Ethan Yip, an eighth-grader from Herricks Middle School, earned a silver medal at the 9th World Junior Wushu Championship in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
The term “wushu” is Chinese for “martial technique.” It comes from the Beijing dialect, where “wu” means “marital” or “military” and “shú” means “art.”
This competition, which was organized by the International Wushu Federation, is the highest-level wushu event for youths in the world with 498 athletes participating, representing over 50 countries spanning five continents.
“I really did not know what to expect,” Yip said. “I’ve never been to a competition of this size and importance and I was a little bit overwhelmed when I thought about it before I even left.”
Yip said qualifying for the 9th World Wushu Championship was a dream come true. He was part of a team of 20 athletes traveling from the United States to Brunei and was thrilled to be a part of the global event, with countless cultures and backgrounds represented.
Yip said his coaches, Lynn Lin and Chen Sitan, weren’t able to go to the competition with him. However, he Face Timed them during his training when it was 2 a.m. back at home.
“They would tell me what was great, what was OK, what I needed to work on,” Yip said. “I remember my coach just told me not to have any expectations, which helped me a lot. My mom also told me that ‘just being here, you’re already winning’ and that also really helped.”
Yip said he enjoyed meeting new people, discussing the similarities and differences in their backgrounds and felt that everyone was very friendly. But once the competition started, it was time to focus on his routine.
Yip recalled the intense beating of his heart as he prepared to begin and his performance being “a complete blur,” but he was “beyond excited” when it was announced that he earned a silver medal for his broadsword routine.
His training in martial arts began at age 5 in Queens with taekwondo lessons when he felt the connection to his ancestral heritage through his practice.
“Then when we moved to the Herricks district, there happened to be a White Tiger Taekwondo like a minute from my house so I thought ‘might as well do that’,” Yip said. “And I did that for two years and it was really fun, but I felt like I could do more and I wanted more of a challenge.”
Yip said he found a wushu school in Syosset, about 30 minutes away from where he lives. After taking a trial class there, he was instantly hooked. He said he was immediately drawn to the performance and gymnastic aspects of wushu, enjoying the jumps, flips and theatrical floor routines rather than sparring with an opponent.
“I just thought, ‘wow, if I could do that some day, I’d be really happy’,” Yip said. “And that’s when I started in the summer of going into third grade.”
Yip said he was super excited to start these classes and he never felt like stopping.
Yip currently trains in Huntington on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. During class, he spends most of the time on kicks, straight kicks, sidekicks, balances, back sweeps and jumps.
“If your legs aren’t strong enough, you can hurt your knees or ankles,” Yip said. “It’s a lot of conditioning.”
His first competitive experience was a mock event in Phoenix when he was 11. An older teammate acted as a mentor and helped him focus and prepare for his routine. The support helped and Yip was awarded 3rd place in his category.
In 2022, Yip competed in his first major tournament — the Pan American Wushu Championship in Brazil. He said he was nervous prior to his performance and was concerned that he wasn’t prepared, but his coaches and teammates once again provided the confidence he needed to succeed. He came in 5th place for his Changquan performance, which is a routine featuring fully extended kicks and striking techniques.
Yip said participating in these international competitions has given him a new outlook on many aspects of his life, including school, extracurricular activities and his wushu training. He acknowledges being in awe of the focus and discipline of other competitors, especially those from China and Singapore, and recalls that during their warmups, “there was zero discussion. You could hear a pin drop. They were completely focused on their practice and were 100 percent present without distractions. It was amazing to watch.”
Yip discussed with his teammates techniques they witnessed at the competitions, such as “mental focus” and the “act of being present,” which he said he will incorporate into his schoolwork, homework and cello practice. He said mindfulness is “essential if you want to achieve success in anything you do.”
Yip said he looks forward to continuing his training for the US Team Trials, which will determine his next competition. He said he hopes to join the junior team for the 2026 World Wushu Championships in Tianjin, China, but he also has his eye on the ultimate prize: a spot in the 2026 Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal.
