Born in Taiwan, R.O.C., Eddie spent his childhood immersed in the cultural phenomenon of Bruce Lee. His father was trained in Kendo and Judo by the Japanese Military and readily shared these skills with Eddie and his older brother. While American children counterparts were throwing and catching baseballs, Eddie was being thrown by his brother and catching blows from a Shinai (bamboo sword).
Eddie and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1978 where he spent his adolescent years in Newton, Massachusetts. Having earned a wrestling scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, he graduated from UMass with a degree in Exercise Physiology and as a pastime from his studies, he obtained a black belt in Shotokan Karate and competed in full-contact kickboxing under various sanctions.
For the next six years, Eddie pursued a career in Corporate Wellness design and management and between 1992 & 1996 served as General Manager to a prestigious Corporate Wellness facility in Bermuda. During these years, he also spent his vacations training and competing globally within various disciplines of martial arts, from Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do, Ju-Jitsu, Jeet-Kune-Do to hybrid forms of full-contact marital arts.
After meeting his wife, a native Missourian vacationing in Bermuda, Eddie was transplanted to the St. Louis area in 1996 as the largest souvenir ever brought home from an island.
Now that Eddie is past his prime competition age, he enjoys sparring and training within various disciplines of martial arts. While he fully appreciates his earlier training in traditional martial arts, Eddie came full-circle in the latter years and adopted Bruce Lee’s philosophy of “absorb what is useful, reject what is useless…to understand combat, one must approach it in a very simple and direct manner.” This is why Eddie feels privileged to be a part of the St. Louis Self-Defense team; he observed a system in Commando Krav Maga that is rich in simplicity, efficiency and economy of motion.
“If any style teaches you a method of fighting, then you might be able to fight according to the limit of that method, but that is not fighting. If you want to understand the truth in martial arts, to see any opponent clearly, you must throw away the notion of styles or schools, prejudices, likes and dislikes, and so forth. Then, your mind will cease all conflict and come to rest. In this silence, you will see totally and freshly.”
Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee