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Leo T. FongBy Adam James |
The social environment of the mid-1930s defined for Fong the direction of his life. It was the reason his martial arts journey began: At age 7, one of his classmates said something racist and young Fong punched him in the face. Unlike many of his Chinese cousins who refused to go back to school because of the teasing and bullying, Fong chose to fight rather than take flight. He began to take an interest in physical fitness, and at age 12, he purchased a book, The Fundamentals of Boxing, by world middleweight boxing champion Barney Ross. Fong studied the book and practiced what he learned. His boxing skills enabled him to survive many street encounters without injuries. At age 16, Fong had a religious experience during a lingering two-week sickness. He promised God that he would go into the ministry if he were healed. This commitment led him to attend Hendrix College, a small United Methodist university in Conway, Arkansas. Hendrix happened to have boxing and wrestling programs. After sparring with and defeating several wrestlers, Fong chose to join the Hendrix boxing team. It was here that he took his first formal boxing lesson, which was taught by Kirby “KO” Donoho, a former boxing champion. He continued his boxing career after he graduated from Hendrix College and entered Southern Methodist University in Dallas for his seminary training. In 1952 during his first year at SMU, Fong entered the Southwestern Amateur Athletic Union boxing championship and fought his way to the finals, knocking out Bill Morgan in 15 seconds. After graduating from SMU, Fong was assigned to a church in Sacramento, California. In Sacramento, he began to take an interest in traditional martial arts such as jujutsu, judo, taekwondo and kung fu. In 1962, he met Bruce Lee at James Yimm Lee’s house. It was the beginning of a 10-year friendship. Over that period of time, Fong and Lee had many martial arts conversations, interactions and workouts together. After Lee’s death, Fong continued his martial arts journey. In 1974, Fong was offered a role in a feature film in the Philippines. It was there that he took an interest in the Philippine arts of arnis and escrima. He trained with two of the top instructors of the art: Remy Presas and Angel Cabales. When he returned to the United States, he decided to pursue a career in acting and became involved in dozens of movies and documentaries. In 1972, he was approached by Mito Uyehara—the founder of Black Belt and Ohara Publications—to write a book on sil lum kung fu. This first endeavor led to a career in writing. Fong has since penned more than 25 martial arts and inspirational books, including his most recent project Beyond Kung Fu: Breaking Opponents's Power Through Relaxed Tension. He has also written 10 movie scripts that were made into films. In 2006, Black Belt honored Fong by inducting him into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as its Kung Fu Artist of the Year. At age 80, Fong continues to live an active lifestyle. He travels frequently overseas and to the East Coast to conduct martial arts seminars. He trains two hours a day and teaches seven senior-exercise classes a week. On the weekends, he teaches privately at Warner Park in Woodlands, California. Beyond Kung Fu is a culmination of more than 70 years of research and practice in the martial arts. The book is a testimony that the journey begins with the physical and evolves toward the spiritual. Click here for more profiles! 
Power Training by Leo Fong (DVD 7789)Kung Fu Artist of the Year 2006 - Leo Fong Black Belt Hall of Fame Inductee Directory Leo Fong: 2006 Kung Fu Artist of the Year |
