Po, Kan, Lambert, Dai-Sensei & Zhong Ming Fashi – Simon 1960  

mentors/student 

When I sat down with Simon, he told me that everything began with one evening in childhood, three TV channels, and a single kung fu programme. That moment set him on a 52‑year martial arts journey that carried him from the Isle of Wight to Asia, and now to a quieter life in the Philippines, where he still trains every day and runs his school from afar.

In our conversation, we explore what he learned under his first sensei, why travel became part of his curriculum, and how training with so many teachers and traditions shaped his ideas about destiny, discipline, and self‑direction. We wander through monastery life in Thailand, Okinawan roots, research trips to China, and the belief that martial arts are ultimately less about winning fights and more about learning how not to fight.

A big part of our chat centres on San Shan Gong, Simon’s moving meditation built around the three battles of mind, body, and spirit. We also get wonderfully practical — posture, breath, and why something as simple as “standing” can teach you lessons that stay with you for years, even on a packed tube train. And yes, we talk about martial arts in films and TV: what Hollywood gets wrong, and what still rings true if you look past the myth.

If you’re drawn to kung fu philosophy, karate history, meditation, self‑defence mindset, or simply the idea of living with a bit more calm strength, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with someone who trains (or wants to), and tell me the biggest takeaway you’re carrying into your week.

Bits & Bobs

• A caulkhead is a colloquial nickname for a native-born resident of the Isle of Wight
• Master Po and Master Kan from the 1970s Kung Fu TV series, whose philosophy, depth of skill, and spirituality deeply impacted him.
• Mike Lambert, his first sensei, was instrumental in his journey and whom he modelled himself after.
• Higaonna Morio Dai-Sensei, a grandmaster from Okinawa, was his inspiration for five years in America and helped him take karate back to its roots.
• Zhong Ming Fashi was his Chan Zen meditation master and spiritual leader in China.
• TV Show Kung Fu
• The Champions is a British sci-fi, espionage, and adventure TV series
• The Isle of Wight man who devoted his life to KungFu: Simon Lailey’s decades of martial arts mastery

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