Ted Wong

Ted Wong (November 5, 1937 – November 24, 2010) was a martial arts practitioner best known for studying under Bruce Lee.

This article is about martial artist. For US Army general, see Ted Wong (general).
Ted Wong
Born(1937-11-05)November 5, 1937
Hong Kong
DiedNovember 24, 2010(2010-11-24) (aged 73)
OccupationMartial arts Instructor

Early life

Wong was born in Hong Kong in 1937. His father, a native Californian of Chinese descent, was stationed there while serving in the US Navy. His family moved back to San Francisco, California in 1953 and a few years later to San Diego. After completing high school and college, Wong served in the US Army as a Lieutenant for 2 years in West Germany. After serving, he returned to San Diego in 1962.

Martial arts

Wong's first encounter with Bruce Lee was in 1967, in Los Angeles, California, where Lee was giving a Kung Fu seminar.[1] Wong had no martial arts training, and was interested in western boxing and some martial arts. He was so impressed by Lee, however, that he decided to study at Lee's kwoon, the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Los Angeles.[2] Shortly after beginning his studies, Lee accepted Wong as a private student. Wong became Lee's sparring partner and close friend.[3]

Wong was present as Lee developed Jun Fan Gung Fu into Jeet Kune Do. He was present to see Lee train other martial artists, including Karate Champion Joe Lewis and basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Wong was one of only a few people to receive rank in the art of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee.[4] Wong never learned another martial art besides what Lee had taught him, thus he never taught anything other than what he learned .[2]

Wong gave seminars and continued to teach privately until his death. He coauthored several books about Jeet Kune Do. Some of his students included Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee.[5] Wong was a lifetime board member of the Bruce Lee Foundation and the Jeet Kune Do Society.[6]

Ted Wong had a core group of long-time students whom he certified as instructors such as Lewis Luk, Albert Grajales, Bill Mattucci, Richard Torres, Mike Gittleson, and others around the world.[7] These instructors are continuing practice the JKD as taught by Ted Wong, as taught to him by Bruce Lee, at their own locations.[7]

Ted Wong was inducted into Black Belt magazine's Hall of Fame as the "Man of the Year" in 2006.[8]

References
  1. Bell, Adrienne Lee (2000). "The Message of Bruce Lee". Black Belt. Active Interest Media. 38 (3): 35.
  2. Coleman, Jim (1990). "Is Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Dying?". Black Belt. Active Interest Media. 28 (7): 86–29.
  3. "Remembering Ted Wong". themartialartsreporter.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2010.
  4. Lumsden, David; Kevin Lumsden (June 1, 2010). The Iron Dragon: Richard Bustillo. Los Angeles: Xlibris, Corp. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4535-1024-7.
  5. Reid, Dr. Craig D. (1999). "Shannon Lee: Emerging From the Shadows of Bruce Lee, the Butterfly Spreads her Wings". Black Belt. 37 (10): 33.
  6. Lumsden (2010) p. 141
  7. "JFJKD Instructors under Ted Wong". Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  8. Tom, Teri. "Ted Wong: 2006 Man of the Year". Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2011.

Books co-authored by Wong
  • Cheung, William; Ted Wong (1990). Wing Chun Kung Fu/Jeet Kune Do: a Comparison Volume 1. Black Belt Communications. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-89750-124-8.
  • Tom, Teri; Ted Wong (2006). The Straight Lead: The Core of Bruce Lee's Jun Fan Jeet Kune Don. Tuttle Publishing. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-8048-3630-2.
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