Kung fu master's secrets

A Bay Area kung fu master who came to teach self-defense techniques in the hills above Carson City on Sunday said a practitioner's goal should be to react instantly to attack.

"When you touch a hot stove, you don't think, you just react - that's the way we should learn to respond in a fight," said sifu, or master, Simon Mayer. "We use the same type of neural reactions to respond in Wing Tsun."

Originally from Germany, Mayer teaches Wing Tsun kung fu to 156 students in San Jose, San Francisco and Marin County.

"And today, I teach here," he said, standing under towering pines in the Lakeview neighborhood. He was teaching at the garage studio of local instructor Ron Leiken, who has a small weekly class Monday nights.

"Today we will focus on technique, first in form, then in application - which is sparring," Mayer said. "The main thing is, we are not going against the force of the opponent."

In Wing Tsun-style kung fu, attacks are not blocked, they are deflected. This allows a smaller, weaker individual to defend against a larger opponent, Mayer said.

He said a style called plum flower was taught by the Shaolin nun Ng Mui in southern China about 300 years ago. She instructed a young girl named Yim Wing Tsun. Tsun further developed the style with a focus on economy of motion, protecting the centerline and simultaneous defense and attack. The style was named after her.

Wing Tsun was known as a "secret style" for hundreds of years because it was only taught within families - not publicly.

That changed in the 1940s, when Grandmaster Yip Man began teaching in Hong Kong. He taught Grandmaster Dr. Leung Ting, now 91, who taught actor Bruce Lee.

The style was designed to be effective - not pretty.

"Wing Tsun is not a flashy style, where you jump around and make somersaults," Mayer said. "But it will teach you to defend yourself."

After trying judo and aikido, University of Nevada, Reno, biology student Shawn McCormick is happy with Wing Tsun.

"I like it because it makes more sense - it's very practical," he said.

On Sunday, he tested for Wing Tsun levels two and three.

"I don't really care about the levels, though," he said. "I don't want to win any awards or colorful belts - I just want to be able to do it."

Nick Gerber, 21, came with Mayer from the Bay Area. After 21Ú2 years of study, he has passed level 11. That means he can defend himself against any normal, non-Wing Tsun attacker, he said.

"Normal means not the Incredible Hulk and not a professional fighter."

He tried not to smile while Mayer demonstrated take-down techniques on him.

"I like Wing Tsun because it's good for little people, but it's deadly quick, too," he said.

Leiken, an environmental engineer, is the si-hing, or leader of the local school. He came to Carson 21Ú2 years ago with his wife and son from Novato, Calif. He studied for six years each under Mayer and under Elmond Leung in San Francisco.

He likes Wing Tsun because it's effective self defense and fun, he said.

His Monday night class costs $10 per session, or $7.50 if you pay by the month. For more details, call 885-0438.

Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.