ATLANTIC WARRIORS WING CHUN
North Florida’s Home for Authentic Yip Man Wing Chun
At Atlantic Warriors, students learn both the external and internal areas of Wing Chun. This method provides a holistic approach, and produces a more well-rounded practitioner of the art and system of Wing Chun. Yes, students will still learn the fast hands, and 1” punching power popularized by the late Bruce Lee as part of the Atlantic Warriors curriculum. However, those areas are just the “tip of the iceberg”. Come start your journey to explore the vast ocean and depths of understanding found in the concepts of this system.
OUR ROOTS
23 years ago, after much study, trial, training, and necessity, Sifu Jonathan Petree founded Atlantic Warriors Wing Chun Kung Fu in Jacksonville, Florida. With over 30 years of Wing Chun experience, his mission is to teach Wing Chun as a science of self-preservation. In addition, Jonathan prefers to take a “one student at-a-time” approach to training. Simply put, students learn, comprehend and advance much better when the student is receiving energy directly from his instructor. As such, even in public group classes, students receive individual attention from Sifu Petree. It is incumbent upon the instructor to clearly see the student's learning style, which will help with easier comprehension of the curriculum. Because of his pursuit of excellence in effective training methods, 7 students lives have been saved since 2010 from violent, random attacks. What's more, all seven students had less than 2 years of training with Atlantic Warriors at the time of them being attacked.
As a result, Sifu Jonathan Petree has been inducted into the Hall of Recognition, and Atlantic Warriors has been awarded the Community Enrichment Award by the GNPRBFI for helping make the community a safer place. Additionally, in 2010 Sifu Petree was voted Self-Defense Instructor of the Year for Women's Self-Defense. Even more recently, Action Martial Arts Magazine has inducted Sifu Petree into the 2011 Hall of Honor for his Outstanding Dedication to the Martial Arts. Also, Sifu Petree was inducted into the 2012-2014 Martial Arts Hall of Honor for being a Goodwill Ambassador to the Martial Arts. In 2019, Sifu Petree was a recipient of the “Esteemed Modern Warrior” award. In 2024, the Worldwide Leung Sheung Tong Wing Chun Confederation appointed Sifu Petree the rare title of Senior Instructor.
SIFU PETREE
He is the founder of Atlantic Warriors. He was appointed Senior Instructor in the Worldwide Leung Sheung Tong Wing Chun Confederation in 2024. With 30 years of Wing Chun training, Sifu Jonathan Petree is one of the most tenured Wing Chun students of Sifu Bill Graves in the world. Sifus Petree and Graves began training together in the early 1990's. Before Sifu Bill Graves stopped teaching publicly, Jonathan was his head student and assistant instructor (siHing) in all classes, including public and private lessons in his Atlantic Beach, Florida school. Since then, Sifu Jonathan Petree has become a full instructor, and beyond, reaching the height of 9th level “Man of Arrival.”
It has been said, "If you want to learn more, learn more deeply". It is this desire to learn the infinite depths of all aspects of Wing Chun, and then to preserve, and pass down this legacy to the next generation, that motivates Sifu Petree. As such, Sifu Jonathan Petree trains with Wing Chun Sifu Karl Godwin (Bill Graves' sifu) in his school in central Florida as a private student. "Sifu Godwin consistently takes me to new depths of understanding, which has increased my aptitude as a wing chun practitioner, and instructor tremendously"! Although initially introduced to the training of Sifu Godwin via group classes in the mid-1990's, Sifu Petree transitioned to a regimen of private lessons many years ago. As a lifelong learner, Sifu Petree will never rest on his laurels, and always pursue growth, personal development, refinement, and a deeper understanding of the Wing Chun system, while passing on to his students the legacy of the Yip Man lineage.
LINEAGE
Our lineage is authentic Yip Man-Leung Sheung Wing Chun.
Leung Sheung was Yip Man's senior most student in Hong Kong.
Leung Jan
Chan Wah Shun
Leung Bik
Ng Shun So
Yip Man
Leung Sheung
Kenneth Chung Maan Nin
Ben Der Wing Yan
Ken Werner
Karl Godwin
Bill Graves
Jonathan Petree