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Calvin
Chin is the Chief Instructor at the Newton
academy. His interest in
martial arts began as a pre-teen when he enrolled himself in Judo
classes. This early experience ignited further curiosity
into martial arts. |
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In 1962, he began
training under George Mattson, the American grandmaster of the
Uechi Ryu system.
"Mattson brought the philosophy and
spiritual aspect of the martial arts to
me."
Chin spent his teen
years learning the discipline of Uechi Ryu and
developing a reverence for tradition. He credits his
early martial arts experience for keeping him focused and out of harms way.
At age 16, Chin was assigned to teach one of Mattson's early morning
classes,
turning it into a popular pre-work regimen. The benefits
of teaching martial arts were evident to him then, and he has
continued to teach ever since.
Chin reaped the rewards
of his efforts in 1967, when he was tested and promoted by Kanei Uechi,
the grandmaster of Uechi Ryu, while on
his US tour. This distinction made him one of the youngest
black belt recipients in the Uechi Ryu system.
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In
1970,
Calvin Chin was introduced to the late Kwong Tit Fu from Guangzhou China,
founder of
the Fu Hok Tai He Morn system and a new immigrant to Boston.
From their first encounter,
they immediately knew that it would be a turning point in
both their lives. Chin was ready to expand his knowledge
of martial arts by training in a traditional
Chinese system and Kwong Tit Fu, a renowned Hung Gar teacher
from Hong Kong was ready to expand his teachings in the
U.S.
Speaking of their unique relationship, Chin says
"the grandmaster called it 'Yuan fuen karma'. Not karma
in the sense of past lives
but that people meet and
have a bonding. The exchanges
between us were more a
giving of a gift than paying
for instruction."
Chin not only gained
"indoor student status", but was chosen as Kwong Tit Fu's principal disciple.
He assisted his teacher in establishing The Academy of Chinese Martial
Arts, the first Hung Gar Fu Hok school on the East Coast. Of his deep connection
with his teacher, Chin said," we were so close, we got into each other's
head". For 22 years, he trained at minimum twice a week
under Kwong, was the President and Chief Instructor for the
academy, and continued to meet regularly, one-on-one until Kwong's
passing. Kwong
wanted his chief disciple to take over his system so he
could retire, but Chin was self-employed with a
demanding work schedule. Spending more time at the academy
or taking on new responsibilities was impossible.
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It would be many years later
before Chin was able to fulfill his teacher's wish. In 1996,
with Kwong's sanctioning, he gave up his business of 25
years to carry on the tradition of the Fu
Hok Tai He Morn system.
Before his death in 1999,
Kwong Tit-Fu passed on all his martial arts effects, a culmination of his
training to his
long-term student, confidant and chief disciple. Included was his research into the higher theories of martial
arts, along with sole authority of the Fu Hok Tai He Morn
system.
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"Calvin Chin: Master of Martial Art"
Sampan, Feb 5, 1999, Edward McInnis
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Read The
Traditional Path
by Calvin Chin
This
article first appeared in
the Journal of Chinese Martial Arts, April 2001
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Images
of Calvin Chin and Kwong Tit-Fu
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