If his credibility rests strictly on how many years he did Wing Chun, I wonder why he was considered the top student and fighter at Yip Man's school. I have read interviews with students from that era who are now some of the top instructors in Wing Chun in HK, and while they take issue with some of his comments, they all seem to acknowledge that he was one of the best at their school. He also boxed at his high school and I don't think that there's anything more qualified than real world experience, e.g. street fights involving h2h, weapons, and HK street gangs. Not that it is a good thing.
Just wondering, since I don't think his (or most other people's) martial arts experience can be readily discarded or his arguments considered inferior just because someone else may have put more time into x style. It is what you do with your time that matters most.
As for kata, I believe that it can be useful to learn and refine techniques, but there are people who look at it as something that will help you become a better fighter. I'd rather shadowbox and spar (fully resisting opponent) than do kata, because each time it is a spontaneous experience.
Yohan Kim
"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth."
- Umberto Eco