Sifu Gary V. Vaughan
Ving Tsun Instinct Arizona State Director
In England in the 1980s, getting started in martial arts was an exhilarating and transformative experience. In an era dominated by action movies like "Enter the Dragon" and "Karate Kid," the allure of martial arts was undeniable. Aspiring students would walk into traditional dojos with a sense of awe and curiosity, eager to embark on a journey of self-discovery and physical discipline. From the moment he donned his angry white pajamas and tied a white belt around his waist, Mr. Vaughan was immersed in a world of ancient philosophies and rigorous physical training. With dedicated instructors and a strong emphasis on respect and discipline, martial arts promised a means of self-defense while nurturing mental fortitude and building character. After half a decade of competing nationally while working towards his first black belt in Shotokan Karate, he moved to the other end of the country to start college, and switched to traditional South Korean Tae Kwon-Do.
Over the next decade, applying every ounce of dedication, discipline, and unwavering commitment to excel in this dynamic martial art famous for acrobatic aerial kicking; devoting countless hours to rigorous training, honing both physical and mental skills to master intricate techniques, perfecting precision and speed, and maintaining utmost control over his body, he was ultimately awarded both Umpire and Referee certificates and a 3rd degree black belt by the Global Taekwondo International association. Nonetheless, he was achieving only limited success when fighting on the open Tae Kwon-Do circuit and realized he’d need to work even harder to gain an edge over his opponents.
Adding additional weekly group training and private lessons in Jeet Kune Do Concepts with Sifu Andre Martin, a close personal protection specialist and body guard in the Dan Inosanto lineage was what gave him that edge. He learned to recognize the importance of setting goals, pushing boundaries, and consistently refining techniques to achieve optimal performance. Moreover, mental fortitude plays a crucial role in success; one must cultivate focus, resilience, and a competitive mindset. To truly excel, one must embrace the challenges, persevere through setbacks, and continually strive for excellence. In 2002 he brought home a silver medal from the British Championships in the men’s heavyweight black belt division.
Work took him to St. Petersburg, Florida soon after that. Unable to find a good local Kung Fu school, he started taking private lessons with Dino Martinez, head of the Florida Pekiti Pitbulls. Pekiti Tirsia Kali, a Filipino martial art created by Leo Gaje and related to Dan Inosanto’s Kali, offers a comprehensive system of weaponry techniques and close quarter combat skills, it emphasizes fluidity and adaptability as well as effectively deploying improvised and bladed weapon techniques such as chopsticks, knives, pool cues and empty hands all with utmost speed and precision. In 2010 and 2011, he took the incredible opportunity to relocate to Manila, Philippines to hone his Pekiti skills and joined an informal private group of fighters led by one of Gaje’s top students.
Soon after that he moved again, to Bangkok, Thailand, and for the next 5 years fostered a unique and comprehensive approach to martial arts by training simultaneously in Jeet Kune Do under Sifu Mark Stewart of the Ted Wong lineage, focussing on adaptability, efficiency and fluidity in street combat; and Olympic Taekwondo under Master Park Hee Kang, 7th Dan Kukkiwon, with a strong emphasis on high impact kicks and agility while developing strong balance and exceptional speed. Combining these two disciplines, he benefited both from Jeet Kune Do's philosophy of interception, footwork, and trapping techniques, while improving his Taekwondo skills and earning another 3rd degree black belt from Master Park. This cross training made him a more well-rounded martial artist, capable of employing both traditional techniques and innovative strategies in combat scenarios.
Over the following years, work took him back to England and then on to the Republic of Ireland, where he continued his practice at home while cross training in two styles with the best teachers available in those areas: A small Kali Eskrima group somewhat related to Pekiti Tirsia Kali, and an Iron Shirt Wing Chun Kung Fu school: Another formidable combination! Wing Chun Kung Fu, rooted in Chinese martial arts, focuses on developing core strength, flexibility, and sensitivity through close-range techniques while maintaining a solid foundation and an understanding of the principles of different combat ranges. Integrating the fluidity of Kali Eskrima with the stability and structure of Iron Shirt Wing Chun merges aggression with grace, agility with stability, and power with precision.
Underlying the theme of traveling the world and enjoying a taste of many different styles and systems, Sifu Vaughan believes all martial arts and lineages are rich and interesting with much to teach, but Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do (which itself branched out of Wing Chun) have brought him the furthest. Since moving back to the South West of America, his research led him to the Ving Tsun Instinct International Association, and Sifu Peterson who kindly spent countless hours in private lessons training him in this efficient and highly effective fighting system built around these core principles: structure & body mechanics for maximizing leverage and power; centerline theory to maintain a strong defensive position while simultaneously launching precise and powerful strikes from the shortest distance; sensitivity training to short circuit thinking and let the nervous system react directly to an opponent's movements with lightning speed. Additionally, the system's simplicity and economy of motion make it easy to learn and apply, and so suitable for individuals of all ages and physical abilities. Lastly, Ving Tsun Instinct cultivates mental discipline, sharpening focus and awareness, providing practitioners with the mental resilience needed in high-stress situations.
Sifu Vaughan is the lead instructor for Ving Tsun Instinct in the Prescott, Arizona area.