Class Students
Thomas J. May
Tom has been training in the martial arts for over 20-years. He trained in Japan and Okinawa for over 8-years while serving in the U.S. Navy and is a Yudansha in Okinawan Matsubayashi Ryu karate. Tom has also trained in Hakko Ryu jujutsu and Eishin Ryu iaido. In 2004, he began learning Wing Chun kung fu under Sifu Greg Leblanc in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. Tom continues to train at “Old School Wing Chun” in Glendale, CA, under Sifu Stanley Wong.
Steve Larkin
Originally from England, Steve is the most senior Oakland student having joined the class shortly after Sifu LeBlanc moved up from LA in August of 2006. Despite some initial classes in judo as a teenager, Steve had put his mild fascination in the martial arts aside for many years, instead focusing on soccer as his major recreational pursuit.
It was not until early in the new millenium that he discovered Wing Chun may be that art worthy of study and in 2003 he joined a local school, namely Lo Man Kam in Oakland under the guide of Jasan Fujii where he attended until early 2005 before going on to study under Sifu Ken Chun in San Carlos, and (for a brief period) WT with Sifu Simon Mayer in San Francisco.
It was in July 2006 that Steve noticed a thread on the Inside Kung Fu forum making reference to Greg LeBlanc moving to Northern California. Posted by Ernie Barrios (Greg’s LA based Kung Fu brother) the message was entitled - "Gary Lam in San Francisco” Says Steve ‘This sums it all up really since anyone who wants to learn the entire system as taught by Si gung Lam need not travel to LA – it is now all right here in the Bay Area with Sifu LeBlanc”
Aaron Miller
Aaron commenced his Martial Arts path studying Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate. In 1999 he commenced wing chun initially studying the various applications of the art. In 2000 he joined the Lo Man Kam school under the tutelage of John Kang.
Aaron subsequently was able to accomplish the level of instructor at the Oakland based school. In 2006 Aaron commenced training with Sifu LeBlanc in the WSL lineage.
Dave Rodriguez
I started like many people that have a love for the martial arts, watching Kung Fu Theater in the early 70s. My formal training started in kajukenbo at an early age. In my late teens I started in kenpo. After a few years of kenpo I started to cross train with Judo and Jujitsu until the school closed.
I started training in Escrima up until the middle of 05. Before my Escrima teacher passed he told me that if i wanted to train in another art it should be Wing Chun ,so my journey started again. I started in San Francisco with Wing Chun until I found Si Gong Lam's website and e-mailed Sifu Gregory LeBlanc,who is now relocated in Oakland Ca.
So, it's been a great journey studying with geat teachers. I have the utmost respect for Sifu's skill as a teacher, martial artist and as a person.
Gaidi Nkruma
I took my first steps on a 1,000 mile journey in 1991 with Sifu Bill Owens, a 1st generation black belt student of Sigung Al Dacascos and the Wun Hop Kuen Do system. Sifu Bill introduced me to the beauty of the Filipino Martial Arts as taught to him by his arnis instructor, Professor Remy Presas. My desire and love to learn more about the FMA's led me to train with ESKABO DAAN Master Robert Castro and Largo Mano GM Leo Giron and Bahala Na Arnis/Escrima. While on a trip to London in Y2K I noticed that Wing Chun was very popular there. I found a wing chun instructor in San Francisco and started training with him in 2004. Thru a chance training workshop with Jesse Glover, Bruce Lee's first USA student, I realized my wing chun was lacking in the proper fundementals so I sought out to find an instructor in the Wong Shun Leung lineage which led me to become a student of Sifu Gregory LeBlanc's toward the end of 2007. Sifu LeBlanc is a great wing chun coach and I'm very happy to have him guide my wing chun development.
Guadalupe Acosta
Guad is a veteran of the boxing game, with 13 professional fights and over 40 amateur fights to his record. In addition to his 21 years of experience in western boxing, Guad has an extensive background in Choi Lei Fut, Wing Chun and Muay Thai boxing.
Steven Moody
I started my martial arts training at 14, when I took that first scary step into a cold Air Force gym in which a bunch of adults were punching and kicking and yelling. I stayed with Sgt. Frye for nearly four years studying Tae Kwan Do and only stopped when I joined the military myself and moved overseas.
Over the years, I've dabbled in various styles (Karate, Boxing, Karate), but never found another martial art school which I could call home. After a lot of research, I decided I wanted to pursue Wing Chun. In 2000, I began with a school of the Leung Ting lineage and then studied with John Kang, a student of Lo Man Kam's, until he relocated to Virginia.
I took a few years off training after John left, but when I was ready to come back in early 2008 I was delighted to find that Sifu LeBlanc had started teaching in the Bay Area. I knew the no-nonsense and hard won reputations of both Wong Shun Leung and his student, Gary Lam, and I was eager to learn their approach to kung fu, an approach tempered by their fighting experiences.
I was happy to find that Sifu LeBlanc has not only developed a high level of martial skill but he can explain what he knows in simple terms and show how its done.