In traditional martial arts, lineage matters. It tells you where an instructor learned their art, who taught their teacher and how the system has been passed down. It’s a bit like a family tree. For students, it’s a way of knowing that what they’re learning is genuine and has been carefully preserved. This article sets out our lineage at Wing Chun Halesowen and explains why it shapes the way I teach.
Our line in brief
Our Wing Chun comes through the Ip Man lineage, via Grandmaster Ip Chun and Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe of the Midlands Wing Chun Kuen.
I’m listed among Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe’s disciples on the official Ip Chun Academy lineage register.
- Ip Man, the master who brought Wing Chun to a wider audience in Hong Kong.
- Grandmaster Ip Chun, Ip Man’s eldest son, who taught internationally for decades and served as director of the Midlands Wing Chun Kuen.
- Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe, chief instructor of the Midlands Wing Chun Kuen.
- Sifu Alan Bagley, founder and chief instructor of Wing Chun Halesowen since 2013.
Ip Man
Ip Man trained in Foshan in southern China and later moved to Hong Kong, where he began teaching Wing Chun more openly. His teaching produced many notable students and is the source of much of the Wing Chun practised around the world today. His name is now famous well beyond martial arts circles.
Grandmaster Ip Chun
Grandmaster Ip Chun carried his father’s art forward for many years, teaching students from all over the world. He was known for his emphasis on the principles behind Wing Chun, not just its techniques, and for his warmth as a teacher. His role as director of the Midlands Wing Chun Kuen created a direct connection between Hong Kong and the Midlands.
Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe and the MWCK
The Midlands Wing Chun Kuen, led by chief instructor Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe, has trained many students and instructors in the region. It’s through the MWCK that I received the system I teach today, including the forms, the drills and even the traditional recipe for our Dit Da Jow herbal massage liquid.
I’m also grateful to other instructors who have helped me along the way, including Sifu Kwok Wan and Sifu Umar Choudhury.
My own route
Before Wing Chun, I trained in kickboxing and Lau Gar Kung Fu. A session with a Wing Chun student showed me something I couldn’t explain, and I wanted to understand it. That curiosity led me into the Midlands Wing Chun Kuen and, eventually, to founding Wing Chun Halesowen in 2013. I hold a Level 2 Coaches Certificate through the BCCMA. You can read more on the Sifu Alan Bagley page.
Why lineage matters for how we teach
A consistent syllabus
Our lineage gives us a clear, tested syllabus: Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu and Biu Tze, followed by the wooden dummy and weapons. Students learn things in the right order, with each stage building on the last.
Principles over tricks
The Ip Chun tradition emphasises understanding why techniques work: structure, relaxation, the centreline and economy of motion. That’s how I try to teach. If you understand the principle, you can apply it in many situations.
Respect
Lineage carries a sense of responsibility. I’m passing on something that was entrusted to me, and I want to do it properly. That includes the culture of respect: for teachers, training partners and other martial arts. In our school, disparaging remarks about other styles aren’t tolerated.
Accountability
Knowing where your instructor learned helps you judge the quality of what you’re being taught. It’s one of the questions I’d encourage anyone to ask when choosing a school.
Lineage in an ordinary class
You won’t hear long history lectures in class. Lineage shows up in quieter ways: the order in which we teach the forms, the details I correct in a student’s stance, and the way seniors help beginners just as they were once helped themselves.
What lineage doesn’t mean
Lineage isn’t about claiming to be “better” than anyone else. Many excellent Wing Chun teachers come from different branches of the Ip Man family and beyond. Lineage simply tells you where our knowledge comes from and helps us stay true to it.
Train in the Ip Man tradition
If you’d like to learn Wing Chun as it has been passed down through Ip Man, Grandmaster Ip Chun and Sifu Shaun Rawcliffe, we’d love to welcome you. Book your free trial class, or read more on our Wing Chun classes in Halesowen page.
Sifu Alan Bagley, Wing Chun Halesowen