Fashion Expert Gok Wan, has made the headlines, but his brother Kwoklyn is high-kicking his way around the UK too. Could they be Leicester’s most successful brothers since David and Richard Attenborough?

Kwoklyn Wan grew up in Leicester in a family steeped in Martial Arts tradition. He remembers training with his uncles as a child.

“I say ‘train’, but really they used to beat me up!”

Not easily deterred, he was inspired by the films of Bruce Lee, like many youngsters from the 1970’s and many since. His enthusiasm and expertise developed so soon, Wan was rather less likely to be on the receiving end of the beatings.

“I’ve studied a lot of Martial Arts throughout my life. It wasn’t until I discovered Jeet Kune Do about twelve years ago I began to focus on it.”

This resulted in Wan becoming the European representative of the Bruce Lee Educational Foundation branch of Jeet Kune Do, which has the aim of preserving and promoting Bruce Lee’s original form of the Martial Art.

Although influenced by greats like Lee, Wan explains some of the more practical elements of being involved in Martial Arts.

“It is all about meeting up with friends, another way of exercising and the by-product is people tend to lose weight whilst gaining confidence.”

Wan is optimistic about the state of Martial Arts, generally in his hometown.

“I first got involved in Karate because there wasn’t a lot of choice. In Leicester now, we have Jeet Kune Do, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Thai kickboxing, Brazilian and regular Jujitsu, Aikido, and Eskrima.”

As well as the thriving brothers Kwoklyn and Gok, the Wan family includes their sister Oilen, a successful solicitor. How has one family produced success in three diverse areas?

“My mum and dad have always been self-employed. There has always been a strong work ethic drilled into us all from a very young age. We’re grafters. If you want something, put yourself out there.”

Wan’s diligent attitude has seen him open his own Martial Arts academy, based on St. Johns Street, Leicester. The centre is complete with sparring area and gym, and frequented by East-Midlands-based action actress Zara Phythian, touted by some to become the new Lara Croft. It is a stone’s throw from where he embarked on his own Martial Arts odyssey in 1977, at a Karate club close to his parent’s restaurant on Humberstone Gate. Wan’s brainchild, Urban Martial Arts, now has over 850 members, including the cluster of satellite schools which also teach his customised Jeet Kune Do syllabus.

“Urban Martial Arts is like a boyhood dream of mine. I wanted somewhere people could go without a hierarchy, a place where people could come down and train on a very informal basis.”

It is clear the forward thinking supremo is intent upon creating a tradition of his own, stressing he is keen to nurture talent and enjoyment of Martial Arts in an unceremonious, relaxed environment. Urban Martial Arts has docked traditions such as the insistence on instructors being referred to by officious titles like ‘Sensei’.

Jeet Kune Do was founded in the US in the mid-1960’s and Wan points out “it is quite a modern Martial Art and we are modern in the way we teach it.”

Although the art may have its roots across the Atlantic, but Kwoklyn Wan is keen to promote what the UK has to offer across the expanding realm of Martial Arts. This has resulted in him launching ‘The Martial Arts Festival UK (MAF-UK)’, which kicked off early this year, with over fifty acres of activity at Parklands Leisure Centre.

“It was an idea that I had about three years ago, when I was at the Riverside Festival in Leicester.”

There he saw Brazilian Martial Arts displays, alongside the usual family events and saw the potential of combining something for Martial Arts purists with other traditional fun.

“It has something for everyone. We have Martial Arts demonstrations and the Martial Games. This is a tournament which incorporates all Martial Arts. Everyone can compete in their own division under the tournament umbrella. Then we have the psychic & spiritual tent for those interested in the holistic side of things. We have some really big ideas.”

The next MAF-UK, scheduled for April 2010, will be televised and looks set to expand on this year’s highly promising inauguration.

Kwoklyn Wan now works alongside his brother Gok, promoting Kidscape, the UK’s first charity established specifically to stop bullying. His desire to ensure that Martial Arts becomes an inclusive pastime is clear throughout his approach. Through Urban Martial Arts and MAF-UK he has created the ideal platform for his grand vision. So why not take a look?

Visit www.urbanmartialarts.com and www.maf-uk.co.uk

By Paul Dhillon