Kung Fu in the Real World

There have been countless books written on martial arts related subjects, but the book you have in your hands is the fruit and labor or forty years of study and research into on of the oldest and most famous family styles of Chinese Martial Arts. It is because of one man having spent his entire life perpetuating a legacy that is Ling Gar. He brings his wealth of knowledge to the forefront - and it has been a journey that fortunately he doesn't consider over. What makes this book stand out from the rest is how, from it's ancient beginnings some 700 years ago, Kung Fu remains so valuable in the real word. Clearly, all of this would not be possible without the contributions of many key figures who have actively participated in the birth and growth of this work. To name a few, Yuen Woo Ping, Jackie Chan, Alfred Cheung, Dr. Shin Lin, Ric Meyers and Alfredo Tucci, great expert in Eastern Arts, who, confident from the beginning of the worth of what Vincent Lyn was proposing made the diffusion of this amazing Art around the world possible through his international magazine.

There are many facets to the Martial Arts that go from self-defense, to health, passing through sports, performance, self awareness and even into the cinema; these facets embody multiple complicated social and cultural phenomena and frequently make them accessible for the public at large. This ample range of knowledge is so rich and vast it is almost impossible to embrace it completely or to create a framework for summing up and arranging it all. Vincent Lyn, as heir to a well-known style of Martial Arts with deep roots in the history of Kung Fu, posesses the ability to navigate this passage. This exceptional perspective has enabled him to contemplate in a global manner what others perceive in only two dimensions. In addition, as a modern man, a mix of cultures and races, he has had the insight to expand his knowledge and experiences, which in turn have come to enrich even the rigorous centuries of tradition of Chinese Martial Arts. Lyn is a man of great talents: and exceptional musician, athlete, actor, and expert maestro of the Martial Arts and of eastern medicine. There are sides to him one rarely finds in others: namely a sensibility as crystal clear and pure as that of a child, mixed with a force and determination of one who has lived a lot. All of this is reflected in a charming personality that nevertheless has within it unique seriousness and unfathomable depths. I have known him well and dealt with him intensely in recent years, in both professional and personal matters and each encounter only serves to increase my respect and feel ins of friendship for him. His movie star side has served to reinforce the sense that he fits very well into all that is understood about the world of Martial Arts; though the cinema is an artistic expression, it also creates images that build the collective subconscious and it has played an essential role in how the world perceives the Martial Arts today. Lyn is a bridge across human cultures, half Chinese, half British, a spiritual man and a movie star; he is a mix of uncommon elements that transform him into an exceptional guide for all those that want to go deep into mysteries of the Martial Way. In this book Vincent Lyn provides the ample quantity of materials covering the other important aspects that comprise the world of Martial Arts. Lyn has observed the ancient principal of "Shuhari, " a term for Japanese Martial tradition and the ceremonial world of tea: "Shu" means honoring excellent teachings left behind by ancestors; "Ha" signifies learning these instructions well; and the final part of the term "Ri" point out that when all is said and done, one ought not to hold on too strongly to the past so that one can create something newer and even better. Therefore, I highly recommend this his first book, which will allow the reader to make the most of the author's ample experience and perfect ability to synthesize the mix of centuries of Chinese Martial tradition with the sharper, more pragmatic sense of the West. It is almost like ordering Chop Suey, then eating it with a knife and fork: the better of the two worlds in one single order, this is Vincent Lyn And thus his book; do not miss out on it.

Vincent Lyn's accomplishments as a martial artist maybe even more impressive than those in the media. He has been a movie star, pop and jazz music icon, kick boxing champion and one of the hottest male models in the world. But what makes him complete is practicing his family's Ling Gar style of Kung-Fu. This young master has overflowing talent, half British, half Chinese, 10th Degree Black Sash and scholar of Chinese medicine and heir of his family style, Ling Gar. He has also trained extensively in Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, Hung Gar, Bak-Sing Choy Li Fut and Wing Chun. An Elite model for Levi's, Valentino, Gucci, Puma, Adidas and Yves Saint Laurent, he has been in great demand as an action movie star winning coveted roles in some of Hong Kong's most popular and exciting cult films. His first film, "Tiger Cage" was made under the direction of Yuen Woo Ping the same man who Action Directed films like "The Matrix Trilogy," "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon," "Charlie's Angels," "Kill Bill 1 and 2," and Jet Li's "Fearless." Tiger Cage became an international block buster and opened the doors ofnthis world to him. He has done 25 more movies including "Blonde Fury" (with Cynthia Rothrock), "In the Line of Duty V - Middle Man" ( with Cynthia Khan), "Outlaw Brothers" (with Yukari Oshima), the international cult classic "Robotrix" (with Amy Yip) and playing the lead villain who took on Jackie Chanin the climatic battle sequence of "Operation Condor." "Jackie Chan called Vincent Lyn one of the best fighters he has ever worked with!" also in Chan's autobiographical bestseller tilted "I am Jackie Chan" one of the Top Ten Best Fights of all time. At the same time Lyn maintained his parallel passion, music. Lyn attnended both the Royal College of Music, England and Boston Conservatory of Music, USA. He composed "Canto-Pop" songs for recording artists with Polygram Records, two of which became top ten hits. His first self- titled album "WingSing" was released in 1999 throughout Asia under the label BMG. In the same year, he received a honorary Ph.D in Martial Arts Sciences making outstanding contributions to the field of Sports Medicine. Lyn was inducted into the the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame in two categories, one for Grandmaster of the year and Best Martial Arts Actor of the Year. In 2001 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Action Martial Arta Magazine Hall of Fame. Since then he has been inducted over ten times into the hall of fame. In addition Lyn was the 1983-84 US Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and1985 and 1987 World Kickboxing Champion. He has written numerous articles for martial arts magazines and released seven instructional videos/DVDs with Budo International. Thye have been released in seven languages and distributed in 54 countries. He has been featured in over 20 books and over 100 magazine articles throughout the world. In 2007 Vincent returned from St. Petersburg, Russia having been invited to the first ever Martial Arts Olympics East-West Open. His performance both on solo piano and martial arts was watched by 20,000 spectators and televised throughout most of Europe forthe opening ceremony. This year 2011 he released his second album "Heaven Bound," a culmination of classical, jazz, Bossa nova, Afro -Cuban compositions most of which were composed by Lyn himself. The album has been well received to great reviews and in its first 6 weeks of radio promotion has hit No. 24 on the Jazz charts and No. 33 on the Latin charts. It is also in the running at the 54th Grammy Awards for Best improvisation jazz solo and Best Tropical Latin Album. He will be giving a premiere performance at Carnegie Hall Friday October 14th.