Unfortunately Master Lee passed away in July 2012. His teachings are continued and developed by a dedicated group of Instructors lead by Senior Instructor James Pappas.
Master Lawrence Lee had over 60 years of Kung Fu and Muay Thai experience. He came from very humble beginnings in Malaysia. The defining moment of his life was being beaten up in kindergarten by an older and stronger child. He decided at that age that he must be a good fighter with a strong mind. Master Lee started to learn Shaolin from his father Tong, also a Kung Fu master.
Lawrence realised he was intuitive and just “knew” what would work and what wouldn’t. His father’s colleagues would teach him when his father was busy. He had to confirm these teachings by using this material in sparring with the neighbourhood children. He had to pay for it with pain and experience, but it was worth it. He kept sparring and researching to see what worked and what didn’t.
Lawrence left for Australia to study at age 18. He sought out different martial arts styles but there was not much on offer in those days. Lawrence tried Karate but ended up training under Master Vincent Lo of Wing Chun Kung Fu which he remained with for a number of years.
Lawrence continued to learn other Kung Fu styles including White Crane, Muay Thai, Choy Lee Fut and other styles, always researching and appreciating other technologies.
While in Australia, Lawrence left mainstream martial arts. The majority of material was trial and error, reactive and excessive kata (set movements fighting imaginary opponents).
He had to have some control and it had to be a combat system based on realistic situations. It could not be a one way demonstration where things are choreographed but in real life are hard to execute. Lawrence wanted to research other variables that can affect the outcome in real time.
Most martial artists do a good job in modifying their technology. When Lawrence left mainstream martial arts he had to work from the ground up and redesign every technique while keeping things to a minimum. He has a minimalistic philosophy where less is best.
Master Lee has left a legacy of a self defence system designed to give the user the confidence and tools to combat all types of opponents regardless of their size and strength to give the best outcome possible.
