The Instructor
Founder and principal instructor of the Rob Ley Academy, with over two decades dedicated to the study and teaching of Ip Man Ving Tsun.
Rob Ley — full name Robert Ley — is known to students and teaches publicly as Sifu Rob Ley; some formal references use Sifu Robert Ley. He founded the Rob Ley Academy to teach and preserve the traditional Ip Man Ving Tsun system he received through his Sifu, Grandmaster Roland Tong. The title Master Rob Ley appears only in the formal wording of recorded awards and recognition, or in clearly attributed accounts from students and instructors.
Sifu Rob Ley began training in martial arts at a young age, studying Silat, Kali, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do and boxing. Over time, Ip Man Ving Tsun became the centre of his own training, practice and teaching.
Sifu Rob Ley trained under the late Grandmaster Roland Tong and underwent the traditional Bai-See ceremony, establishing the teacher-to-student relationship at the heart of the Academy's Ving Tsun lineage. The Academy's records state that Roland Tong was a student of Ip Man. The dedicated evidence archive now presents Grandmaster Tong's original VTAA lifetime membership card and historical photographs, with further primary material to be added as it is prepared for publication.
Academy records list a Master of Ip Man Wing Chun recognition from the World Martial Arts Council in 2014, followed by Master of the Year awards connected with the Munich Hall of Honors in 2015 and the Innsbruck Hall of Honors in 2016. These are presented as recorded Academy credentials pending publication of the supporting certificates and event material.
The records also include Martial Arts Family of the Year recognition in Munich in 2022 and an Ip Man Ving Tsun Master of the Year award at the World Hall of Honors in Atlantic City in 2023. Future archive entries will show each item with its awarding body, place, year and supporting image.
Sifu Rob Ley is a co-founder of the International Ving Tsun/Jeet Kune Do Alliance alongside Sifu Lamar Davis and serves as Senior Instructor for its Ip Man Ving Tsun Division. Through the Academy, he teaches students in person, at camps and retreats, and through direct online tuition.
The Sifu and the Academy
Sifu Rob Ley is the founder and principal instructor. Rob Ley Academy is the organisation through which he and its instructors teach the system in person and online. Each point below is grounded in the training and evidence presented on this website rather than comparisons with other Ving Tsun lineages or schools.
Sifu Rob Ley trained under Grandmaster Roland Tong and underwent the traditional Bai-See ceremony. Grandmaster Tong's original VTAA lifetime membership card and historical photographs are shown in the evidence archive with their provenance.
More than two decades of dedicated Ving Tsun study and teaching inform a curriculum that connects the empty-hand forms, Chi Sau, Mook Jong, pole and knives as one system.
Teaching begins with structure, centreline, relaxation and sensitivity. Corrections are explained in clear stages so beginners and experienced practitioners can progress without ego or unnecessary pressure.
The Rob Ley Academy network connects instructors and students in England, France and Brazil while maintaining a shared approach to the Ip Man Ving Tsun curriculum.
Retreats, Cornwall camps, Intensive Training Programmes and the yearly Chi Sau Masterclass provide concentrated time for correction, partner work and deeper understanding.
Students who cannot attend a Kwoon can train directly through weekly one-to-one online sessions. The separate Online Training Manual supports structured study and revision for subscribers.
Direct Transmission
Lineage records how the art passes from teacher to student. The Academy gives priority to its modern teaching line from Ip Man through Grandmaster Roland Tong to Sifu Rob Ley, while presenting earlier traditional history with appropriate qualification.
Hong Kong Ving Tsun Teacher
The source of the Academy's modern Ving Tsun teaching line
Sifu Rob Ley's Teacher
Recorded by the Academy as a student of Ip Man; his teaching forms the direct bridge to Sifu Rob Ley
Student of Grandmaster Roland Tong
Over two decades of study and teaching in the traditional system received through his Sifu
International Teaching Network
Continuing the transmission through academies in England, France and Brazil, plus direct online tuition
Supplementary Traditional History
This wider family tree records the Academy's traditional account. The earliest generations are largely preserved through oral history and should be read differently from the photographed and documented modern teaching line.
The Academy's Mission
Rob Ley Academy preserves and transmits the traditional Ip Man Ving Tsun system received through Grandmaster Roland Tong. Its training methods, principles and curriculum remain connected as a complete teaching method and are passed responsibly to students and instructors around the world.
Teaching Philosophy
The core principle of Ving Tsun — and of Sifu Rob Ley's teaching — is that correct structure should come before the application of force. A student who understands body alignment, skeletal structure and relaxation can manage force more efficiently than someone relying on muscular strength alone.
This makes Ving Tsun accessible to people with different physical attributes. The system develops timing, sensitivity and intelligent use of structure rather than depending on size or strength. With sound principles, a smaller practitioner can manage the pressure of a larger training partner more effectively.
Sifu Rob Ley's classes build this foundation methodically so students develop understanding rather than simply memorising movements. The aim is not merely to perform the forms, but to understand how their principles are applied through drills, Chi Sau and partner training.
Credentials
The entries below reflect the Academy's current records. Certificates, event photographs and formal association documents will be linked here as the evidence archive is prepared.
Master of Ip Man Ving Tsun — World Wide Martial Arts Council (2014)
European Master of the Year — Munich Hall of Honors (2015 & 2016)
Outstanding Contribution to Ip Man Ving Tsun — European Hall of Honors (2022)
Martial Arts Family of the Year — Munich Hall of Honors (2022)
Ip Man Ving Tsun Master of the Year — World Hall of Honours, Atlantic City, USA (2023)
Co-Founder — International Ving Tsun/Jeet Kune Do Alliance; Senior Instructor, Ip Man Ving Tsun Division
Lineage records in preparation
VTAA instructor registration, Bai-See documentation and formal representation records will be stated in detail when the relevant primary material is ready to publish.
Level 2 Instructing Gym Based Exercise
Level 3 Personal Training
Level 3 Diploma in Exercise Referral (GP Referral) — covering Asthma and COPD, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Mechanical Back Pain, Anxiety, Stress and Depression, Hypertension and Hypercholesterolemia, Obesity and Diabetes
Box Fit
Spinning
Circuits
Join one of the Academy's classes, train online, or attend an upcoming retreat or Yearly Chi Sau Masterclass.
