Dedication, devotion, and discipline.

Those are the key components of wing chun, and the Lancaster Wing Chun Association will bring in an expert to impart that wisdom to its students.

Nick Francis, the owner and instructor of the business, will host his friend and mentor Colin Ward from Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26.

Seminars will be held April 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m.; and April 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at the facility, 246 Manor Ave., Millersville.

Registration is required; the deadline to sign up is Tuesday, March 31. Go to http://www.lancasterwingchun.com or call 717-208-2258 to register. There is a fee to participate.

"Wing chun is a martial art," Francis said. "It's kung fu. It's a Chinese martial art, traditional kung fu. I like to explain it to people that it's like a fusion of tai chi, yoga, and qi jong. Qi jong is based on chi, based on energy, and tai chi. Wing chun adds the self-defense aspect of that."

This will be the third straight year Ward has visited Francis' training center. Ward will be educating clients on the wooden dummy technique, using what is called a mook yan jong. Francis stated that the wooden dummy became famous because of Bruce Lee, a trainee of Ip Man's.

"Really, what (Colin is) passing to us is a culture, the Ip Man family legacy," said Francis. "We don't talk so much about lineage, but we do legacy. (Colin) made a promise to Grandmaster Ip Chun to spread his father's wing chun throughout the world. Being his first student, I think here in the U.S., and certainly in this region, he's coming to continue to spread the Ip family legacy. This is so much more than technique. This is about respect and kindness and excellence. "

Originally from Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Francis has lived all over the world. Francis' brother-in-law Andre Loke introduced him to Ward in 2018. "There was an Ip Man movie being released in Singapore, and my brother-in-law told me, 'You need to go see this.' I was very skeptical, so I decided to research who this Ip Man character was and found out that he was the teacher of Bruce Lee. I wanted to learn kung fu since I was a kid, so this gave me permission as a grown-up to learn again."

That led to a search for a school. "I was introduced to Colin online," Francis said. "He lives in the UK (United Kingdom). When he was young, 40 years ago, he was invited by Ip Man's oldest son, Grandmaster Ip Chun, to come to Hong Kong to learn. He started traveling back and forth from the UK to Hong Kong to be one of Ip Chun's 13 pupils. From there, we started doing trips. I would travel to Hong Kong with him, and he would come here and train with me."

Francis' wife, Sharon, hails from Singapore. "That is where I began to learn," he said. "I go to Hong Kong once a year to Ip Man's school that he started years ago, and I also train in Singapore as well."

Francis noted that the Lancaster Wing Chun Association primarily teaches adults, with the youngest student 18 years old and the oldest 77. Recently, the training center began a juniors program for people between the ages of 9 and 16.

"(The Lancaster Wing Chun Association) exists to help people gain health and wellness through learning traditional Ip Man Wing Chun," said Francis. "Our primary objective is to help people find health and wellness. We also help people learn self-defense. They come to build healthy relationships. We do this all by creating a safe and supportive environment."

Francis is happy to be part of the rich heritage. "I'm sure (people can) appreciate the level of honor and humility that (I feel) to be directly connected to this Hong Kong lineage, the fact that we were able to be here doing this. It's just such a humbling, humbling thing," he said.