A Melbourne beginning
Joe Sayah trained in Melbourne at Grandmaster William Cheung’s academy. He began Wing Chun at nine, and William Cheung personally taught and mentored him. At 17, Joe progressed from student to instructor.
This direct teaching relationship forms the modern lineage presented by Wing Chun Universe: Yip Man → William Cheung → Joe Sayah. Earlier names in traditional lineage accounts,including Ng Mui and Yim Wing Chun,belong to Wing Chun’s oral and legendary history and should not be presented with the same documentary certainty.
From practitioner to teacher
Historical profiles describe years of intensive training, competition and travel. They also record Joe assisting at seminars and later teaching internationally. Exact competition records, ranks and some professional claims remain subject to documentary confirmation, so they are not treated here as settled facts.
What is clear from owner records and the academy history is that teaching became Joe’s central work. Dandenong was his first Australian academy. His later schools and students extended that work beyond one training floor.
An unexpected film opportunity
In August 1997, Inside Kung-Fu published Eric Oram’s “The Biggest Gamble of His Life”. The article recounts Joe approaching a Melbourne production connected with Jackie Chan and director Sammo Hung, auditioning and being selected for film work.
Joe is independently credited as Bandit Leader in the 1997 film Once Upon a Time in China and America, starring Jet Li and directed by Sammo Hung. Historical articles report additional fight and choreography involvement, but those details require stronger production-credit evidence before being stated as definitive filmography. The Knowledge Centre places this verified credit within the wider story of Wing Chun in movies and Hollywood.
Academies in the United States
The October 2003 Martial Art feature “Fast and Furious: Wing Chun Boxing”, written by Mandy Sayah, identifies Joe as founder of a Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy in Encino, California. Despite its title, the instructional feature is unrelated to the Fast & Furious film franchise.
The historical Los Angeles Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy profiles record Joe as the school’s original instructor and founder. They say Alon Peterson trained under Joe, reached instructor level in 2005 and was entrusted with the Los Angeles academy when Joe returned to Australia. Joel Douthit began training under Joe in 2000, became an instructor in 2005 and was entrusted with the Granada Hills academy. Together, these records show Joe developing instructors who continued leading schools after his departure.
The surviving profiles page carries a historical Sherman Oaks address. A separate directory also lists Joe Sayah and Eric Oram at a Santa Monica academy, but the relationship between that listing and the later Encino, Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills records has not been independently established. All are historical US records and are not represented as current Wing Chun Universe locations.
International students and seminars
Historical records from Canada document Joe’s continuing role in the development of Sifu Dominique Emond. Emond’s biography states that Joe accepted him as a student in 2001 and that he became a certified instructor on 29 August that year. The same source records later training visits, further development under Joe and Joe-led seminars in Ontario. These are historical teaching relationships; Emond’s Canadian work is not presented as a current Wing Chun Universe branch.
The Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy of Philadelphia identifies Sifu Jasper Silvis as a Level 10 student of Joe. Its biography says Silvis began training directly under Joe in spring 2020 after earlier instruction under Keith Mazza and Seth Eisman, and labels a photograph of Joe and Silvis September 2023. The page supports the direct student relationship and current Level 10 description, but the photograph alone is not treated as proof of when a rank or certificate was awarded. The Philadelphia academy is independently operated and is not listed as a Wing Chun Universe location.
Returning to Melbourne
“Home from Hollywood”, by Melinda Marshall, describes Joe’s return from Los Angeles to Melbourne and to teaching at his Dandenong academy. The publication date has not yet been established. A Mornington Peninsula Leader profile dated 2 June 2008 records his training under William Cheung and the opening of the Mornington academy.
Joe later relocated his teaching base to Mornington. Across this period, his own students developed into instructors and academy leaders: Mark Blackwell at Dandenong, Jason Woodward at Oakleigh, Robert Lay at Glen Waverley and Charlie Sayah at Mornington.
Passing the tradition forward
Mark Blackwell trained under Joe and later became chief instructor of the established Dandenong academy. Jason Woodward trained under Joe before becoming the Oakleigh instructor, and Robert Lay followed a similar path before leading Glen Waverley. Charlie Sayah, Joe’s son, trained under him from an early age.
From Thursday, 22 October 2026, Sifu Charlie Sayah becomes the permanent leader of the Mornington academy as Joe relocates to Queensland. This is a transition in local academy leadership, not a retirement. Joe continues overseeing the Wing Chun Universe academy network and intends to return to Victoria for seminars. He remains Founder and Grandmaster; seminar dates will be announced only when confirmed.
See how these teaching relationships connect on Our Wing Chun Lineage.
Martial Arts Publications
Between 1997 and 2005, Joe appeared in international martial arts publications as the subject of a biographical profile, a participant in instructional demonstrations and a cover subject. These records document his participation; they are not presented as evidence of awards, rankings or authorship where none is established.
August 1997 · Inside Kung-Fu
“The Biggest Gamble of His Life”, Eric Oram, pp. 40–45. A narrative of Joe’s film opportunity and Wing Chun background.
October 2000 · Black Belt
Joe joins William Cheung, Eric Oram and Keith Mazza in captioned demonstrations for “Street Survival”, by Eric Oram, pp. 78–82, photographed by Doug Churchill.
December 2002 · Martial Art
Joe and William Cheung appear together on the cover of volume 23, number 12, which promotes “Strengthen Your Defense”. The interior has not been reviewed, so no article role is claimed.
October 2003 · Martial Art
“Fast and Furious: Wing Chun Boxing”, Mandy Sayah, pp. 58–63. An instructional feature and evidence of the Encino academy.
March 2005 · Inside Kung-Fu
Joe and William Cheung appear together on the cover of volume 33, number 3. The cover names Joe and promotes William Cheung’s Wing Chun “4th Center”; no unverified article role is attributed to Joe.
The scanned publications and historical web capture are used as research sources and are not reproduced here. The 2002 and 2005 cover images are omitted because local source files and reuse permission have not been established.
Continue the story
Wing Chun Universe now operates through four confirmed academies. Each school manages its own classes and enquiries while remaining connected through Joe’s teaching lineage.