Willy LinGrandmaster Willy Lin

Willy Lin began studying Kung Fu in Taiwan in 1957 with Wang, Jyue Jen, the martial artist who introduced Tian Shan Pai from China to Taiwan.

After studying with Wang Jyue Jen for 5 years, Grandmaster Lin was selected for special private training and was invited to participate in a private ceremony to formalize his commitment to Tian Shan Pai and become a disciple of Wang Jyue Jen. At that time, he became Grandmaster Wang's assistant and was made the head instructor of the school. He remained in that position for six years before moving to Brazil to pursue his goal of emigrating to the USA. In Brazil, he taught for the San Paulo Chinese Association and the San Paulo Police Department. In 1970, he left for the USA and opened his first school a year later.

Grandmaster Lin is credited with being the first person to introduce Tian Shan Pai Kung Fu to the USA, and almost everyone currently teaching the system in the USA traces back to his schools. He taught many people directly who went on to open their own schools. He also brought over people from the original school in Taiwan to serve as instructors at his school, and many of them later opened their own schools and taught students who opened schools.

Many years after retiring from running his own schools or officially teaching any classes, Grandmaster Lin came out of retirement to teach a workshop at Jing Ying Institute, and that re-invigorated his invovlement in martial arts and he began teaching workshops regularly and documenting the system in instructional DVDs. Grandmaster Lin invited Shifu Billy to become his direct disciple and an official lineage holder of the Tian Shan Pai kung fu system.

His website is at http://www.linkungfu.com