When Norma Brazitis was growing up in Longmont, she would stick up for kids who were bullied in high school. This made her a lot of friends.

“I was very popular,” she joked.

She continued her interest in self-defense through adulthood, and now she teaches it to others. She is an instructor at the Longmont Wing Chun Academy, which is owned by her husband, Daniel Brazitis. The two met when Norma was Daniel’s student at the academy.

The academy and the Brazitises recently were recognized at Shaolin Temple near Dengfeng, China. The temple is associated with the early history of Wing Chun, a form of martial arts that is featured in the “Ip Man” movies. The temple recently dedicated a plaque that honors Wing Chun practitioners, including the Brazitises and their Longmont academy. Daniel traveled to China to attend the event, a moving experience.

“I’m sure it hasn’t even soaked in yet,” he said. “It makes my students proud.”

He and Norma have visited China twice. The visits help put them in touch with the traditions of Wing Chun, which they view not just as a martial art but as a way to achieve self-awareness.

“It’s part of the history of the system,” Daniel said. “It kind of completes the circle to me.”

Daniel was 15 when he took up martial arts at a school that was located at Third Avenue and Main Street in Longmont. He was looking to learn self-defense.

“I was always picked on and bullied,” he said.

The Longmont Wing Chun Academy started in 1986 as a study group in Daniel’s garage. The academy has been at its current location, 1150 Francis St., since 2005. About 500 students have taken classes at the academy, and 10 of them have reached instructor level. Daniel is a great teacher, because he explains not just what to do but why, Norma said.

The Brazitises, who married in 2004, occasionally spar each other. But, they added, they spar “nicely.”