Sijo Tim "Apache" Wright

 Grandmaster Sijo Timothy Wright Started practicing Martial arts by being self taught in 1976 reading Bruce Tegner books and “This is Karate” by Mas Oyama. He officially began training with the “Bakers brothers” (Preston, Otis, & Eddie) in the style of Shorei Goju –Ryu Karate Do in 1979. In 1980 he went to his first Martial Arts tournament at Chicago State University directed by Kyoshi John Venson, began teaching Martial Arts in the Robert Taylor homes projects as a Blue Belt, and he won 1st place in the Junior advanced division in the A.K.A. Grand Nationals where he competed against junior brown and black belts and won. 

In 1980 Grandmaster Wright started learned Wing Chun from John Smith. In 1981 while in high school, as a Sophomore at Robert Lindblom Technical High School, he started a Martial Arts club and began taught there. In 1982 at age 15, Master Wright was promoted to Shodan 1st degree black belt, competed in the Adult Black belt division, opened his first Martial Arts school and began studying Tibetan Lama, Shaolin Long Fist, Phillipino Arnis and Hsing I Chuan under the tutelage of Sifu Karl Knoble (a closed door disciple of the Head of the Liu Hop Ba Fa “six combinations/eight methods” system Grandmaster Wai Lun Choi). 

Grandmaster Wright was again promoted in 1983 to 2nd degree Black belt and in 1983-1997 was one of the top competitors on the “Midwest Circuit” in Chicago. From 1986-1993 Grandmaster Wright served in the Illinois Army National Guard. Also during this time, he was a Triple Crown winner at the prestigious LAMA nationals, was a member of the Chicago team (Chicago vs. Danville, and hosted his first tournament at the age of 17 with over 150 competitors and a member of the United States WAKO Karate Team. 

In 1985 Master Wright joined the Illinois Army National Guard as an 11 Bravo Infantryman. In the following years he taught classes at the Hyde Park Health and Fitness center, Chicago Boys/Girls club Eisenmenn unit, Winnetka Community House, he also taught St. Louis Director of the Guardian Angels Mr. Lawrence Guider. 1989 he started learning Yang Style Taichi under Sifu Wil Dias and he also began conducting seminars at the Kung fu Academy of Chicago under the direction of Master Kwan Cortez. In 1991 Master Wright was promoted to rank of Godan 5th degree black belt. In the same year he was a personal bodyguard to Actor/Martial artist Steven Segal during the opening of a new restaurant , and he helped organize Chicago’s first Chinese Martial Arts tournament with Grandmaster Wai Lun Choi, Masters Kwan Cortez and Alvin Cardona, and Sifu Wil Diaz. 

In 1992 Grandmaster Wright began learning from and teaching for Grandmaster John “Chi Yuan” Tsai at Tsai’s Kung Fu International. Between 1992-1997, Master Wright was the Midwest forms and weapons Champion and the number 1 Middle Weight Fighter on the Midwest Circuit. In 1995-1999 Master Wright opened Wright’s Kung Fu/Tai Chi Academy at 3508 S. Halsted Street in Chicago’s Bridgeport area. In 1999 Grandmaster Wright was chosen to be a member of the Elite Pro-Am competition team (Coach Ralph Paluso). In the year 2000 Master Wright was promoted to 6th degree Black Belt in Shorei Goju-Ryu Karate Do under the Bakers Brothers. In 2003 he was promoted to 7th degree Black Sash under Grandmaster John Tsai. 2003-2005, Master Wright taught Kung Fu in Chicago’s prestigious Chinatown and also had the privelage of training in Wing Chun Kung Fu under GM Eddie Chong. Grandmaster Wright opened and taught at the Universal Martial Arts Training Institute 633 east 71st street in Chicago from 2005-2006. From 2006-2011 Grandmaster Wright taught in small groups while also training in Jeet Kune Do from Jon Baklund (Student of Dan Inosanto and Rick Faye). In 2011 Grandmaster Wright opened Wright’s Traditional Kung Fu 2724 North Harlem ave. in Elmwood Park Illinois where he currently teaches and operates. In 2013 Grandmaster Wright was promoted to 8th degree Black Sash in Shaolin Chuan Fa Kung Fu under GM John Tsai and 8th Black Belt in the “AVM Self-Defense Systems under Soke Terry Pointer. In 2014 Grandmaster Wright traveled to China Henan Province to study at the famous Shaolin Temple where he was ordained a Shaolin Disciple to be further known as Shi Yong Bin (33rd Generation Shaolin Secular Disciple) In 2015 Grandmaster Wright officially named and founded his own martial arts style/system “Ba Xing Qi Yong Chun” Internal Style Wing Chun.

