I began my training in Martial Arts, meditation, and some basic Qi Gong at 10 years of age (about 45 years ago).

Recreation Center Judo

Age 10 – one year.

Full Contact Karate

Age 11 years old – 4 years

Shifu Eric Tuttle

Age 17 years old – 7 years directly – still in contact.

Shifu Eric Tuttle began studying Northern Shaolin, Taijiquan, Qi Gong, Nei Gong, Yi Jin Jing and an Iron Body and Iron Palm with a Shifu or ‘Master’ Chan in 1968. Unfortunately, Chan Shifu passed before Eric could finish his formal training. I do not learn much about him.

In the late 70’s, he began travelling to study with Kwok Wing Lam  嚴尚武 a direct ‘brother’ in the Northern Shaolin and Sun Style Nei Jia (Internal Styles – Taiji, Bagua, Xing Yi.

Both Shifu Chan and Shifu Kwok Wing Lam were direct disciples of Yan Shang Wu 1882 – 1971. Yan Shang Wu was a disciple of the world-famous Iron Palm and Shaolin Grandmaster Gù Rǔzhāng.

Gù Rǔzhāng (顾汝章) 1894–1952 . in the  Sōngshān Shí Lù Shàolínquán (嵩山十路少林拳) / Song (Henan) Mountain Ten Road Shaolin Boxing.

Shifu Tuttle also taught a modern mixed approach to Wing Chun. His Wing Chun was influenced by greats like William Cheung, Wong Shun Leung, James DeMille, and eventually Jesse Glover – Bruce Lee’s first student.

After I moved away, Shifu Tuttle went on to study with George Xu (Xu Guo Ming), who  is a Chen Taiji family lineage representative. George introduced Eric to Yu Hualong, and Ma Hong. (See Below)

Sensei Steve Trew

Age 19 – 5 years

Steve cross-trained with Eric Tuttle for years. They were childhood friends. Sensei Trew studied several martial arts and primarily taught Shinkage Ryu Kenjistsu, sword and knife making, as well as formal Zen meditation from the Rinzai lineage. I was accepted as a formal disciple and was given his sword upon his retirement.

Jesse Glover

Age 22 –4 day intensive – 1990

Jesse Raymond Glover (October 15, 1935 – June 27, 2012). He was Bruce Lee’s first student. He developed his own method which he called Non-Classical Gung Fu. This has became a focus of my training ever since.

Xu Gong Wei

Age 24 – 5 years

Xu Gong Wei 徐公伟 (1916 – 2003). Xu Shifu was the inheritor of Cha Chuan – one of the five pre-Shaolin styles. He studied Chen Taijiquan lineage holder (Chen Zhao Kui), and Wu style Taijiquan with Wu Gongzao (1902–1983), who was the grandson of Wu Ch’uan-yü – the founder of Wu style Taijiquan.

Andy Dale

Age 25 – 4 years

In 1972 Andy became a formal student of Taiji Grandmaster Tchoung Ta Tchen of the Yang Shou Hou Taiji lineage. Yang Shao-Hou (1862 – 1930) was the eldest son of Yang Jian-Hou and the older brother of Yang Cheng-Fu. At the age of 7, he started training under Yang Lu Chan, (楊祿纏),(1799–1872), the founder of Yang family-style T’ai Chi Chuan

I studied Chen Taijiquan, Baguachang, Yi Quan, Red Boat Wing Chun (Yeung Quan), Emei Qi Gong, and Tian Shan Qi Gong with Shifu Dale.

In 1987 he met Taiji Master Gao Fu and became a formal student of Chen Taiji Quan and Hunyuan Qi Gong, Hunyuan Taiji. In July 2001 he had the privilege to train with Chen Taiji Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang, a disciple of Chen Village lineage holder Chen Fake and Master Gao’s teacher.

Shifu Dale began studying Red Boat Wing Chun (Yueng Quan) and Shoshin Ryu Aikijitsu with Sensei Dave Harris in 1971 – Master Yueng’s top student. He began studying Yueng Quan with Master Fook Yueng in 1972.

In 1988 Master Yueng named him ‘second son’ and taught him the complete Tian Shan Method. In September 2000 he was presented with Master Yueng’s family sword as a member and representative of his lineage.

Sensei/Shifu Dave Harris

Age 26 – 2 years (a few weekends and other opportunities)

Dave became a formal student of Master Fook Yueng, learning Red Boat Wing Chun, Mantis, Crane, assorted weapons, and Qi Gong in 1965. Soon after he became a student of Aikijitsu Master Sid Woodcock. Sensei Harris eventually earned a 5th degree from Woodcock. Yueng introduced Dave to of Taiji master Yam-Man ‘Raymond’ Chung (鍾蔭民 1913-2018) and learned the entire traditional Yang Cheng Fu system.

Dave also studied with Tchoung Ta Tchen (below), and became a formal student. Shifu David Harris is one of the five students who received teaching certifications from Master Tchoung.

Fook Yeung

Age 26 – 3 years (occasional opportunities)

Tian Shan Qi Gong, Red Boat Wing Chun – Fook Yeung Chuan

Fook Yueng was trained in the Chinese Opera since childhood. He became part of the Red Boat Opera group that travelled along the coast stopping at cities to perform and accept challenges. Red Boat Opera was also known as an elite martial arts group consisting of kung fu masters of several styles. Red Boat Wing Chun was a blend of Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Northern and Southern Mantis, Crane, Monkey and others. His special role was playing the part of the Monkey King in the Opera. Another member of the troop was Bruce Lee’s father who was a good friend. Linda Lee acknowledged that Yueng trained Bruce and was his mentor in addition to Yip Man.

