Traditional Kung Fu Meets the Modern World
Black Belt Magazine - "Gym Nation" (October 2010)
In 1983 Eric Oram signed on with Cheung. To say he was a quick study would be an understatement. Oram swiftly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming one of Cheung's senior disciples. In 2005 he opened the Wing Chun Kung-Fu Chinese Boxing Academy, a 4,300-square-foot facility with high wood-beam ceilings and bare brick walls. Despite its decidedly Western look, it has all the requisite wing chun accoutrements, including wooden dummies, an iron-palm station and butterfly swords affixed to the walls. Although it's a venue for leaning how to fight, it has the atmosphere of a Buddhist temple.
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Critical Distance: Everything You Need to Know About Wing Chun Close-Quarters Combat By Eric Oram
Black Belt Magazine (May 2010)
...BRIDGING THE GAP

If you must engage an opponent who has a reach advantage, the only way to equalize things is to get in tight so you can reach him. Functioning at close quarters will probably be unnerving for him and cause him to pull back into a more comfortable zone. Follow him relentlessly, keeping him on the defensive.


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The Fighting Life of Robert Downey Jr.
From Men's Journal - May 2010
On how Wing Chun helps him cope: "This is all about focus. Wing Chun teaches you what to concentrate on, whether you're here or out in the world dealing with problems. It's second nature for me now. I don't even get to the point where there's a problem."



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Why Bruce Lee Left Wing Chun
By Eric Oram
For Inside Kung Fu Magazine (June 1997)
Prevented by Yip Man from learning the "entire" wing chun system, Bruce Lee was left to his own inventions. What he created was a style based on wing chun but devoid of many key principles.
Bruce Lee, pound for pound, was arguably the greatest fighter of our time. He is certainly the most popular. Twenty-four years after his death, he remains the standard by which all other fighters are measured... Read more


Street Survival: 9 Wing Chun Kung Fu Strategies For Defending Multiple Attackers
By Eric Oram
For Black Belt (October 2000)
Two Chinese men stare at each other in an ancient courtyard. They are motionless, their eyes relaxed yet intensely focused. Their bodies are like iron sculptures - each muscle specifically conditioned for the martial art its owner has mastered. ... Read more





Supreme Strategy:Traditional Wing Chun Teaches Kung Fu's Ultimate Combat Method
By William Cheung and Eric Oram
For Black Belt (February 2002)
When it comes to hand to hand combat on the street, the key to ensuring your survival is having quick and decisive reflexes. In most circumstances, thinking is a luxury you will not have, for predators strike hard and fast and usually when you are at your weakest.

Therefore, any strategies or methods designed to help you protect yourself in an encounter must be ingrained at the reflex level.

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Fighting Force Without Force
By Eric Oram
For Martial Arts Legends (December 2000)
In traditional wing chun, the martial artist who steps to the side of a charging bull will live to fight another day. Read more





Ten Wing Chun Kung Fu Principles Any Martial Artist Can Use
By Eric Oram
For Black Belt (April 1999)
From the time I was 11 until the time I was 14, I studied karate in Las Vegas. The students at that school were supposed to commit to memory hundreds of techniques that were hypothetical responses to various self-defense situations. It was difficult to remember them all, but I strove to do my best - until I began watching the black belts spar. What I witnessed as the advanced students fought in the ring looked like nothing I had practiced in the studio. Where were all those techniques I had learned? ... Read more



Wooden Warrior
By Eric Oram and Robert W. Young
For Black Belt (May 2004)
Traditional wing chun kung fu instructors address the need for practice by emphasizing to their students the importance of developing their reflexes. They stipulate, however, that you cannot rely on just any set of repeated movements to hone your ability to defend yourself. To ensure that you respond with optimal timing, balance and accuracy, you need to learn the lessons of the wooden dummy... Read more





Spinning Into Control
By Mary McNamara
LA Times Calendar August 28, 2005

And this," he says, gesturing to the crowd around him, "this has been a big help. A big help." "This" refers to the opening of the new home for the Los Angeles Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy. On a warm Saturday night, Downey has shown up to support founder and chief instructor Eric Oram, who for the past two years has been Downey's teacher. Oram trained Downey almost every day on the set of "Kiss Kiss."
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Dim Mak: Wing Chun’s Deadly System of Striking Pressure Points
By Eric Oram
For Black Belt (May 2006)

It was a typical hot summer afternoon in Las Vegas in the mid-1980s. For some reason, my sifu, William Cheung insisted that we train outside in the sweltering heat instead of in the air-conditioned workout room behind the house. “Throw the punch,” he said after a quick bow.

Which punch, I wondered. But I knew better than to ask. I decided just to throw something and see what happened. And I’d better throw it; anything less than full-bore made him grumpy, and I didn’t want that. So I punched... Cheung deflected my jab and counterattacked more quickly than my brain could register. In a flash, he was back where he started, neutral, as if nothing had happened... Read more



Ol' Faithful
By Kimberly Owens
Martial Arts Training (May 1998)
A good training partner can be hard to find. Some are too lazy, some talk too much and some just don't want to get up in the morning. What are you supposed to do?
Find a new partner, what else?
Ideally, you'll find a partner who is unforgiving of mistakes. Someone who can take a punch. A kick. Someone who is always ready to train. Doesn't complain. Is never late. And never cancels training sessions due to an injury.
Does this perfect partner exist?
You bet. Meet your new partner: the wing chun wooden dummy. Read more




Kick Killing
By Eric Oram
Black Belt Magazine (February 2003)
In 1966, karate legend Joe Lewis rocketed to stardom by winning Jhoon Rhee's U.S. Nationals in Washington, D.C. Incredibly, it was his first tournament, and he won every single point with only one technique - the side kick. For six years, Chuck Norris ruled the karate world with his spinning kicks... Read more






Make Your Defense Offensive: The Science Behind Wing Chun's Blocks
By Eric Oram
Martial Arts Combat Sports (March 2002)
Looking back to my early karate days, I clearly remember the frustration I experienced during sparring. No matter how I tried to apply the multitude of techniques I thought I knew, somehow I always felt like a dog chasing his own tail at the end of the day. In spite of all the trophies, encouragement and praise, the truth of the matter was all of my "skill" disappeared when the situation became random.
Why?...Read more