Biography of Sifu Sergio

The GM of the IWKA Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola started his martial arts career at the age of six with the Japanese art of Judo in the Dutch capital Amsterdam (Holland). At the age of twelve he studied Pencak Silat (Pamur style) and Wado Kai Karate.

During this time he was a big Bruce Lee fan and read everything that had something to do with him. Finding out that Bruce Lee started his martial arts journey with Wing Chun. At the same time he started writing letters with some of Bruce’s early students like James de Mile and Jesse Glover to find out more about his idol. During these times Sifu Sergio visited as much martial art schools as possible in Amsterdam together with a group of his friends to see the classes or take lessons in the diverse arts the city had to offer.

In 1987 he started training in the Wing Chun system under Sifu R. Vogel and Grandmaster Wang Kiu. After about two months of training, he read the book Wing Tsun Kuen by Grandmaster Leung Ting (the last closed door disciple of the late Grandmaster Yip Man). After reading the book he discontinued his training at Sifu Wang Kiu’s school after only 4 months of training there and started to look for a Leung Ting system affiliated school.

In that same year he started training Leung Ting System WT under Sifu F. Schäfer only to have an unfortunate car accident after only one month of training. Nine months later he continued his WT training eventually receiving his 1st Technician level from Sifu Kernspecht the chief instructor of the EWTO in 1994 in Aachen, Germany.

In the period from 1994 -1998 he traveled all throughout Europe attending many seminars in Germany and in Italy of Sifu E. Botztepe and taking hundreds of private lessons from different Leung Ting Wing Tsun masters like Sifu H.P. Edel, Sifu S. Avci etc. In 1997- 1998 he was appointed as the Israeli chief instructor for the EWTO by his Sifu K. Kernspecht and moved to the Israeli capital of Tel Aviv where he ran a successful academy for around a year until he decided to leave the country due to political stress.

During a trip to Asia in that year his dream came true when he met his Sigung Grandmaster Leung Ting in Hong Kong before having seen him only during his European seminars. After being adopted as a private student by his Sigung Leung Ting, he first went to Zagreb to finish and complete the unarmed Leung Ting Wing Tsun system under Sifu Slavko Truntic one of the master students of GM Leung Ting, so that his Sigung Leung Ting only had to correct him instead of teaching him the system from scratch. He took more than a 100 hours of private lessons from the Grandmaster in the period of January 1998 till October 2001 in Hong Kong and in Shunde (Sun Tak) and studied intensively under GM Cheng Chuen Fan during the normal and instructor classes at the Leung Ting HQ even going on vacation with his Sigung to the USA Miami to take more private lessons and enjoy time together. During the periods in Hong Kong which were  several months at the time he had the good fortune to be able to sleep across the road opposite the school of GM Leung Ting at the house of his friend’s aunt and eventually finishing and receiving the corrections of the whole unarmed system of Leung Ting WT under his Sigung in the year 2000.

With Sifu Leung Ting during a vacation in Miami USA 2001	With my Kung fu brothers and Sifu Cheng Chuen Fan after one of Classes 1999	With other students of GM Leung Ting 2000
Having dinner with GM Leung Ting and Sifu Tam Hung Fan 1999	During private lessons with GM Leung Ting 2000	Singing Karaoke with GM Leung Ting

In November and December 2001 Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola traveled to New York to finish learning the Leung Ting Wing Tsun  weapon system: the Look Dim Poon Kwun (six and a half point pole) and the Bart Cham Dao (the eight way cutting broad swords) under his Si-Pak Fong Wai Hung (Allan Fong). Being the first one ever to be taught the Bart Cham Dao from Sifu Fong, during this trip he was promoted to the 7th level practician by his Si-Pak Fong Wai Hung. Due to circumstances Sifu Sergio decided in January ’02 to start up his association the IWKA to promote and spread the authentic Leung Ting Wing Tjun system as taught by GM Leung Ting in Hong Kong.

Training the Bart Cham Dao with my Sipak in the Leung Ting WT System Allan Fong 2001

Training the Bart Cham Dao with my Sipak Allan Fong

After realizing that the Leung Ting Wing Tsun system and the Yip Man Wing Chun system in general were not the only Wing Chun lineages around in China, especially not the most complete (in fact the Yip Man System being a personal interpretation and mix of three lineages namely Chan wha sun, Yuen Kay san and Dai Dak Lan), he decided to pursue the next decade into the intense studying of other lineages and the Eternal Spring lineages.
Like the Lo family lineage under Sifu Cheng Kwong successor of the late Sifu Wai Check Yan who taught him the Saam Bai Fat and the art of Kam Na, during this time he also went to learn under the son of the late Grandmaster Pak Cheung and Sifu Pak Cheung Kau in mainland China.

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Receiving his Siu Lam Wing Chun (Lo Family) master certificate from GM Cheng Kwong	Training in front of a Buddhist Temple with GM Cheng Kwong
Receiving the certificate of Mastery of the Saam Bai Fat form by GM Cheng Kwong	Private lessons from Sifu Pak Cheung Kau in Fatshan

During this period he also studied the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to further his ground fighting knowledge. After this he went on to study the art of the Tang family Wing Chun system of the Eternal Spring Lineage of the late Grandmaster Tang Yick under Sifu Tang Chung Pak who taught him the Luk Dim Poon Kwan and Sifu Sunny So (the last student of the late GM Tang Yick) who taught him the rest of the system in intense private lessons.

With Sifu Tang Chung Pak	During Chi Sao training with Sifu Tang Chung Pak
With Sifu Sunny So the last Todai of the late Grandmaster Tang Yick	During Chi Sao training with Sifu Sunny So

To further expand his understanding, he also studied both the Sum Nung (Yuen Kay San) Wing Chun system and the ancestor systems of all the modern Wing Chun lineages, including the Fukien Yong Chun Bak Hok (White Crane) system, under several Sifus in intense private lessons. He even moved to China to live in Hong Kong in order to devote all his time to the study and research the art under Sifu Sunny So and others.