In the early 1960’s Quai Wong opened his first karate school in Toronto’s Chinatown. He has enriched the lives of many of his students.
Word of his extraordinary talent, teaching ability and tremendous tournament success spread quickly and it soon became an apparent that he would need a larger school. In 1962 Wong’s Karate school moved to Main & Gerrard where it would become one of the most prominent and successful martial arts establishments in Toronto. 17 years later he moved the east end school to Danforth & Woodbine.The demand
for Sensei* Wong’s (*teacher) knowledge was so great that in 1967 he opened a second school in Scarborough, at Lawrence and Brimley. The club flourished, membership expanded rapidly and eventually the Lawrence branch became the school headquarters. Another Scarborough school was opened in 1980, and in 1989 the headquarters moved to the Kingston Road club.Conservatively estimated, Sensei Wong has taught over 40,000 men, women and children for over 50 years. Thousands of international students have also had the privilege of training under Sensei Wong. What is truly remarkable is that the school has not been commercially advertised extensively, students have flocked to Wong’s Karate School primarily through word of mouth.Sensei Wong’s influence on the martial arts is as global as his student membership. Members regularly come from all over Canada, Switzerland, Australia, Asia and the United States. He has participated in prestigious international martial arts conferences in Canada, China, Japan, Okinawa, Europe and the United States. His balanced, classical and innovative approach to the art of karate keeps his school at the forefront of martial arts in North America.Martial arts students have a rigorous regimen of training, which requires dedication, self discipline and commitment.. Quai Wong has elicited that commitment from his students, and through his phenomenal gifts, has inspired and developed potential in thousands of individuals, often potential that a student didn’t know they possessed. Fifty years have passed since he opened his first school, and every night his classes are filled to capacity. The classes are comprised of novice and intermediate students and a large contingency of senior, experienced black belts who still feel they have much to learn from their extraordinary teacher.The remarkable thing is that there still is much to learn from this truly inspirational individual. In fact, Quai Wong has a tremendous wealth of knowledge to share with his students. His wisdom and profound understanding of the martial arts, coupled with his innate ability are the foundation of Wong’s Karate School. A school which has not only passed the test of time but continues to set the standard for the future development of martial arts in North America.