Madame Gao Fu

Age 27 – 3 weekend advanced seminars

Madame Gao Fu began in mid-life and studied Hunyuan Qi Gong and Chen style Taijiquan with Grandmaster Feng Zhi Qiang. Gao Fu became an official Living Treasure of China – specifically with Chen Taiji Sword.

Grandmaster Feng Zhiqiang 冯志强(1928-2012) Was also a Living Treasure for Chen Taijiquan. His uncle Wang Wang Yun Kai began teaching him Tong Zi Gong 童子功, Zhan Zhuang 站桩, and Yijinjing 易筋经when he was 8 years old.

​At the age of 20, Feng Zhiqiang began his lifelong study of the internal martial arts with Hu Yao Zhen 胡耀貞, who taught him Liu He Xin Yi Quan and a variety of Taoist Neigong 内功 methods. Hu recommended Feng to Chen Fa Ke 陈发科, the 17th generation inheritor of Chen Style Taijiquan. Shifu Feng became Chen’s indoor disciple.

Tchoung Tcha Tien

Age 27 – one unforgettable afternoon

Shifu Tchoung began his training in a style called ‘ Nature Boxing’ (Zirenmen), a style said to be created by a wushu master nicknamed Dwarf Xu of Si Chuan province. He was a formal student of Yang Shao-Hou (1862 – 1930) who was the eldest son of Yang Jian-Hou and the older brother of Yang Cheng-Fu. At the age of 7, he started training under Yang Lu Chan, (楊祿纏 1799–1872), the founder of Yang family-style T’ai Chi Chuan

Shifu Tchoung began studying Qi Gong and Taijiquan with Abbott Hui Kung, at the Omei Monastery in 1943. He learned Baguazhang and Yi Quan from his friend Wang Shu Jin and Xingyiquan from his friend Yuan Tao.

Wang Shu Jin started training Zhan Zhuang and Qi Gong under renowned master Zhang Zhaodong at 18 years old. Wang Shifu later studied under the founder of Yi Quan Wang Xiangzhai.

Professor Leung Kok Yuen

Age 26 – 3 years

I studied Traditional Chines Medicine and the Yi Dao Huan Yuan approach to Daoist Practice. There was a focus on Qi Gong and Nei Gong for healing complex diseases and trauma. Dr. Leung was a 14th-generation inheritor of his family’s system of practice.

As a part of studying medicine, I was introduced to the following teachers.

Cai Liping PHd

Age 27 – 2 years

I studied modern Chinese medicine Herbology and Gu Zheng – which is a form of hands-on healing (Medical Qi Gong) that works specifically with the bones.

KS Wong

Age 27 – 1 year

Wong Shifu was a very high-level practitioner of Dao Yin and Tui Na, as well as a family method of Medical Qi Gong. He also studied many modern systems of Bodywork, especially Craniosacral Therapy.

I studied sensing Qi practices and a system of diagnosis and treating Qi Wounds with movement, Breathwork, massage, and Hands-on Healing called Nei Yang Gong.

Guang Shi Wei

Age 26 – 3 months – professional exchange.

Guang Shifu studied to be a Long Men Priest in Taiwan and decided to leave monastic life and go to university. We met through Professor Leung because he taught a form of Nei Gong and Nei Yang Gong. Besides studying these aspects of Daoist practice and Healing, I also spent a few days (over a few months) exchanging skills with him. ‘Shayne’ wanted to learn Yi Quan and offered to share his experience with Nei Dan – or Daoist Alchemy.

Liang Shou Yu

Age 26 – 10 months

As a part of my TCM training, I was taught Shaolin Nei Jing Gong (Yi Zhi Chan) by the world-renowned Liang, Shou-Yu. Liang Shifu was born on June 28, 1943 When he was six he began his training in Emei kungfu and Qigong with his grandfather, the late Liang, Zhi-Xiang in 1948. In the early sixties, began his study and research in Yang, Chen, Sun, and Wu style Taiji as well as Esoteric Taoist Qigong.

I also had the opportunity to discuss his approach to the Yi Jin Jing process and some feedback on Silk Reeling.

Michael (Loki) Jörgenson

Age 26 – 1 year – we co-taught a course on empty hand and edged weapons for traditional martial artists, and those interested in Tactical Combatives.

Loki is the Chief Instructor of Maelstrom Martial Arts, and has studied with many teachers of Kali, Jeet Kun Do, such as Dan Inosanto, and the knife work of Leo Gaje Jr. He introduced me to the early world of Dog Brothers (training for violence with live violence).

This changed the trajectory of my martial arts career!

Applied Combatives

Age 26 to presnt

This is my approach to training myself and others in all aspects of physical violence, from self-defence to tactical combative training.

Huan Yuan Nei Jia

This system of Internal Martial arts is my present focus on training the most important practices from traditional martial arts like Yi Quan, Zi Ran Men, and Red Boat Wing Chun (Yeung Quan).

Meeting Eric Again

Age 32 – rare opportunities until the present

In 2000, Shifu Tuttle came to teach Qi Gong and Taijiquan at a Traditional Chinese medicine I had co-founded (in 1996). Over the almost ten years since we had trained together, Eric had trained with Yu Hualong in China (training daily for months at a time) and has brought Yu Hualong to Canada.

Eric is also a recognized disciple of Ma Hong 1927-2013, who was Chen Zhaokui’s disciple of Chen style.

Shifu Tuttle is now the official representative of the Chen Zhaokui Chen Taijiquan Association in Canada.

Joseph Chen Zhonghua (陈中华)

Age 40 – 3 day training

Chen studied with two outstanding eighteenth-generation Chen Style Taijiquan (陳式太極拳) experts, Hong Junsheng (洪均生; 1907 – 1996) and Feng Zhiqiang (冯志强, 1928-2012). He and his family emigrated to Canada in 1985 and began teaching in Edmonton.