Ray Van Raamsdonk

Tai Chi
Wing Chun
Escrima

Ray Van Raamsdonk is a University of Toronto graduate. He studied honors mathematics at the University of Alberta and Computer science at the university of Toronto.

Ray’s martial art started in the same way that many young people start, by doing lots of wrestling with his friends. There was no Internet and social media in those days to pass the time.

When Ray started university in 1966 he also started 3 days a week Karate classes under master Olaf Simon which he continued for 4 years until he moved to Toronto in the summer of 1969.

In Toronto Ray started to learn the Chinese art of Hung Gar Kung Fu under two Chinese masters, James Lore and Jack Chin. He studied this art for five years but then moved to Vancouver for job opportunities in 1975.

In Vancouver Ray right away started to learn Yang style Tai Chi after watching both the health improvements and the martial arts improvements that a good Chinese University friend and fellow student at the Hung style Kung Fu club achieved. That students Tai Chi master was extremely good and that left a lifetime impression on Ray.

Ray’s Chinese friend just did a 4 movement Tai Chi sequence every lunch hour for 20 minutes. He did this very slowly. When he finished, his palms were beet red from the relaxation and improved blood circulation. The slower you go the more calming effect it has on your brain.

Later Ray met a top Wing Chun master by the name of Kenneth Chung. He practiced a 4 movement sequence from the slow part of the “Little Idea Form” and this also produced very red palms and super relaxed states of body and mind. Most western people don’t have this kind of patience though but that’s ok. There are still many benefits.

Unknown to many, Tai Chi also has a quicker part which also give you the benefits of aerobics. Cardiovascular health can be improved both by the slow exercises and by the quicker aerobic exercises.

In Vancouver, Ray found a top Tai Chi teacher by the name of Master Raymond Chung from mainland China. Raymond Chung knew all aspects of various types of Tai Chi and was also knowledgeable in a few other internal Chinese martial arts such as Xing Yi and Ba Gua. Raymond Chung was still teaching at age 105 just before he passed away.

In the 1970’s there was much talk about Bruce Lee and the Kung Fu craze was on. Ray learned that Bruce Lee originally learned Wing Chun in Hong Kong so Ray was also on the lookout for a Wing Chun teacher to round out his knowledge of Chinese culture and Chinese martial art.

By luck he found a Wing Chun teacher by the name of Chow Lok Ji who was just in Vancouver for two years but was able to come to Ray’s home to privately teach him. Patrick Chow was a direct student of Grandmaster Ip Man who many people have come to know through the Ip Man movies starring Donnie Yen. Ip Man was Bruce Lee’s teacher.

Ray found that Hung style, Wing Chun and Tai chi actually had many things in common. So he kept up all three arts.

In 1978 Ray moved to Victoria to work for the provincial government as a Computer Technical Specialist. At the same time he taught Tai Chi, Wing Chun, some Hung style and some Filipino martial arts just to keep fit and as a good social activity.

Ray’s first Tai Chi class was in 1978, for a group of female students who went to St. Margaret’s private school where two of Ray’s daughters also went. THey really enjoyed the classes.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, Ray had the chance to meet with and learn from many masters of various Chinese martial arts.

Currently Ray teaches a Wing Chun class at the University of Victoria on Thursdays from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

Ray also teaches Tai Chi at the Braefoot Community Association in Gordon Head from 10:00-12:00 pm every Saturday morning. These classes are just starting up.

Ray will also be starting his brand of Tai Chi in Sidney and has been asked by various people in the Langford area to teach there as well.

In September, Ray turns 74. At this age health, fitness and good eating habits are very important.

Ray is currently working to complete his Tai Chi video series that he started in 1987. At that time more than 200,000 of his Tai Chi for Health videos sold in Canada, the USA and other parts of the world. This video series will feature seven volumes to cover various aspects of this fabulous art.

Ray believes that everyone can do Tai Chi and receive some benefit from this art.

The main thing is too make health a priority and to not give up trying or to get intimidated by the various experts on Youtube who are similar to professional Ballet dancers or who turn people off by making Tai Chi seem like a violent art which it is not.

Tai Chi can be extremely beautiful and graceful but to reach those levels of performance skill takes at least 10 years but to learn. The 108 movements takes less than one year to learn. Ray’s teacher master Raymond Chung just taught two movements every week.

One of Ray’s female students actually learned the whole 108 movement sequence within one week because she was travelling to meet a friend who wanted to learn the Tai Chi sequence from her.

The core of the whole 108 movement form just consists of 4 movements. These are just the natural movements we do everyday of our lives which are pulling and pushing. We constantly open and close doors, that is pulling and pushing.

Many seniors have balance problems as they age. Tai Chi addresses exactly that issue. Everything is actually about balance: physical balance, mental balance and spiritual balance. Health problems arise when something is out of balance. This is what the Yin and Yang concept is all about.

Ray’s teacher Master Raymond Chung did not agree with the fighting part of Tai Chi. He knew this also and was actually a jet fighter pilot in China but he said much more important was the health aspects of Tai Chi.

Many people are too busy in their lives to take care of their health. Stress can be very damaging to one’s health over the course of a lifetime. If one’s health is good then one can lead a much more happy and productive life and friends and family will definitely notice the difference.

Ray’s other hobbies include music, teaching kids mathematics and chess and also developing an AI course for middle school kids.

Ray has generated more than 30 teachers of Chinese martial arts.