Moy Yat Ving Tsun Lineage

We are a direct part of the prestigious Moy Yat family of Ving Tsun.

Two men posing in a room.

Lineage

Thornton’s lineage to Grandmaster Moy Yat begins with his initial Sifu, Brian Alex Carruthers, and his initial Si-Gung in the system, Rex Aperauch. He trained primarily with them from December 1983 through 1989. His initial exposure to the system was through them.

Becoming an Inner Circle Disciple

It was in 1989 that Thornton began traveling to New York and training there. He went up there multiple times a year for around 10 years, and also visited many other schools frequently.

Martial artist performing high kick in dojo.
Two martial artists practicing high kick technique.

A Deeper Understanding of Wing Chun

During this time, Grandmaster Moy Yat took Thornton on as a direct student, giving him a much more in-depth understanding of the Wing Chun system.

  • Thornton would spend full days and nights with Grandmaster Moy Yat.
  • The Grandmaster called this immersive experience "Kung Fu life."
  • Thornton also received invaluable guidance from Grandmaster Moy Yat's senior students.

Words cannot express the gratitude for what Grandmaster Moy Yat and his students did to enhance Thornton’s understanding of the system we call Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Receiving His Kung Fu Name

In 1996, Thornton traveled to New York and became an indoor grandee to Grandmaster Moy Yat. Thornton stayed at Grandmaster Moy Yat’s house on that trip, as he had done on many other trips. That night, Thornton and Grandmaster Moy Yat returned to his house around two in the morning, and Grandmaster Moy Yat carved his chop and gave Thornton his Kung Fu name, Moy Don.