Matthew Polly

Polly graduated from Topeka West High School.[1] In 1992, at the age of 21 years, Polly took a leave of absence from Princeton University and traveled to China to train at the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and kung fu.[1]

In exchange for $1,300 a month Polly was allowed to stay and train with the monks. He spent two years at the temple and became the first American accepted as a Shaolin disciple.[2] His experiences included training seven hours a day six days a week, involving running, breathing exercises, calisthenics, kung fu and gymnastics. He became a formidable kickboxer, and won a challenge match against a kung fu master from another province. He also became an "iron forearm" expert, where his arm became impervious to pain by calluses formed by bashing his arm against a tree for 30 minutes per day.[2]

In 2003, he wrote a series of travel articles about his experiences in China for the online magazine Slate.com, "Return to the Shaolin Temple",[3] and again in 2004 with a series on Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas.[4]

April 13, 2005, he appeared as a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.[5]

Polly wrote about his experiences in China in American Shaolin, published in 2007 by Gotham in the US (ISBN 1592402623) and by Abacus in the UK.[2]

In 2018, he authored and published the biography of Bruce Lee titled Bruce Lee: A Life.[6][7]