East West Kung Fu

#Repost @ibfda_org Today, on International Women’s Day, we honor all of the incredible female martial artists and leaders around the globe. We are proud of the outstanding female role models in Bok Fu Do. When Senior Grandmaster Lee started our organization in 1967, women training in martial arts was a rarity. Furthermore, when Grandmaster Buckley began his training in 1985, there were virtually no women in the school. But through both of their hard work and leadership, ...women were empowered to develop themselves through Bok Fu Do. Neither of these men cared if a student was a man or woman, they simply looked for capability and attitude above all else. The culture they developed and cultivated in our system encouraged the emergence of strong, powerful, capable females. Today, we are proud that many of our organization’s leadership positions are filled by women. Having these female role models has changed the landscape of our organization. As we look to the future, we see many of our young female students following in the footsteps of incredible women, the likes of Norma Futini and Morgan Newman, who are the first two female Masters in Bok Fu Do. Encouraged by Senior Grandmaster Lee and Grandmaster Buckley’s vision for women in martial arts, we watch with pride and joy as the women of today and of the future are excelling with a strong sense of self that has been cultivated and developed through the confidence building aspects of Bok Fu Do. See more

Happy International Women's Day! Senior Grandmaster Lee has always believed that a person's potential and capability has nothing to do with anything except their attitude and willingness to learn. The many outstanding achievements of the women within our organization is a testament to his commitment to empowering each of his students to find the best within themselves and teaching them to seek it within others. The full context of his quote follows: "I am always much more con...cerned with my students' attitudes than their movement. In all aspects of life the most important part of winning or getting, is not the win, or what we get, but to develop within ourselves the habit to always make the effort, to have the spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel. These are the things that endure and are far more important than any event we could ever win. Many of my students are great examples in this area. One group that I feel deserves a special note is that of female martial artists. Over the years my high-ranking female students have shown an indomitable strength and spirit. It used to be, years ago in the martial arts, that women were a rarity. It was a male dominated martial arts world when I was coming up. Today, women in martial arts excel in every area. I have seen my female students take initiative in every area and I have found them to be excellent leaders. They thrive on leadership roles and great challenges. To me there is nothing more rewarding than observing my high-ranking female students motivated by some great purpose working together for the good of the system with great dedication and passion. Their accomplishments are extensive, and I can say that without them, our organization would not be what it is, and I would not have the wisdom I do."

Wishing our students, staff, and family and friends within the martial arts community a happy and prosperous Year of the Ox! #bokfudo #kungfu #martialarts #lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #yearoftheox #

Today we wish the happiest of birthdays to the founder of the Bok Fu Do system - Senior Grandmaster Lee! We are all beneficiaries of his life's work, his sacrifice, and his dedication. His example and his teaching empower all of us to cultivate wisdom, courage, honesty, and kindness within ourselves and, for our black belts and staff, inspire us to nurture it within our students. Senior Grandmaster Lee, on this special day, we hope that you feel our outpouring of love and appreciation, and we thank you for all you have done to make it always, "Another happy day at East West Kung Fu!" #bokfudo #bokfudobirthday

We would like to thank our East West Alamo student, Bret Hedican, for sharing his story with NBCSports Bay Area. We know your story will inspire many people to work hard to reach their goals. We look forward to helping you reach your goal of earning your black belt one day.