• BEGAN STUDYING MARTIAL ARTS SEPTEMBER OF 1976

• 1980 BEGAN TEACHING MARTIAL ARTS

• 1982 PROMOTED TO 1ST DEGREE BLACK BELT

• 1982 BEGAN TRAINING IN TIBETAN LAMA GUNG FU

• 1982 OPENED HIS FIRST MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOL

• 1983 PROMOTED TO 2ND DEGREE BLACK BELT

• 1991 PROMOTED TO 5TH DEGREE MASTER

• 1991 BECAME THE PERSONAL BODYGUARD TO 

• STEVEN SEGAL

• 1992 BEGAN TEACHING FOR GRANDMASTER 

CHI YUAN TSAI

• 1992-1997 WON SEVERAL MAJOR TOURNAMENTS 

• INCLUDING: 

1. TRIPLE CROWN WINNER AT THE BATTLE OF 

2. CHICAGO .

3. LAMA NATIONALS FORMS AND FIGHTING 

4. CHAMPION 

5. MIDWEST FORMS AND WEAPONS CHAMPION 

6. #1 MIDDLE WEIGHT MIDWEST FIGHTER

• 1995 - 1999 OWNED AND OPERATED WRIGHT’S KUNG FU

• 2005 Chicago Cup Forms and Weapons Grand Champion

• 2006 presented the Ultimate Sensei Award

• 2011 conducted a Self-Defense Seminar in the Philippines for the Pangasinan Police Department 

• 2011 Opened Wright's Traditional Kung Fu in Elmwood Park Illinois AND TAI CHI ACADEMY , WHERE HE SHARED HIS 

EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS KNOWLEDGE

• Triple Crown winner at Unity Fest 2007 

• 2010 and 2011 inducted into the Action Martial Arts Hall of Honors

• 2013 promoted to 8th degree Black in AVM Self-defense Systems and 8th degree Black Sash in Shaolin Chuan Fa Kung Fu 

MASTER WRIGHT HAS TAUGHT OVER 1,000 STUDENTS,

INCLUDING SUCH NOTABLES AS WORLD CHAMPION AND 

MARTIAL ARTS SUPERSTAR OF THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY - PERCY “SPITFIRE” BROWN, MIDWEST #1 WOMEN FIGHTER DIANA DAVILA, JUNIOR CHAMPION & USA WUSHU TEAM MEMBER RENE HERRERA, AKA CHAMPION CHRIS HUBERTS AND ACTOR CHRISTOPHER MCCLURE TO 

NAME A FEW.

SPECIAL SKILLS INCLUDE AS FOLLOWING:

1. OKINAWAN SHOREI GOJU RYU KARATE DO

2. WING CHUN

3. YANG FAMILY TAI CHI CHUAN

4. HSING I CHUAN

5. BAQUA ZHANG

6. AMERICAN AND THAI KICK BOXING

7. JAPANESE JUI JIT SU 

8. CHINNA (JOINT LOCKING)

9. SHAOLIN FIVE ANIMALS

10. FILLIPINO KALI ( STICK & KNIFE FIGHTING)

11. CHINESE AND JAPANESE WEAPON FORMS

AND FIGHTING APPLICATIONS

MASTER WRIGHT HAS ALSO BEEN CLOCKED AT EXECUTING 100 KICKS IN 30 SECONDSsite is still under wraps, but check back soon!