Master McRitchie studied Kung Fu also; he was a Hung Gar Master.
Curtis introduced Master McRitchie to Master Richardson. The two became friends and Master McRitchie even spent some time studying Bak Hsing Choy Lee Fut with Master Richardson.
Several years later, Curtis met Master McRitchie at another martial arts tournament in Regina. At the time, jobs were scarce in Regina. Curtis told Master McRitchie that he was thinking of moving to Toronto because construction was booming there. Master McRitchie told Curtis that he could get him a part-time construction job in Winnipeg, where Master McRitchie had his Kung Fu school. Master McRitchie suggested that Curtis live at his Kung Fu School, work part-time and spend the rest of his time training Kung Fu with him.
What an offer! Too good to be true! Curtis knew he was not done training in the Bak Hsing Choy Lee Fut system but at that time, moving to Winnipeg for a job and an opportunity to train with a guy who could do the “movie stuff in real-time,” was the right answer for Curtis.
While training under Master Richardson, Curtis had achieved his brown belt. The best compliment that Curtis received from Master Richardson was that he felt that, of all his students, Curtis would be the only one that would be able to master, fight with, and keep separate two different styles.
Of course, any time you go to a new Kung Fu school, you are always a bit nervous. The first class at Master McRitchie’s Kung Fu school was no different. At the beginning of the first class, one of Master McRitchie’s students walked into the Kung Fu class and, with no warm-ups, dropped into the full splits. Being no stranger to stretching himself, Curtis knew doing the full splits with no warm-up is the sign of someone who has been practicing martial arts a long time and has put in a lot of time stretching. Curtis’ first impression was that this student was most likely a black belt. Toward the end of the Kung Fu class, Master McRitchie announced it was sparring time. First up was Curtis…against the student who could do the full splits with no warm-ups!
Never one to back down from a challenge, Curtis readied himself for battle. It didn’t take very long before Curtis realized that his sparring partner was not a black belt. Curtis could tell he was the more skilled of the two fighters. A few minutes into the match, Curtis scored a roundhouse kick to his sparring partner’s head for a knockout. A few weeks later, at a social for the Kung Fu school, the sparring partner introduced himself to Curtis. The student’s name was Jay Smith. Jay said he was very impressed with the way Curtis fought and asked if he would teach him some of the Bak Hsing Choy Lee Fut system. Curtis agreed to teach Jay. It didn’t take long before they became good friends and remain good friends to this day. Under Master McRitchie’s guidance and with a few pointers from Curtis, Jay went on to be one of the premier Kung Fu fighters on the Winnipeg martial arts tournament circuit.
Upon arriving in Winnipeg, Curtis soon discovered that Master McRitchie shared the space at his Kung Fu school with a Tai Chi Master by the name of Gordon Muir.
A little backtracking here… Curtis had dabbled in Tai Chi before when he was in Regina. One summer, a Tai Chi Sifu by the name of David Orban was teaching an introductory Tai Chi class in Victoria Park. Curtis learned a series of chi kung movements known as “Eight Brocades” but Curtis never learned the actual Tai Chi fist pattern from Sifu David Orban. Curtis knew Tai Chi was something he would want to study as he got older, but learning Tai Chi was not a priority at the time.
Now, the GIM is considered to be the General’s weapon. This is because the gim is not a thick-bladed sword and is not a force-against-force type of weapon or fighting style. Learning to fight with the gim requires a high level of skill and strategy to be successful. Curtis knew that learning to use the gim would help him with his skill set and strategy, and it became Curtis’ favourite weapon for these reasons. Curtis had learned one gim pattern from Master Richardson and was always on the watch for another gim pattern to help expand his knowledge. Most gims have a tassel on the hilt of the sword and, as far as Curtis knew, the tassel was more for decorative purposes. Curtis had read in a magazine once upon a time of a gim pattern that actually incorporated the tassel itself as part of the weapon. The article stated that this gim pattern was very rare and it was Curtis’ belief that he would most likely never see this pattern in his lifetime.
While Curtis lived in the Winnipeg Kung Fu school, there were always people coming and going to do their martial arts training outside of class hours. One day, Curtis came back to the Kung Fu school to find Master Muir training. Curtis couldn’t believe his eyes or his good luck! Here was Master Muir doing the Silk Tassel Gim (Da Mo Gim) pattern.
Sifu Curtis > Master Richardson > Master McRitchie > Master Muir >>
Under Master McRitchie, Curtis learned many Hung Gar patterns, but the most notable were Gung Gee Fok Fu Kuen and Foo Hok Seung Ying patterns. Master McRitchie was instrumental in the development of Curtis’ “Seven Square Horse Shuffle Combinations,” which Curtis teaches in his school to this day. Master McRitchie still resides and teaches in Winnipeg. He now studies Hung Sing Choy Lee Fut under Grand Master Doc Fai Wong and currently holds the title of “Tai Sifu” in the Plum Blossom system. Tai Sifu Neil McRitchie is a Chiropractor and has an office in Winnipeg, also. For more information on Tai Sifu McRitchie, check out Plum Blossom Tai Chi and Kung Fu Martial Arts Academy, Winnipeg, Manitoba.