David O'Donell
Chief Instructor David O'Donell has trained in Wing Chun for nearly 20 years, having joined the IWCA’s Sydney branch in 1989. The medical industry Sales Manager’s aim was to learn effective self defence before travelling overseas. He looked at his training as a form of personal health insurance.
"I was very impressed by the professionalism of the school and its instructors, many of whom were experienced in ‘real’ fighting," Inst. David says. "The teaching programme was practical and achievable but what I enjoyed most was Wing Chun’s simplicity and effectiveness for realistic self defence."
Inst. David spent five years as the Academy’s Lindfield branch instructor. He has trained extensively in Hong Kong under Sigung Chu Shong Tin and also holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
He says that as his training progressed, he noticed that from Grades 1 to 4 there was an obvious technique-based focus designed to provide a basic all-round self defence capability. From Level 1 onwards, the focus turned toward generating and overcoming force and being able to apply techniques effectively. Training at an advanced level required a significant amount of mental application in controlling body movement.
The focus of Inst. David’s training now is to achieve the level of total body relaxation required to control and expand the joints rather than using muscle and brute strength. The benefits of this training have not only seen an improvement in all aspects of his Wing Chun, including speed and power, but also helped him to stay relaxed and focused in an increasingly stressful and challenging work and business environment.
Other advantages he has found are that he is able to continue to train as he gets older without the threat of debilitating injuries, and his brain and nervous system are activated as he tries to channel energy through his body. This helps to keep his energy levels high and his immune system strong.
Inst. David’s aim is to persist with his training and achieve the highest skill level possible, particularly through application of the Wooden Dummy and the two weapons forms, Butterfly Knives and Long Pole.
"I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to train in a school with the structure to support and facilitate progression through a ranking system that is largely reflective of the amount of hard work and dedication put into training," he says. "The most important thing for any new student to remember is to persist with your training even if you doubt your progress," he says.
"I am confident that skill levels in the school will continue to improve and feel enthusiastic about continuing with my training and teaching to complete the full Wing Chun system."
Inst. David holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Macquarie University and is currently completing a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Deakin University.