Gary Lam Wing Chun Kung Fu - Monterey Park, California

Caleb A

In 2009, I had the privilege to briefly study under Gary Lam when his school was still in the backyard. While I could only attend 1x/week for about 4 months, it profoundly impacted my understanding of Wing Chun and its application.

From the first day, it was clear that this was in the Wong Shun Leung lineage. Sifu Gary has made it his own system, and there isn't any contradiction in the learning or application process. There is no belt system, but progress was determined when Sifu would observe you & tell you when it was time to learn the next thing. You had the chance to learn from senior students, and everyone I worked with was generous in sharing knowledge. Gathering for Sifu's demonstrations & explanations was always so helpful to learn by observation.

Though it has been ages since I've attended as a student, I am greatly indebted to Sifu & his son for taking me in for the brief period I learned from the GLWC system. Excellent Wing Chun school & highly recommended!

PS: Still waiting for a GLWC branch to open here in San Diego!

Tony Shou

System:

Sifu's Wing Chun system is unique in the sense it is a comprehensive system. The system is setup into four levels: 1, 2, 3, and 4. Level 1 pertains to basics + foundation, Level 2 teaches intermediary skills that allows practitioners to control their opponents. Level 3 deals with refined higher concepts and principles. Level 4 is mastery.

One can tell a martial art system is holistic in the sense the practitioner can leave and not train for a number of years and when they come back, they won't lose much in regards to their foundation and skill-set [provided prior to their departure, he has put in the necessary time and dedication in his training]. I have seen several such cases through my martial brothers and it is through seeing such examples I am convinced Sifu's Wing Chun system is both logical and complete.

Environment:

Training is conducted in an open-environment at Sifu's backyard. A student once put it aptly when describing the training environment Sifu has created for us: it is like the 36 Chambers of Shaolin. The backyard has wooden boards hanging on trees to serve as targets for Dragon Pole training, there's wooden dummies, mirrors to help one check their posture when doing forms, mattresses to use during two-man drill training, and various sandbags.

Sifu teaches his Wing Chun in an open-ended Socratic format, meaning the essentials will be taught: principles, ideas, techniques etc. How the students interpret, do with and how much they reap from the school's curriculum depends on how much they have put into their respective learning. The students will be frequently tested either verbally or physically in regards to their abilities and understanding of the material: not in the sense of a formal rank test per se but rather in an open dynamic setting where productive interactions are highly encouraged

Sifu:

During these years I have seen Sifu do some amazing things: his rhythm/timing is ridiculous, the way he transitions, hits and the power he's able to generate seems like someone in his forties despite being over 60. At any given time, on call, Sifu is able to execute techniques and applications from the three empty hand forms [Siu Lim Tau, Chum Kiu and Biu jee] with seamless fluidly [techniques from section 1, 2, 3 of ______all done calmly and effortlessly without any breakage in-between actions]; he's able to demonstrate and utilize the weapon forms with his bare hands with ease.

Sifu is unique in the sense there is a very human quality to him: he does not put himself on a pedestal so as to garner respect nor does he assume an air of pretentiousness that makes him unapproachable.

I have been in the martial arts community for over twenty five years and counting and amongst the six martial arts instructors I've had, Sifu's the most giving and kind: he would teach student(s) materials and foundational exercises that traditionally were taught only to in-door disciples despite the student(s) hasn't underwent the Discipleship Ceremony. It is a quality I admire most about Sifu: he'll teach a student whole-heartedly as long as he sees him putting in the required time and work.

Bradley Linsk

Gary Lam is a LEGEND! He’s my BA! His teachings are second to none! I adore my Sifu and will always support him as long as I am able. He thought me more than Wing Chun, he taught me about life. I love him and everyone interested in Wing Chun should try and meet/work with my Sifu!

tompwan

If you want to learn Wing Chun, Sifu Gary Lam's system is world renowned. His knowledge and experience of the system in it's entirely sets him apart from the rest. Go to this place and you become part of the family.

George C

Sifu Gary Lam has been teaching Wing Chun for over 30 years, a student of the late Wong Shun Leung, both are widely known for their Wing Chun ability, fighting prowess, and experience.

Sifu Gary Lam is not just an experienced teacher and fighter, he is also a warm and kind individual who wants you to succeed. He is patient and astute, guiding many individuals of all backgrounds, ability, and body type towards understanding the material according to the individual's needs.

As far as the material, Wing Chun is already very practical as a style in of itself, further refined by Sifu's decades of experience, it is a tried and tested system you can rely on. But, like many things worth doing, it requires time, patience, and comprehension. I have seen many people come and go, even some friends who decided the pace wasn't to their preference. I'm sorry if you expected to be a great fighter in a few months, but that's just not realistic. These skills need time to train up, but they are yours if you are willing to put in the cost.

I've been with Sifu for many years and owe him a great deal, from him I've learned not just martial arts but insights on life and being a decent individual. I could not recommend Sifu Gary Lam and his system enough to anybody looking to learn a legitimate fighting system.

Shaun Vetick

Sifu Lam is truly amazing!
I learn a ton every time I visit from Nebraska.

Mingyi Zhao

Great teacher and students!

Boris Trautmann

Sifu Gary Lam ist einzigartig in seinem Verständnis der Kampfkunst Wing Chun. Wie kein anderer lehrt er nicht nur Techniken, sondern ein komplettes Kampfkunstsystem, das jeder Prüfung standhält. Ich kann jedem, der Interesse hat, Wing Chun zu erlernen oder sein vorhandenes Wissen zu erweitern, nur empfehlen, Kontakt zu Sifu Gary Lam aufzunehmen und sich vor Ort ein Bild zu machen. Du wirst es nicht bereuen.