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Sifu Li
Lisandro Vega (Sifu Li) began his martial arts training at the age of six, with formal training in the Japanese throwing art, Judo. He also took classes in western boxing and karate at his judo club. This early training helped Sifu Li develop his flexibility, strength, and coordination, aiding him throughout his martial arts career. He enjoyed this training very much and became interested in all martial arts--particularly the Chinese martial arts, which he loved watching in Kung Fu movies. At the age of 8, Sifu Li enrolled in the Shaolin Kung Fu School in Puerto Rico, under the direction of Master Leung Li Fu. His teacher was Sifu Orlando Gonzalez. Sifu Gonzalez is well known for his iron body and iron palm skills. Sifu Li started training in the Korean Martial Arts of Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do at the age of fifteen. Because of his previous experience, Sifu Li was able to achieve a black belt in these arts in a very short time. He then returned to full-time training at the Shaolin Kung Fu school. It was at this time that Master Leung Li Fu introduced Sifu Li to the Eagle Claw Kung Fu style. Sifu Li has been training and teaching Eagle Claw and Shaolin Kung Fu ever since then. Sifu Li has been certified to teach Shaolin and Eagle Claw Kung Fu by the Leung Li Fu Association of Bak Shaolin/Eagle Claw Kung Fu. In 1990, Sifu Li came to Western Massachusetts. He was unable to find a good kung fu school in the area, and had to travel to Boston and New York to train. During this time Sifu Li was hired to instruct at a local martial arts school. Sifu Li was hired to help the schools instructors transition from teaching Japanese Kempo to Chinese Kung Fu. Dissatisfied with the teaching methods of this school owner, Sifu Li opened his own school in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1992. Sifu Li invited Master Leung Li Fu to teach at his school in 1994. Master Fu stayed until 1996. During this time Master Fu would send Sifu Li to other Eagle Claw schools across the country, where he would work with instructors to raise their skill level. Since 1996, Sifu Li has trained (with Master Fu's blessing) with multiple teachers, including Sifu Shi Yan Ming, who opened the first USA Shaolin Temple school in New York City, and Master Hu Jian Qiang, a wushu champion and teammate of Jet Li (as well as a veteran of several Kung Fu movies himself). While running his own school in Springfield, Sifu Li also taught in one of Master Hu's schools for over a year. In addition, Sifu Li has spent time in China, training with several well-known masters, and participated in many seminars with different teachers in the U.S. Sifu Li has competed in national and international tournaments. He has competed in forms and sparring, in open tournaments and in exclusively Chinese martial arts tournaments. He has done very well in all levels of competition. While Sifu Li believes in the value of competition for training, he values his accomplishments as an instructor far more. Sifu Li's quest to improve teaching and training in the martial arts has led him to be invited to teach and demonstrate Kung Fu in both the United States and in China. Sifu Li has many students who have also been very successful in national and international competitions as well as going on to be instructors and school owners themselves. Due to an abundance of misinformation, unscrupulous and/or unqualified teachers, and over-all low-standards, it can be very difficult to find quality martial arts instruction in the USA. Believing that good martial training can improve people's lives in profound and invaluable ways, Sifu Li has founded WarriorsFusion, in the hopes of making quality martial arts training available and affordable to everyone. |