Special Forces in a number of countries, such as the FBI and Marine Corps of theUSA, SEK & GSG9 of Germany, GIP of Luxembourg, RAID of France, NOCS of Italy, Anti-Terrorist Squad of India, Special Police units of Belgium, Austria, Spain.
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Sifu Carson Lau (劉家燊師傅)
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City WingTsun is proud to host Sifu Carson Lau, 7th Level Practician, for regular seminars at our NYC facility.
Sifu Lau is one of the highest graduated masters of WingTsun worldwide, and City WingTsun is one of the few places in the US where students can witness this WingTsun master in action.
Sifu Carson Lau is a student of Great Master Cheng Chuen Fun of Hong Kong.
Many WT enthusiasts know Sifu Cheng, the most senior instructor in the International WingTsun Association after Grandmaster Leung Ting himself, from the many WingTsun books, videos, and posters he has appeared in.
Sifu Lau has the distinction of having learned WingTsun directly from Sifu Cheng and Grandmaster Leung Ting for many years.
In addition, Sifu Lau has extensive experience teaching WingTsun in Hong Kong, where many of his tops students now teach classes at the IWTA headquarters, before moving to North America.
Sifu Carson Lau currently lives and teaches in Toronto, Canada.
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| 1024 Avenue of the Americas 4Fl, New York, NY 10018 (212) 354-9188 info@citywt.com
Copyright © 2007 City WingTsun
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