Si-Fu Alfredo Del-Brocco
Alfredo Del-Brocco began training in the martial arts early 1980. 1982 found myself training at the World Wing Chun Association, Corrs Lane, Melbourne under Si-Gung William Cheung. The year was December 1982, & the atmosphere in the School was “electrifying”. Si-Fu Rick Spain & Si-Fu Joe Moahenghi had just won the World Invitation Full Contact Kung Fu Championships in Hong Kong. Wing Chun took up the next several years of my life. An opportunity to have a week’s holiday in Sydney in 1988 eventuated. While in Sydney, I thought I would drop in to the Sydney HQ of Si-Fu Rick Spain. The rest is history. I trained as a full-time student (living in the Sydney Kwoon) under Si-Fu Rick Spain for a 5-year period. I liked Si-Fu Rick’s approach to training & the way he delivered the information on the floor. The training was intense & at the same time thorough.
A move to Queensland in 1993 saw the opening of the first Wing Chun School under the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association. This was an exciting period for me as I was hosting Si-Gung William Cheung on several occasions for workshops & seminars over a 3 year period. Personal training was also on the agenda with Si-Gung Cheung as well as time spent discussing the finer points of Wing Chun. The Queensland chapter quickly expanded to 3 full-time training venues & at one point had 4 full-time Schools. “I think the growth happened quickly as there was a need for the style of training we were doing & that need wasn’t found in any other training venue in Brisbane at that time”. After an 11-year period in the Brisbane CBD, the School is today currently located in Browns Plains. The shift from the CBD to Browns Plains was a result of the changing demographics in the CBD, along with the ever-increasing rents, cost of parking (& lack of it) & the increase in petrol prices. At one point we had an enrolment of around 500+ members. A decision to consolidate our efforts & attention into one National venue was implemented. I also am proud of establishing the North West Tasmanian Branch of Wing Chun, the Southport & Ipswich venues as well as the Brendale & Rothwell branches.
I have taught a multitude of personalities & entertained hundreds of “egos”. I have taught instructors from other disciplines of martial arts ranging from Taekwondo, Thai Boxing, Karate, Kung Fu & Kickboxing & at the end of the day, it is nice knowing that they have all sought my experience & tuition as students, even though they may not give ‘credit’ where credit is due. I am satisfied that my own personal tuition has only ever been satisfied by one individual in my career. Grand Master William Cheung. I have taught & graded over 30 Gold Belts. I have had success with students in mixed martial art, kung fu, submission wrestling & kickboxing tournaments.
I still consider myself a student of the martial arts. I think this always keeps a “reality” check on ones character. I think William Cheung summed it up best in one of our private conversations “It’s better to be a small fish in a big pond rather than a large fish in a small pond”. It’s surprising how many “instructors” have no understanding of martial arts etiquette, martial arts honor & integrity or any logical system of trying to continually refine & improve themselves & there skill level. They live in a "comfort zone” that they will never step out from. It is also sad to hear these same individuals “slander” & “criticize” other styles & instructors when what they should really be doing is taking a long, hard look at themselves.
Our curriculum today is Wing Chun. It has always been Wing Chun. While we may have looked, trained & dabbled in other styles over the years, the teaching, methodology & technique has always been & will always be Wing Chun. We pride ourselves in offering one of the more complete & well-balanced lineages of Wing Chun. I have attracted & teach many Wing Chun “lost souls”. These students come to me wanting to further their Wing Chun knowledge. I have many testimonials with comments like: “I learn’t more about the Wing Chun system & it’s application in today’s environment in 6 weeks than what I had previously learned over 6 years!” Testimonials like this are refreshing, & keep oneself on track both personally & professionally. I often tell my students they are “getting spoilt” from my tuition. Several have gone to train at other Schools for a period of time, but many come back saying, “You were right!”
There are 17 levels of proficiency within our Grading Curriculum. Many students successfully complete the first 10, but it takes a different personality, a different strength both physically & mentally to successfully obtain the final 7 levels. These final 7 levels are where the student finally understands the true methodology, comprehension & application of the System. I was once asked by my Si-Fu where I would be in 5 years time? My answer was “teaching Wing Chun”. He then asked me where I would be in 10 years, 20 years, 25 years time? My reply was “teaching Wing Chun, whether it be in full-time training facilities, part-time from my backyard, privately or from some unknown destination”. For me, Wing Chun has never been about the dollar. Wing Chun has always been about teaching the System, the truth, from my personal education, experience & time in the style. There is better money to be made in areas like real estate than there is in martial arts tuition. I pride myself in never having compromised my integrity or honor in delivering the teaching of Wing Chun on the floor. To me, Wing Chun is “a way of life”.
