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TESTIMONIALS

Having tried a few nearby schools, I can say for sure that Sifu Brian Hester is the real deal. He may not be the most experienced instructor in the area in terms of time spent with the martial art, but he has a knack for explaining and breaking things down that tells you beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knows his stuff. If you have doubts about his experience, then he definitely makes up for it by being present. I have yet to see him whip out a phone during lessons and always see him watching or fixing something with someone in class. Wing Chun requires very nuanced instruction and I am sure this is the only studio that gives you this right off the bat. At Gary Lam's own studio, for instance, you'd sort of be at the mercy of whoever you're partnered with that day until you move up the ranks and Gary or his son start to notice you. Basically, Brian has everyone on their own "track", almost like he's giving private lessons to a dozen or so students at once. He gives you something to practice for a few minutes before he comes back to tweak something for you. This ends up being a very good pace, actually. I've asked him about getting privates and he says that for beginners, it would essentially be the same thing. He also seems innately perceptive. In just a few sessions, I've seen him pick out some small things that I've seen other instructors miss or that I wasn't able to get satisfactory answers about when I asked. I may not be an experienced Wing Chun practitioner, but I do come from a background of dance, exercise, and medicine, so I can often see things like arms that are disconnected or a palm landing too far off center to be effective. I've also seen other instructors discourage some common sense things like working out, which just tells me they are probably too focused on tradition and not thinking things through. Brian seems to understand that you can still lift weights and get ripped without sacrificing your Wing Chun. ***Ian Tseng

"I've been training with Sifu Hester for 3 years now. As someone who has come from various martial arts backgrounds both in striking and grappling, you can see what is bad martial arts and what is good. Wing Chun has a lot of really bad teachers out there but this school does justice to true Wing Chun in that we learn the tradition but only apply what works in real time. We drill, spar, use padded gear for applied combat and get creative with how we look at Wing Chun and keep an open mind and discussion constantly going so that we all keep each held accountable so we don't fall prey to bad practices. Sifu Hester's teaching aims to keep us mentally and physically prepared at all times to remind us that this is not a game and when a fight happens you must always operate at the highest capacity to make sure you are capable of defending yourself. I will continue to stay within his program for many years as I feel the more I learn, the less I know. True mastery comes from your ability to look at yourself without bias and work on yourself and every martial art practice should be built in the foundation of that same principle. " 5 Stars! ***William Roques

Wing chung OC review Clean and centrally located OC school. Solid class curriculum, teacher, and students. I like the combination of drills and one-on-practice with other students. The class has a good pace and keeps your attention. Fully stocked gym and flexible hours. ***James Torres

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