The Wing Chun Compendium [Paperback]

Wayne Belonoha (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2004

Lonz of Middle Bass is the story of a Man, a Woman, a Building and an Island. It is a unique book, particularly in view of the fact that it not only covers the obvious story of George Lonz and his wife, Fannie, but effectively chronicles the history not only of the Lonz Winery, but also of Middle Bass Island, Ohio from the earliest explorations of Champlain in 1545 through the mid-nineteenth century when the island, as it is known today, began to emerge.

The book is a reprint of the scarce and coveted 1982 edition, updated with an Appendix to cover the last 22 years. It also includes the stories from the August, 2000 Put-in-Bay Gazette about the tragedy in July, 2000, when the collapse of a terrace caused one fatality, injured many, and caused the winery to be closed for good earlier than planned.

The author of the original version, Mr. Barr, from the grandstand of 21 years of being "summer people", was intrigued with the island story from the beginning of his sojourn. He had an opportunity to know personally many of the people who were George's contemporaries or were a part of the story.

Bits and pieces of the chronicle found the author invading unexpected treasure troves. There was a trip to Toledo to talk with the Roesches about Indian artifacts, a luncheon with the Rameys in San Francisco to learn more of the Lonz husband-wife relationship, the gloomy interior of a New Orleans bookstore to find ancient maps of Lake Erie, and an antique shop in Charleston, South Carolina that reluctantly brought to light the plates of the Perry associates in the Battle of Lake Erie and the drawings of the Golden Eagle breaking ice. There were many, many phone calls to run down leads and a final visit to the Hayes Museum in Fremont, Ohio to find out about some of the island-owned boats.

For those who have enjoyed the unique hospitality as offered by this unusual winery, for those who enjoy history - particularly of Middle Bass Island, the Lake Erie Islands or the Lake Erie south shore - and for those who simply enjoy a bottle of wine in an idyllic setting, this book will be interesting reading.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Gora is the Middle Bass Island Historian for the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society, and also operates the Middle Bass Island web site. A long-time summer resident, his goal is to spend more time on the island every year. A retired software executive, software developer and physicist, he is the author of over 30 technical papers and three technical books, and has also produced four reprints of Lake Erie Islands historical booklets. He is also the editor of the most complete history of the islands ever published, Lake Erie Islands - Sketches and Stories, which is available from Trafford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing (May 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1412028191
• ISBN-13: 978-1412028196
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,666,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Wing Chun Book I have ever read., December 11, 2004

By 

Gordon Oliphant (Victoria, B.C. , Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wing Chun Compendium (Paperback)

Mr. Belonoha's book 'The Wing Chun Compendium" is outstanding. The writing is concise and very informative.
It is the most well thought out martial arts book I've ever seen. Mr. Belonoha starts exceedingly clearly, defining the core principles of the Wing Chun system within the first page and 1/2.
The next 100 pages or so then go into the expanded theory and technical aspects of the Wing Chun system. The
book is layed out in a fashion that it can be read cover to cover or, it can be opened randomly at any page throughout and the content makes sense. Nothing is left out. (Note: this book does not cover Wing Chun's wooden man dummy form or the weapons
forms - hopefully a subsequent book will follow shortly).
The next 300 pages deal in great detail with the first three (non weapon) Wing Chun forms: Siu Nim Tau, Cham Kiu and Biu Ji. Pictures of Mr. Belonoha, a previous gold medallist at multiple national and international level competitions show every detail of each form. Each photo is accompanied by equally detailed descriptions of proper technique and points to emphasize and, common mistakes to watch out for. His web site has live video of the forms. It is important to note that the videos are the exact same instances that the still photos were derived from so no gaps are left for a reader to figure out.
The final 100+ pages cover pressure points, health and fitness, and Wing Chun terminology (Chinese terms define into
English terms). The finale is a deeply revealing article called "Reflections of Siu Nim Tau After 30 Years by Grandmaster Sunny Tang". Grandmaster Sunny Tang has been Mr. Belonoha's Sifu since 1992 and, Mr. Belonoha is the Senior Instructor at the Sunny Tang Martial Arts Centre Headquarters School in Toronto. (All of this is in the book too).
I also like the sayings on the bottom of each page in addition to everything else. Again from the first page: "Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable", Mr. Belonoha has exhibited a phenomenal understanding of clarity and order. Each page has a similar relevant saying that applies to all of one's life, not just their martial art.
This is not a read it once and you know all it type book. It will give you all the information that you need and is very easy to understand. However, as your Wing Chun improves, the information within will have deeper and deeper meaning to you. Because Mr. Belonoha fully understands Wing Chun, the simplicity of the writing is also somewhat of an illusion - there is no limit to the lessons that can be learned. The book is meaningful to Wing Chun enthusiasts of every level. Anyone reading this book will get a lot out of it. Mine is already on the way to being well worn from the constant references that I am making to it either before or after most training sessions. In short, "The Wing Chun Compendium" is an excellent book from both a 'detailed reference manual' for training and a 'cover to cover reading book' to fully understand what genuine Wing Chun is all about. If you are training in Wing Chun and want to know the non-modified methods, this book is a 'must have'. I know that my copy will always be in use. If I ever happen to loose my copy, I will be replacing it right away.

Gord Oliphant,
Victoria, B.C., Canada

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wing Chun world is very small and very large, August 17, 2004

By 

Samsonite from Ontario (North York, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wing Chun Compendium (Paperback)

Most people who know Wing Chun are aware of its foundation and modern day disciples. If you are a follower of Wing Chun, you will find this to be an excellent companion for your journey.

After studying various martial arts, including Tae Kwon Do, traditional Kung Fu and Kick Boxing, I discovered Wing Chun, which managed to make me a more effective Marital Arts practitioner in one year that all the other arts could not do in many years (physical conditioning benefits aside).

If you are not a Wing Chun practitioner but practice other MA, you may be curious and find this book very different. Take it and compare the reasoning behind each 'move'. You will find the art extremely scientific compared to many other arts. My great Tae Kwon Do instructor once told me that eventually, the highest practitioners of most MA reach the same level...possibly true but Wing Chun is more efficient in getting you there, efficiency being one of its key tenets.

This book has other great tidbits which make it an excellent coffee table read whereas my other MA books don't have the same level of class...except of course Sun Tsu's - The Art of War.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on the First Part of the System, February 28, 2007

By 

Yuen K. Wong - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wing Chun Compendium, Volume One (Hardcover)

I thought this book was very well done. It included the Kuen Kuet or Ving Tsun Idioms, the 3 Fist Forms, some Basic Dim Mak information and a buch of fun Chinese sayings on the bottom of each page. The pictures were very good, except when it came to application, the pictures seemed a bit confusing. But that could be the case of many Martial Arts books. It lists most of the major principles and the basic concepts which was very well laid out.

I just hope that the last part of the system - the Wooden Dummy, The Pole Form, and the Knife form will be represented in another part. This is the main reason I gave it one less star. It cannot be THE Wing Chun Compendium if it does not have the WHOLE System.