Profile: Lee Paul Heron, Federation Head Instructor
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Lee Paul Heron is currently the Head Instructor of the UK Kung-Fu Federation.
He was born in 1974 to parents of English & South-African descent, and currently lives very happily in the Surrey countryside with his wife, their baby daughter, and two beautiful Lurchers named EdEd & Penny. He attended South Lancing First School, Boundstone Community College (GCSE's), Boundstone 6th Form College (A-Levels), then Kingston University where he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor Of Arts degree (with Honours) in Music & Sound Engineering before entering the working world full-time.
Becoming a full-time, professional martial arts instructor was not something he set out to achieve, but as the choices in his life unfolded everything just seemed to conspire towards his current path. He began martial arts at age 15 with a Shotokan Karate club at his local leisure centre, attending mainly because a good friend (named Bruce, ironically) had knocked him about one day with some cool-looking moves & wanted some company in class. Lee didn't really understand concepts or reasons behind techniques at that time, but he discovered an eye for detail, a good memory for movements, and a growing love of skill & quality. His own techniques were a poor imitation of the Black-Belt holders, and because he had always strived to be good at whatever he turned his hand to, it seemed obvious that in order to really learn Karate one had to practice techniques outside of class - henceforth many hours spent performing Kata in the garden or bedroom. Upon discovering that there were many varieties of Kata, he began buying books to learn more. In turn this led to the realisation that Shotokan was just one variant of the Karate concept, which itself was only one school of martial thought. As all people do sooner or later, he began realising that the world was much bigger & more complicated than he first thought, and that his current Sensei's teachings were not gospel, merely a personal interpretation of his art.
This realisation didn't stop him training Karate, but it did open his eyes to other martial ideas, and naturally he became curious about some of them. At that time he had no experience of any ground-based art and rolling around on mats looked more fun at the time than doing endless kicks & punches in the air. He enrolled in a local Judo school and became fascinated with the concepts of controlling balance, throwing & locking, which seemed a more logical way for a smaller person to prevail, rather than trading blows. Once again he began reading more and this time was more prepared for the realisation that his Judo school taught a personal interpretation of just one of the many variants in existence.
Training was then suspended as Lee was accepted at Kingston University to study Music & Sound Engineering. For a long while he concentrated on his studies, and of course the many great social experiences that come with University! However he continued to practice in private (mainly die to lack of funds for tuition) and as his course began to wind down he started looking around again for training opportunities to continue Karate & Judo. The local styles & teaching methods were a little different to his initial experiences, however the concepts were identical and it didn't take long to adapt. So everything was progressing well in the training world, and in the working world post-graduation he was making headway as a sound engineer for an independent record label (Trouble On Vinyl & Renegade Recordings, based in Vauxhall) then up through the ranks of HMV, and then onto EMI Records, London.
It was during his time at HMV that he met a man named Tony Edwards, who became a key figure in his life and eventually Best Man at Lee's marriage to Vikki Seymour in 2004. What started as a business relationship became real friendship as Tony & Lee discovered many shared interests, including Music, Sound Engineering, Skateboarding, and of course the Martial Arts. One day in 1996 Tony called saying he'd read a lot about a Kung-Fu style called Wing Chun (his wife was a Bruce Lee fanatic, and naturally had discovered Jeet Kune Do and it's origins) and had been training in a Reigate class for a few months. His instructor was enrolling beginners that week, so did Lee want to come & watch the demonstration, and perhaps give it a try? He did, and was immediately won over by the simple, logical, direct concepts, and the sheer explosiveness of the Wing Chun style. He enrolled straight away with instructor Martin Workman and began attending classes 3 nights a week, driving sometimes more than 50 miles after work to reach classes in Reigate, Croydon & Maidstone. Weekly private lessons followed, and over the years that followed he began to understand how deceptively simple concepts & principles could give rise to an infinite number of possibilities & movements.
Following a merger in 1999 the organisation he was with became the UK arm of the EWTO under Grandmaster Keith Kernspecht, and Lee found himself a beginner again in another variant of Wing Chun, spelled WingTsun - note the spelling without a space. The basic concepts & principles remained identical, however there was greater development, deeper understanding and a much higher level of technical detail than before. At the time it was like discovering an entire world outside a small room, and his fascination with the art deepened into obsession. He began writing copious notes after every lesson & every seminar, attending everything available. The merger also gave him access to regular seminars in Chi-Kung, where he first met Sifu Klaus Schultz & Sifu Mik Lane. He also discovered Escrima (then called Latosa Escrima due to the influence of Grandmaster Rene Latosa upon the syllabus) where he first met Master Steve Tappin, Wayne Tappin, 'Big' Paul Leslie and many others. The monthly seminars between 1999-2001 were his first real taste of weapons concepts and the happy realisation dawned that size really didn't matter when weapons got involved. This was a very fruitful period for him, training at Langanzell Castle in Germany, seminars with Great-Grandmaster Leung Ting & Sifu Kernspecht, and the excitement of studying many different, complementary points of view.
