YouTube Millionaires: Master Wong Teaches His Students “Surprise, Speed, And Action”

By 09/14/2017
YouTube Millionaires: Master Wong Teaches His Students “Surprise, Speed, And Action”

Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.


If you’re familiar with martial art of Wing Chun, it may be because of the movie Ip Man, which displayed the Chinese discipline to a global audience. For Master Wong, however, the elements of Wing Chun are not dazzling stunts — they’re practical maneuvers that can help users defend themselves in public. Wong is a martial arts master and YouTube star whose videos demonstrate Wing Chun techniques and teach viewers how to deploy those moves in a fight.

Wong’s instructional style is pragmatic, but also colorful. He punctuates his interactions with his students by adding in off-the-cuff quips that give his videos a fun, light-hearted feel, in spite of the violence within them. That appealing combination has helped Wong, who is partnered with BroadbandTV, surpass one million YouTube subscribers. Here are his thoughts about that achievement:

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Tubefilter: How does it feel to have more than one million subscribers on your channel? What do you have to say to your fans?

Master Wong: It feels awesome, I never thought in my life I would reach this milestone. I would like to thank all my fans for supporting me. Without their support, I wouldn’t have gotten this far. I will continue to make more awesome videos for them to watch.

TF: What would you say is your overall goal in teaching your subscribers the art of Wing Chun?

MW: I try to get the message across that not all Wing Chun is created equal and nor are masters equal. In this 21st century they need to learn real self-defense that could can save their lives in the real world.

TF: What do you think is the most common misconception people have about martial arts?

MW: They watch too many movies. All the fancy movements don’t work in the real world. There is a time and a place for specific techniques to be effective. The basic rule, in my opinion, is surprise, speed, and action.

TF: As you’ve spent more time on YouTube, in what ways have you noticed your videos improving?

MW: As time has gone by, I notice that many things had to be done to get my videos noticed, such as stronger thumbnails, better titles and descriptions, and obviously good content.

TF: On a similar note, what’s the most significant way in which you think YouTube has changed while you’ve been active on it?

MW: YouTube seems to change a lot. It is hard to keep up. I think it’s because people are finding different ways to get viewers so they are always changing their algorithm.

TF: How much preparation goes into one of your videos? Do you think about what you want to say and the jokes you want to make before turning on the camera?

MW: We don’t really plan it. We have a quick discussion and go straight to shooting. Because it’s not planned my students have to adapt to things quickly, but we still make safety the number one priority.

Some viewers joke that they are surprised my students are not in the hospital. Truth is, over the years they have learnt to adapt quickly to avoid injuries. Hopefully they can do the same when the real situation comes along.

We aim to get all our videos in one go, so there is hardly ever a take two or take three. I never plan what I say, as I don’t work with scripts. It’s all done free-styling. I look back at the videos sometimes and think, holy crap, did I really say that?

TF: What is the single best tip you would give someone who wants to better protect themselves in public?

MW: Know yourself, know your enemy, know your ability, and know your surroundings. Then you’ll have a better chance of survival in the streets.

TF: What are some of your interests beyond martial arts?

MW: I like to get into filming and production. Hopefully one day I can make my own film. My hobby is snowboarding, I go every year.

TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?

MW: I’m always looking to improve the range of content I have. Even though I know people watch my channel for the martial arts, I have more to offer. Hopefully from this year I will be collaborating with other YouTubers and providing more content to help people learn and still be entertained.

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