Sam Wing

Meet Our Grandmasters

Dive into the lives and teachings of Sam Wing and David Grago, masters who shaped a legacy.

Grandmaster David Grago

GM Grago began his study of the Chinese Martial Arts at age 13 as a "closed door" student of Great-Grandmaster Sam Wing, in Central NY in 1964. Although GM Wing did not utilize any sash ranking or certificate system, Grago became the inheritor of the Southern Shaolin Chinese Boxing System.

Late in 1968, at age 17 Grago open the first publicly advertised Chinese Martial Arts School which he named the Iron Tiger Kwoon (Iron Tiger 铁虎 was the chinese nickname given to Grago by GM Wing which typical signifies someone as tenacious but also impatient".)

The Kwoon was located on East Domnick Street above Doves' Pool Hall.

Grago at age 17 along with his partner and senior student, William Cooper, were very young to be teaching adults - but proved themselves through GM Wing's comprehensive teaching qualities.

We believe this school is the oldest and first commercial Chinese Martial Arts School in Central New York. Most likely, the oldest Kung Fu School in the US was run by Lau Bun in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1950. By the mid-1960's Lau Bun opened his school to non- Chinese, about the same time that GM Grago and Master Bill Cooper opened their commercial school in NY - teaching all who were interested in learning Chinese Boxing.

Back in the '60's and 70's it was not unusual to have "certain individuals" come to your school and physically challenge the prowess of the instructor. We were visited by a number of these individuals - who were quickly dispatched - some becoming long-time students.

In addition to GGM Sam Wing, Grago studied Emperor's Fist from GM David Natole, Burbank, CA: Dragon Claw Style from GM Norman J. Pedelahore, Slidell, LA: Wing Chun Boxing (Ip Man Legacy) from Grandmaster John Wing-lok Ng, KY, Grandmaster Leung Ting,(Ip Man Legacy), Grandmaster William Cheung (Cheung Cheuk-hing (張卓慶,) :(Ip Man Legacy) Grandmaster Mok Poi On Kowloon, Hong Kong (Southern Shaolin Wing Chun): Patriarch Huynh Ngoc An,(Southern Shaolin Wing Chun) Vietnamese Wing Chun: Grandmaster Andy Tamper, Yee Chong Mu Gwan, Canton, Ohio:

Grago went on to establish the Walsh University Kung Fu team in North Canton, OH and later the Spring Hill College Kung Fu Club in Mobile, Alabama and Selma/Uniontown Al.

As time went on Grago participated in many tournaments, demos and seminars while establishing Kung Fu Schools in Canton Ohio, North Canton, Ohio and Uniontown, Ohio. Grago also had schools and affiliated schools in Rome, NY, Ft. Walton Beach FL, Dallas, TX, Selma, AL, Uniontown, AL, and Demopolis, AL

GM Grago was appointed by the leadership of the Kick Start Organization to run the Martial Arts events and Lion Dance in Fair Park, Dallas, TX, through Organizer GM Chuck Norris.

Grago and his organization, the ICBA Worldwide, established the Kung Fu Demonstrations, Lion Dance (From the ICBA Mexico Team of Grandmaster/Monk Xingsheng Shi) and Seminars, Open Hand Forms and Weapons with Grandmaster Vivian Mayle and Grandmaster Trey Crake and other members of the International Chinese Boxing Association from all over the US and Mexico.

Among many achievements in Martial Arts from Tournaments, to Olympic Demonstrations in Los Angeles to being named as Executive Director of Chi Media’s Martial Arts Movie Productions in the UK, GM Grago has remained very active in the Chinese Boxing Community.

GM Grago has continued to remain a contributor across the last 60+ years within the Chinese Martial Arts.

As a member of the Board of Directors of the legendary "World Head of the Family Sokeship Council", GM David Grago Sr. conducted the Pai Transition Ceremony and led it in front of 100 Grandmasters of Martial Arts representing different styles and over 20 Countries around the world in May 2013 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

GM Grago has appeared in some famous Chinese Martial Arts magazines such as: “Inside Kung Fu Magazine”, and “Discover Wu Shu Elite”, “Martial Arts Today”, “Who’s Who in Karate”, “Who's Who in the Martial Arts”, “Masters, Founders and Leaders of the Martial Arts” and Tao Magazine and Lifestyle of Australia, as well as various local TV shows.

GM Grago was a member and Coach of the “United States National Martial Arts Team”.

