Yee’s Hung Ga » Kung Fu » Sifu Peter Berman Yee

Sifu Peter Berman Yee has been practicing martial arts for over 24 years. He has a background in Wing Chun, Shotokan Karate, Tai Chi Chuan, and his chosen art of Hung Ga. Sifu Berman Yee is the fourth senior Yut Sut disciple of Master Frank Yee, he is also a senior Vice President of the Governing Board of Yee’s Hung Ga International Kung Fu Association.

In 2001 Sifu Berman Yee and his family were honored to perform with a team in China at the opening ceremony of the Wong Fei Hung museum in Fu San, Kang Dong where his picture is placed permanently as the fourth generation from Wong Fei Hung.

Sifu Berman Yee has been operating the Brooklyn Branch for the last decade. Throughout that time, his students have placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd both regional and international tournaments. At the 2004 International Open Traditional Kung Fu Wushu Championship Tournament in Seattle, Sifu Berman Yee’s student placed 1st and 3rd. Most recently, his students placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the Wong Fei Hung All-Kung Fu Championship, the 5 Tigers Tournament, and the Wong Tournament in 2005.

Sifu Peter Berman Yee was the first American to be accepted into the Yee’s family lineage at the New York, Chinatown Yee Fong Toy Association and their world headquarters. Sifu Berman Yee has given seminars at Hunter College in New York and taught for the Jackie Robison Youth Center.

Sifu’s Thoughts on Training

There is no substitute for hard training in any of the fighting arts. In Hung Ga, the training of the horse stance (sei ping dai ma), is our main basic skill. This is not to say that our hand and arm bridges (kiu sau and gin kiu) are not very important skills in our system, but the horse stance is without a doubt the cornerstone of the Hung system. A student must understand and embrace this theory in order to develop his skill. A saying passed down from my elders embodies my point ‘No horse stance ability equals no ability! No horse stance equals no root and no body connection.’ Root refers to the strength and stability of one's legs, directly effecting the ability to generate and control power; body connection is the feel you must have to execute a technique with the proper timing, and the force generated from the shifting of stance. Without either, the average person can’t knock the skin off of rice pudding. Fancy kicks and acrobatic skills do have their place, but if Hung Ga should be the art you choose to study, you must remember that horse stance training is our number one skill. Hung Ga is an art that is world famous for it’s power. The source of that power lies within our dedicated training of the horse stance. Any good teacher of any style will tell you that without thorough and consistent training of the basics, your techniques will be useless. With our foundation, the generation and delivery of power is the fruit of our labor."

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Sifu Yee Peter Berman Yee (Yee Bei Duk)

Information about Sifu Berman Yee, chief instructor at Yee’ Hung Ga Brooklyn branch, and his thoughts on training.

Sifu’s Thoughts on Training