Sifu Randy Williams
Sifu Randy Williams
By Tracy Warrener Van Kruistum
Sifu Randy Williams started his Martial Arts training at 13 years of age in Los Angeles California’s Chinatown. He was fortunate enough to live right in the hub of China town and down the street from Bruce Lee’s School. As a youth, Williams started his Wing Chun training with Sifu George Yau Chu. Before he was allowed to start his training, he was told he needed to learn some basic Chinese. His own roots being Chinese, Welsh and South American. So at this request, he learned some basic Chinese then he started his training. His desire to start training came from knowing his late father had trained within the martial arts and he was also inspired by the Chinese Kung Fu movies, as most young martial artists of the time usually were. He was also fortunate enough to train under one of Bruce Lee’s closest students, Sifu Ted Wong where he studied Jeet Kune Do.
In 1972 he opened his first school and developed his own style of Wing Chun, called Close Range Combat Academy. His style was a mix of everything that he had learned from his instructors, plus his own experience of studying and practicing. Williams believe strongly in the emphasis on practical applications of his art. He is considered to be among the top ten masters of Gung Fu in the world. His Academy has branches all over the world with practitioners who study and teach his style, CRCA.
Williams further continued his training and collaborated with other famous martial artists such as Jiu Jitsu Master,Royce Gracie. He continues to explore, develop and create new and updated combat techniques to help keep his style up to date and new.
Among being a world renowned Martial artist, Williams is also an accomplished author of nine books, over fifty instructional DVDs, and has authored numerous articles in magazines such as Black Belt Magazine and Inside Kung Fu. He was also a sought after bodyguard for celebrities such as David Letterman, Johnny Depp and Al Pachino, just to name several. The Wing Chun Wooden Dummy was also something that Williams helped to redesign and improve to help with the training drills of Wing Chun. He named it ‘The Octopus’.
Randy Williams, is respected by his many students and colleagues over the world. His contributions to the martial arts make him a well known modern day martial arts master.
Tracy Warrener has been fortunate to have been raised within the Martial Arts since the age of 4 years old and is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate. She has had the opportunity to study with some amazing Martial Artists. Sensei Richard Kim, Sensei Peter Urban, Professor Don Jacob, Sensei Jim Wilson, Professor Wally Jay, just to name several. Of course her main Sensei is her father, Sensei Don Warrener. Throughout the 40 plus years of her involvement in the Martial Arts, she has worked her way from being a student of the martial arts to a Martial Arts Sensei ,teaching hundreds of students. She has ran and managed martial arts schools teaching students of all ages, worked within the community teaching at fitness centres, schools, businesses and Women’s Shelters, the benefits of Karate. One the causes close to her heart is teaching and empowering young girls and women the importance of self defence and awareness. Her program called Look Strong! Act Strong! Be Strong! focuses on easy self defence techniques and mind self defence techniques. In 2013 she was awarded The Silver Lifetime Achievement Award in the Masters of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in California for her contribution to Women in the Martial Arts. She is also a Certified Reflexologist and Reiki Master. She has starred in three of her own DVDs produced by Rising Sun Productions on Reiki, Reflexology and her Look Strong ,Act Strong ,Be Strong Self Defence Program. tracy.warrenerentertainment@gmail.com