My father ( Robert Willingham ) studied martial arts while in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. After being discharged from the military, he returned to his home state of Oklahoma where he opened the first ever martial arts school in the state. It was called the Oklahoma Academy of Judo and Karate.
From eight to eighteen years of age, I studied martial arts each summer from my father and the many different teachers he employed at the school. Later on when I became a college student at Oklahoma State, I discovered Tai Chi Chuan and began taking classes with Sifu Ting Kou Chang ( Michael Smith) Michael encouraged me to travel to San Francisco and continue my study by working with him in his Dojo. My initial interest was in the martial aspect of Tai Chi Chuan, but as I gained in understanding and practice, I developed a higher interest in the meditative and healing dimension, as well as the intricate philosophy inherently connected to it. I studied with Michael until I reached the level of teacher.
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