James Cama
{{Infobox martial artist
| name = James Cama Sr.
| image = James_Cama.JPG
| caption = Late sifu James Cama (on the right) with a student
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1957|12|08}}
| birth_place = New York City, United States
| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|08|15|1957|12|08}}
| death_place = New York City, New York, United States
| death_cause =
| other_names =
| residence =
| style = Wing Chun, Southern Praying Mantis
| years_active = 1975 – 2014
| occupation = Martial Arts Teacher
| university =
| spouse =
| teachers = Peter Urban, Henry Leung, Robert Lee (martial artist)
| students =
| website = https://buddhahand-wingchun.com/
| footnotes =
| updated =
}}
James Cama Sr. (December 8, 1957 – August 15, 2014) was an American martial arts practitioner and teacher.
Career
Beginning his martial arts training as a young child, Cama soon became a notable student of Peter Urban{{cite web|url=http://www.martialartsview.com/index-131.html |title=S5:E1: Remembrance Pt. 1 |publisher=Martial Arts View |date= |accessdate=2014-08-20}}James Cama, Karate's Birthplace, Inside Karate Magazine, Volume XII, No. 5; May, 1991. and opened his own first dojo at the age of 18. He eventually reached the rank of 8th Dan in Urban's American Goju system.{{cite book | author=Jonathan Bluestein | title=Research of Martial Arts | publisher=Amazon CreateSpace | year=2014 | isbn=978-1499122510}} While still teaching karate and studying under Urban, Cama experimented and studied for shorter periods of time a variety of styles, including Eagle Claw and Hung Gar.
James eventually ended up becoming a disciple of Henry Leung, of the Buddha Hand Wing Chun system. Sifu Leung was the only recognized grand-master of the Fut Sao Wing Chun system in the West.[http://wingchunpedia.org/pmwiki.php/WCP/FutSaoSystem Fut Sao System]
Wingchunpedia.org
{{cite web|url=http://www.futsaoyongchunkuen.com/|title=(Buddha Hand Wing Chun)|publisher=Fut Sao Yong Chun Kuen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517125618/http://www.futsaoyongchunkuen.com/|archive-date=May 17, 2014|url-status=dead|accessdate=2014-08-20}} After many years or practice and following Leung's death in 2011, Cama became the sole inheritor of this unique system outside of China. Over the years, this system became Cama's main style of practice and teaching,James Cama, Buddha Hand Wing Chun: Techniques of the Ancient Chivalrous Fist, Inside Kung-Fu Magazine, Volume 14 No. 1; January 1987. and he had been instructing it many years before Leung's death, with his blessing. Being the sole inheritor of the Fut Sao Wing Chun system through direct lineage teachings made James Cama a unique individual in Chinese Martial Arts circles.James Cama, Is It Possible to Vanquish an Opponent with the Touch of a Finger, Inside Karate Magazine, Volume 11, No. 5; May 1990.
Later in life while in his 30s, Cama became interested in pursuing the study of Southern Praying Mantis. After visiting a number of teachers from various lineages, chance led him to become a disciple of Robert Lee. The latter is a disciple of the late Lam Sang, who had brought the Kwong Sai Jook Lum Southern Mantis system to the United States. After many years of intensive training, Cama became the head instructor at the Hung Ching (Chinese Masons) club in New York, where Lam Sang once taught.{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EnDmCDcB1yY|title=Southern Praying Mantis by Sifu James Cama and students|author=jonathanbluestein|date=2012-06-08|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2014-08-20}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cfmac.org/martial_arts.php |title=NY CFMAC | Chinese Freemason Athletic Association | Hung Ching |publisher=Cfmac.org |date= |accessdate=2014-08-20}} James maintained this respectable position until his death in 2014.
Cama died on August 15, 2014, and is survived by his wife and two children.
Cama wrote a single book, covering the Buddha Hand Wing Chun system, which was published on August 14, 2014.
External links
- [http://tambulimedia.com/kung-fu-books/fut-sao-wing-chun/ Cama's Book].
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20141217092600/http://futsaoyongchunkuen.com/ Late Cama's Wing Chun website].
(Wayback Machine copy)
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yu9KD1aPCI&t=5s A documentary about James Cama's school in New York - part 1].
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7qGRmojJQY&t=30s A documentary about James Cama's school in New York - part 2].
- [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFa_DISB-DXeTb29FTWLZLw Video Channel].
References
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Category:American Wing Chun practitioners