|
Name: Sifu Mandy Sayah
Birthplace: California, USA
Current Residence: Victoria, Australia
Heritage: Half-Irish, 1/4 Belgian, 1/4 Austrian/English split
Siblings: Brother, Tony Haffner (certified Olympic weight lifting coach at The Belmont Athletic Club)
Education: Bachelors in Writing, minor in Film
Started martial arts: July 1999
Rank: Gold sash, Instructor level
Instructor: Master Joe Sayah in Mornington, VIC., AUS
Facts: loves Mexican food, enjoys reading, good movies, the beach, surfing, prayer, and traveling.
Jeannie Lin interviewed Sifu Mandy Sayah on 1st October, 2010
Q. What made you decide to start studying Wing Chun?
A. I was a fan of martial arts films including Bruce Lee, Sonny Chiba, and Akira Kurosawa’s films. I always wanted to study an art for self defense and then I learned that Bruce Lee’s core art that he’d trained for 10 years before he left China was Wing Chun. Serendipitously Master Joe Sayah who’d learned from Grandmaster Cheung (the man who’d taught Bruce Lee along with his Sifu Yip Man) had moved from Australia to Los Angeles and opened up a Wing Chun academy ten minutes from my home. I did a class and was hooked at first pak sao punch!
Q. Had you previously studied other martial arts styles or played other sports?
A. I took a few aikido lessons but I was always athletic, competing on sports teams in basketball and swimming from age 9-19 then running and surfing (I spent three winters surfing Hawaii’s North Shore).
Q. It’s often said that Wing Chun is an ideal style for a woman. Can you expand on that?
A. Wing Chun does not rely on force or strength to overpower an opponent instead using deflection, positioning, and pressure point striking to win a fight. Wing Chun is ideal for men, women, and children who may have to defend themselves against a bigger and stronger adversary. It’s easier to fight someone smaller than you but what if you are faced with someone twice your size or 2 or 3 attackers? Wing Chun gives you a fighting chance with its use of pressure point strikes to disable opponents and economical movement making it very effective and deceptive. It’s deceptive how powerful it is and because of the economical movements it’s hard to see what’s happening-- it’s very fast!
Q. Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve had to use your training?
A. Here and there, once in 2000 I was on an overnight train in Europe I pak sao’d (slapped) a man’s wrist away that was harassing a woman I was traveling with. I told him to leave her the f*&k alone and gave him the look that said he was gonna cop it if he came next to us again and he left us alone after that. I broke up a dog fight with a light pressure point tap with my big toe to the solar plexus (I was in flip flop sandals at the time.) Prevention is the best medicine and with heightened awareness I’ve probably prevented myself being a victim of crime by not placing myself in a dangerous position. Otherwise, I’ve just applied my skills during sparring sessions or tournaments I’ve competed in. On 31st July, 2010, I took 1st place in the women’s division of a Loong Fu Pai Tournament in Victoria, Australia. And I competed in full contact kickboxing tournaments from 2008-2010.
Q. What would you say are the main ways kung fu has changed your life or your way of thinking?
A. Practicing Wing Chun Kung-Fu empowered me physically first which made me feel mentally stronger, safer, and more confident which carried over spiritually to give me greater peace and respect for myself and others. It really united my mind, body, and spirit in a positive way. When I want to master a kung fu technique first I have awareness of what I want then I try to master the technique through repetition which is hard work I have to do consistently in order to get the results I want. This is the same approach I use to achieve any goals in life see my book co-authored with Master Joe Sayah for more on this subject Chi Energy and Prosperity The master’s guide to finding success through better health, energy, and balance.
Q. So if a woman is getting attacked and she doesn’t know martial arts – what’s your advice for defending herself?
A. Attack the groin and eyes. If she can’t reach the eyes then she can kick the groin and her attacker should then curl over bringing his eyes into range for her to poke her fingers in. Then she should run like the wind and get help, and stay in a group of people. Once she’s temporarily blinded her attacker he won’t be able to see her to chase her and since she’s no longer an easy target he’ll probably leave her alone anyway.
Q. So….could a little gal actually take on a big strong guy like they show in the movies?
A. If she knows Wing Chun or some martial arts then ‘yes, absolutely.’ If she doesn’t know how to fight at all then she’s got to ‘Stun and Run’ – attack the eyes and groin and get out of there.
Q. What would you say is your favorite fight scene from any movie? How realistic is it?
A. In the film Return of the Dragon Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris in the coliseum in Rome, very realistic. In The Borne Identity, Borne (Matt Damon) wakes up on a park bench in Switzerland and disarms the police and puts them down – realistic...if the person is a well-trained martial artist.
Q. Who’s your favorite Warrior Woman?
A. Well, if you think outside the film box you’ve got the Virgin Mary stepping on the devil (good defeating evil), and amazing saints like Joan of Arc, and also Mother Teresa and St. Mary Mackillop who were super strong women who cared for less fortunate people with love and compassion winning the battle over their own selfish wants or desires and putting others first; I find them very inspiring considering the materialistic world we now live in that encourages ‘spoiling’ yourself. In movies, I love JeeJa Yanin the star of Chocolate (2008 action film) and I’ve been a fan of Wonder Woman since I was a kid, she’s beautiful, strong, fearless, and she deflects bullets off her wrist bangles while wearing the best costume ever! And of course Kathy Long the five time world kickboxing champion!
Sifu Mandy Sayah teaches wing chun kung-fu in Mornington and Rosebud academies in Victoria, Australia, contact (03) 5975-9219, or www.wingchununiverse.com. Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu academies are located in Mornington, Rosebud, Dandeong, Oakleigh, and Glen Waverly, Victoria, Australia; Toronto, Canada; and North Carolina, USA.
|
