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.

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.

With my Sifu in Gu Lo Wing Chun Sifu Fung Chun

He also paid several visits to the GU LO village in Mainland China where he studied the unique Gu Lo Wing Chun system under Fung Chun during several days. This system preserves the last teachings of the late Grandmaster Dr. Leung Jan.

Training Fukien Yong Chun Bak Hok (White Crane) system with Sifu Cliff Ip
Training Fukien Yong Chun Bak Hok (White Crane) system with Sifu Cliff Ip
Training Fukien Yong Chun Bak Hok (White Crane) system with Sifu Cliff Ip

During the last years due to intensive research into the secret society’s which came about after the destruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple ( See this link for more in depth detail ), Sifu Sergio Iadarola started studying very intensively the teachings of several Fujian systems under Sifu Tio Tek Kwie during one trip to Indonesia and one trip to Thailand where he studied under him for a few weeks plus at the same time furthering his knowledge by studying several other internal systems under different Sifus, that are clearly linked to Wing Chun in the past and contain crucial knowledge of internal power that made the IWKA Wing Tjun system even more complete.

The last studies that completed his quest and closed of the research into the Beautiful Spring lineage of Wing Chun came by coming into contact with the sources that provided him with the original Kuen Kuits from 1850 before the Siu Nim Tau got split up into three forms following the 1854 uprising and the 1855 burning down of the Fine Jade Hall and the Kuen Kuits from 1890. The period when the Siu Nim Tau was already split up into Siu Nim Tau, Cham Kiu and Biu Tze forms.

Sifu Sergio wishes to keep secret – at this period of time – some of the sources he gets his info from as well as the Sifus who actually are teaching him at this moment in the internal arts due to the continuous following of his actions by ex-student of his association.

With Sifu Tio Tek Kwie
Enjoying the nature with one of his beloved Sifus in the internal arts.

Some of his experiences are shared with the viewer on his sifusergiochannel which is one of the best channels on Wing Chun on YouTube.

Currently Sifu Sergio Pascal Iadarola is spreading all his knowledge throughout his association the IWKA which has branches in over 14 countries at present.

Sifu Sergio is:

International Chief Instructor and CEO IWKA based in Hong Kong.
Official Western Representative for the Ving Tsun and Dragon Kung Fu Association of Sifu Cheng Kwong ( HONG KONG).
Chief Instructor for the USA and Europe for Sifu Sunny So (HONG KONG).