I first became interested in martial arts back in 1987, after playing Capcom's classic
breakthrough coin-op, "Street Fighter", at the "More Fun" arcade on Bay Parkway, here in
Brooklyn NY. I spent many hours on Friday afternoons and evenings passionately pressing to
beat my personal best on that machine, and later on the follow up games, "Street
Fighter II" and "Street Fighter II: Champion Edition. Consequentially, I'd achieved a level of
skill that was quite formidable to say the least, and attained a certain degree of local
notoriety. Since then, be it through a plethora of books, or studying under diverse, talented
instructors, the martial arts and their underlying philosophy of living a disciplined,
ambitious existence, have been a mainstay in my daily life, and an integral part of the
foundation from which my character has developed.

    In 2006 I met my Sifu, Master Yip Pui and immediately began training original "Yip family"
Wing Chun under his personal guidance. I had completed the system and
accepted Sifu Yip's generous offer to join his school in Manhattan -free of charge. I spent
the next six months at his kwoon doing plenty of chi-sau, training to be an instructor,
gaining experience working with his students and teaching the class. Driving home from
Manhattan one night Sifu Yip notified me that I had successfully completed the program and
that my accreditation was imminent. I was officially certified as an Instructor (Sifu) of the Wing
Chun System and presented with my Gold Sash shortly thereafter. I still drop by the Yip
Pui Martial Arts Center on a rare Wednesday, or Saturday, where I assist Sifu Yip teach the
class.

    In September 2007, I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Instructor (certified in 2002) and
veteran student of Sifu Yip's, Sifu Oleg Polvinchik, who had developed his own
"Combat" Wing Tzun Uni-System following his completion of the traditional "Yip family" style.
After training with him for a couple of hours, it was quite clear that his experience and
skill was to say the least, remarkable. Once we began speaking, I realized that this truly
magnanimous art possessed a great deal more to be investigated than what I'd previously
experienced. As I found Sifu Oleg to be quite affable and easy to relate to on a intellectual
level, it became quite clear that he was without question, overqualified to challenge me
both mentally and physically as a martial artist. Engaged with his cerebral, straight-forward
approach towards a further, more refined mastery of the system, I immediately became
his student. I am currently an Assistant Instructor training in Sifu Oleg's "Combat" Wing Tzun
Uni-System at his school in Brighton Beach 2 days per week, and in Russian Martial Art
(Systema) 2-4 days per week, both to broaden my knowledge base and continue on my
perpetual quest towards self -mastery.

    January 2008 marked the official opening of my own Wing Chun class, "Grey Garden Wing
Chun" to the public. Previously, I had been teaching a private student for about 1 year,
and a life-long friend of mine for about 10 months, all the while keeping my "doors closed".
Until now, I was only available for private/semi-private lessons, but thanks to Sifu Oleg, I
can teach classes at his school on 60 West End Ave. on Thursdays and Sundays to all who
share my enthusiasm for Wing Chun and have a desire to learn.
Martial Arts