Teacher to Student
The Ip Man Ving Tsun lineage
Lineage gives a martial art historical and teaching context. It identifies who taught whom and helps explain why a school practises in a particular way. It does not remove the need for clear instruction, consistent practice or respectful conduct.
A Responsible Reading
Tradition and documented history are not the same thing
The traditional Wing Chun family tree begins with figures such as Ng Mui and Yim Wing Chun. These stories carry cultural meaning and express values associated with the art, but the earliest generations belong largely to oral tradition rather than the kind of documentary record available for the twentieth century.
From Ip Man's Hong Kong teaching period onward, photographs, association records, interviews, certificates and first-hand accounts make it possible to build a more evidence-led picture. The Academy is organising its own archive with that distinction in mind.
The Academy's Teaching Line
Ip Man → Grandmaster Roland Tong → Sifu Rob Ley → Rob Ley Academy
Ip Man
Hong Kong Ving Tsun teacher
Ip Man's public teaching in Hong Kong became the common point of reference for many modern Ving Tsun and Wing Chun families.
Grandmaster Roland Tong
Sifu Rob Ley's teacher
The Academy's records and family history state that the late Grandmaster Roland Tong was a student of Ip Man. His teaching forms the direct bridge between that Hong Kong generation and Sifu Rob Ley.
Sifu Rob Ley
Founder, Rob Ley Academy
Sifu Rob Ley trained under the late Grandmaster Roland Tong, underwent the Bai-See ceremony and now teaches through the Academy network in England, France, Brazil and online.
Rob Ley Academy
International teaching network
The Academy continues that transmission through direct teaching, certified instructors, training camps, retreats and online tuition while keeping the forms, principles and training methods connected.
Evidence Archive
Building authority from records, not repetition
The Grandmaster Roland Tong resource now presents his original VTAA lifetime membership card and historical photographs with Sigung Ip Man, Wong Shun Leung and other members of the Hong Kong Ving Tsun family. Additional certificates, correspondence and interviews will be added only when they can be published with clear provenance.
Formal recognition, representation and the scope of a transmission belong beside the evidence that supports them. This page therefore uses conservative language and identifies statements that come from Academy records and family history.
Learn more about the person at the centre of that transmission in the Grandmaster Roland Tong resource.
Put the principles into practice
Authority matters most when it leads to good training. Learn in person, work directly with Sifu Rob Ley online, or use the structured Online Training Manual between lessons.