In 2001 Lee became a private student of Sifu Paul Hawkes (one of the Chief Instructors of the UK EWTO) following the sad resignation of Martin Workman from the Wing Chun world. At that time Paul had an open-minded approach, supportive nature & a love of training that allowed Lee's understanding of Kung-Fu to rapidly develop. It also helped that they shared many interests, including literature, music (and girls) and a deep love of technical detail in all aspects of the martial arts. In the years that followed they became good friends, and Paul was a guest of honour at Lee's wedding along with many other UK instructors & students. His stag night in Brighton was something he will never forget. No matter what has transpired since, Lee will always be extremely grateful for the time spent under Paul's instruction, and for the many excellent training partners & colleagues he met during his training within the EWTO in the UK & Europe.
In 2002 the realisation came that if he truly wanted to understand martial arts he would have to devote his life to their study. Following his heart meant leaving a very good job with excellent prospects, but thanks to unfailing support from his wife (then still long-term girlfriend) and a nice severance package from EMI Records, he gave up work at the start of 2002 to become a self-employed full-time Leung Ting WingTsun instructor for the EWTO in the SW London region. His business & his knowledge grew steadily, and he was extremely fortunate to have regular tuition from renowned WingTsun teachers such as Master Hans-Peter Edel (& his senior student Sifu Christof Hampel) for many years during this period, spending time in Austria & Germany every few months. However as the years passed, things in the UK began to deteriorate. Due to internal politics the UK EWTO no longer had access to Escrima, Chi-Kung, or the previously wide range of master-level seminars, and profit-driven changes were occurring at the top levels of the UK organisation which were forcing him down a morally difficult path, one certainly not within the realm of ethical, honorable martial conduct which he had come to know & love. He was torn between a loyalty to his students needs, and a deep-rooted sense of gratitude & respect towards his teachers.
The situation became intolerable in late 2005, and the needs of his students won out. He made the choice to resign & renew contact with Master Steve Tappin and the newly-created World Martial Arts Alliance. The Alliance was founded by Kung-Fu & Escrima masters on the principles of non-controlling friendship & shared knowledge, rather than finance-driven business. These honorable policies appealed greatly, and although leaving the UK EWTO meant sacrificing contact with his much-loved aforementioned teachers, he felt that it was the only way to protect his students interests. At the same time his own learning could continue via the many excellent masters of the Alliance, who were taking the art in bold new directions. His students would also regain full access to the armed arts via Steve Tappin's unrivaled Escrima Concepts System, which was of prime importance. Through the Alliance they would also have the freedom to study many other related arts which could only prove beneficial to enriching martial knowledge. He hoped his former teachers in Austria & Germany would understand the reasons for his resignation, as it was in no way a result of their teaching, and they understood the mindset of those involved. In the fullness of time all paths rejoin & all bridges are rebuilt. One day they will all meet again.
So the UK Kung-Fu Federation was conceived in October 2005 and went public in February 2006. Those few months were perhaps the most hectic time of Lee's life to date, as the entire infrastructure of a new organisation had to be created during late evenings, early mornings & any spare time at weekends. Name, logos, stationary, website, uniform designs & manufacture and much more were all accomplished within 4 months, during which time all classes & private tuition continued as normal. When the announcement was made all students were given free choice as to their continued training, and thankfully more than 95% of students trusted & chose to stay, and the UKKFF was born.
Lee continues to teach & train every day in Kung-Fu, Escrima & Chi-Kung, and remains dedicated to developing his students abilities & knowledge through the opportunities provided by the Alliance. His own contribution to the Wing Chun style was introduced to all his members at the start of 2008, when the unique, strategy-based Federation Wing Tsun System went live. It is his belief that this system is a long-overdue return to the founding principles of the art, using correct weapons concepts & fighting strategy from the very first lesson. The results have far exceeded his expectations, and it is gratifying to see so many Wing Chun students with many years of experience speaking enthusiastically about both the Federation System, and the UK Kung-Fu Federation itself.
Through adversity to the stars...