The Grandmaster competed and won the gold medal in Fighting, Forms and Weapons in the Grandmaster Divisions in the America's Cup International Meet in Caracas, Venezuela. GM Grago won, in 2010, th Triple Crown of Gold medals won in each Grandmaster Dvivision across a field of 30 participants at 8th Tuan and above. He additionally competed in multiple World Championships in Cancun, Mexico and in the Dominican Republic, Caracas Venezuela, Margaritas Island and Jamaica as Coach of the United States Team in the Grand Masters Division – where he won multiple Gold Medals between 2002 and 2018

Additionally Grago and his son Anthony participated in the World Meet on Margaritas Island in South America where they both won Gold Medals. Gold and Silver Medals were also won in the International Meet held in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Currently GM Grago is the CEO, President and Founder of the Sam Wing Memorial Society of Chinese Boxing since 2026, as well as the Wing Pai Chinese Boxing Federation. (Memorial Federation dedicated to the memory of the late GGM Sam Wing). The ICBA and GM Grago recently celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the ICBA with an event in August held in Dallas, TX. GM Grago retired from his role at the ICBA officially in March of 2026.

Dr. Grago, as President of the Sam Wing Memorial Society, Wing Pai International, grants membership and instruction/rank to new and exisiting student members as well as continuing to give Seminars, Online Instruction and Cross Training Programs including Certification in Chinese Boxing Arts. The Sam Wing International Federation works with those interested ONLY in Chinese Boxing. For information on other Chinese Martial Arts, Instruction and rank recognition, as well as school members please see the ICBA at www,icba-worldwide.com.

Grandmaster Sam Wing

GM Wing's System of Mind/Fist Boxing highly emphasized fighting, self-defense and weapons skills. GM Sam knew many different Southern Shaolin forms which he many times demonstrated - some that showed a connection back to South Shaolin Wing Chun. GM Sam did not believe that "memorizing" a set of techniques in a "dance like form" was really helpful. He strongly emphasized repetition of technique and applications - and using the mind to adjust to each situation as required utilizing the tools already available in the Chinese Boxing - Tool Box.

(Iron Tiger 铁虎 was the chinese nickname given to GM Grago by GGM Wing which typically signifies someone as tenacious but also impatient".) Great GM Sam was always criticizing Occientals for wanting to know everything immediately. GM Sam would say "Anything worthwhile is worth the pain".

We have very few pictures of Grandmaster Sam Wing as Sam was a believer in many Chinese Superstitions and was not keep about anyone challenging those beliefs. For example: Chinese superstitions regarding photography often involve concerns about capturing a person's soul or energy, particularly in older traditions or specific contexts.

Common taboos include avoiding photos of sleeping people, limiting group photos to not have exactly three people, and avoiding black-and-white photos which can symbolize death or bad luck.

Key superstitions and photographic taboos include:

Soul-Stealing: A traditional belief is that a photograph can trap a portion of a person's spirit, as it captures a fleeting moment and encapsulates their essence within the image.

Sam was a vegetarian who existed basically on some vegetables and all fruits and most importantly 2 packs of unfiltered Marlboros per day.

The Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Community, dedicated to the lineage of Grandmaster (GM) Sam "Yellow Tiger" Wing, provides a curriculum that blends traditional martial arts with historical preservation.

Historical Lineage of GM Sam Wing

GM Sam Wing is the central figure of the Wing Pai system, which traces its origins to the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian Province, China.

Ch'uang Chuan Pai is typically described as being broader and more “Southern Shaolin” in flavor than orthodox Wing Chun. The distinction usually centers on these characteristics:

Southern Shaolin-Oriented Characteristics

Practitioners describe the system as emphasizing:
Low rooted stances
Iron body conditioning
Dynamic tension training
Hard bridge-arm development
Explosive short-range power
Animal-method concepts
Heavy forearm conditioning
Circular power generation
Whole-body striking mechanic

These are more commonly associated with Southern Chinese temple-derived systems such as:

Chinese martial arts traditions
Hung Gar
Choy Li Fut
White Crane Kung Fu
Bak Me
rather than classical Wing Chun alone.

How It Differs from Traditional Wing Chun

Traditional Wing Chun generally prioritizes:

• Economy of motion

• Relaxed structure

• Centerline theory

• Sensitivity reflexes

• Chi Sao

• Direct linear attacks

• Minimal chambering

• Efficiency over muscular force

By contrast, descriptions of Ch'uang Chuan Pai training often include:

• Conditioning drills

• Iron palm and iron forearm work

• Tension-based forms

• Extended stance training

• Impact hardening

• Breath-power synchronization

• More visible external power expression

Those are hallmarks commonly associated with older Southern Shaolin conditioning culture. "Iron” Training Influence

The “iron” aspect frequently mentioned in connection with these teachings likely refers to traditional conditioning systems such as:

• Iron Body

• Iron Palm

• Iron Forearm

• Golden Bell training

• Tit Sin (“Iron Wire”) breathing methods

These methods are historically connected more strongly to Southern temple boxing traditions than to mainstream Wing Chun lineages.

For example, systems like Hung Gar use:

• Isometric tension

• Deep rooting

• Bridge-arm conditioning

• Breath compression

• Dynamic resistance

which creates a very different visual and physical expression from the softer-relaxed efficiency emphasized in many Wing Chun schools.

• heavier conditioning

• more aggressive entry tactics

• stronger bridge destruction

• harder impact training