Master Pablo J. Zamora started his training at the early age of eight in his native home in Puerto Rico, USA. His early start began with a rare system known as Shaolin Tsu Kempo. At the age of eleven his family moved to the inland in the state of Ohio. There he continued his training in an eclectic system that combined Shorin Ryu Karate, Sil-Lum Kung-Fu and Combat Judo. This style is known as Coszacks Karate and was taught by Grandmaster Jeff Moore in Zanesville, Ohio. Master Zamora's name stands proud in a list of Coszack Black Belts that began in the early 1970's. Today the Coszack school is ran by Master Jeff Hardwick who is Master Zamora's Coszack brother and classmate. This style placed much focus on the art of Kumite (sparring) and on self-defense. Very little training was placed on traditional Kata (forms). This gave Master Zamora much training and experience in fighting since the majority of his classmates outweighed him and where older than him. Today the Coszack Karate system is known all over the state of Ohio and abroad as a serious fighting system.

In Search of Traditional Kung-Fu

In his quest for traditional martial arts, specially Chinese Kung-Fu, Master Zamora went to train under Dr. Fredrick Wu of Columbus, Ohio. There the young Master Zamora started with the art of Wing Chun Kung-Fu as a way to follow his hero, Bruce Lee. He spent several years training in Wing Chun and switched his studies to the more artistic system of Bak Sil-Lum Kung-Fu (Northern Shaolin). The system of Bak Sil-Lum is rare with only a few real masters still teaching it. It is known as the original Shaolin system from China's famous Shaolin Temple. The Shaolin Temple went through many challenges from the government and was burned down. Many of the masters died and a few ran to neighbouring countries. These masters passed on the original Shaolin art know as Bak Sil Lum Kung-Fu. Due to this burning of the temple, manuscripts where destroyed and the key masters killed or left China. The Shaolin Kung-Fu taught today in the temple is not the original Bak Sil Lum that was once taught and practiced by the monks. Luckily, Master Zamora had an opportunity to train under Dr. Wu who had authentic lineage of the masters who escaped and passed on authentic Bak Sil Lum Kung-Fu. Dr. Wu passed away in September of 2000 and will be surely missed.

Training in the Wah Lum Kung-Fu Temple

In the early 80's Master Zamora followed a dream he had as a teenager. This dream was to study under Grandmaster Chan Pui in the only Kung-Fu temple in the USA. The Wah Lum Kung-Fu Temple in Orlando, Florida. By this time Master Zamora had moved from Ohio to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. He had opened a small school and was teaching the fighting style of Coszacks Karate with a flare of Wing Chun, and Bak Sil Lum Kung-Fu. This became known as Master Zamora's Kung-Fu. But his love for traditional training took him to the only place that he knew he would train like a true Kung-Fu Warrior... The Wah Lum Temple! Master Zamora got involved in an instructors program travelled to Orlando and stayed in the Temple dormitories as a live-in private student under Grandmaster Chan Pui. There he stayed for 100 days training eight hours a day, six days a week. He went back to Texas as a Wah Lum Club. He went back six months later trained for another 30 days and tested for Sifu (Honorable Instructor). Master Zamora opened the first Wah Lum Kung-Fu school in South Texas and passed on the system to thousands of students. Master Zamora trained under Grandmaster Chan Pui for over 10 years and left the Wah Lum association to create his own. Master Zamora now stands proud as a 7th generation master of the Wah Lum Kung-Fu lineage.

A young man's dream comes true

In 1985 the young Master Zamora was invited to visit and train in the Shaolin Temple in China with his teacher, Grandmaster Chan Pui who is a 33rd generation disciple of the Shaolin temple. This was a dream come true after watching hundreds of Shaw Brother Kung-Fu movies that showed the temple. He didn't spend a long time there, but it was memorable to meet and train with authentic monks and masters. Plus, getting to watch a closed door demonstration in fighting by the monks themselves. Master Zamora was the first team of non-Chinese to ever train in the Shaolin temple. In this trip he also got to visit Taoist temples and meet many famous masters. The trip also took him to Hong Kong where he got to see the original Wah Lum headquarters of Hong Kong. Master Zamora was in awe to see the original weapons of his Great Grandmaster Lee Kwan Shan. A trip to always remember.

Still following his hero

With the admiration he has always had for Bruce Lee, Master Zamora searched for authentic Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee's System). He wanted the original system that Bruce Lee taught in Oakland, California. The only man to pass this to him was Professor Gary Dill who studied under Grandmaster James Y. Lee. Master Lee was Bruce Lee's top student and ran the Oakland Jeet Kune Do school for Bruce Lee. Master Zamora brought down Professor Dill many times to his school to learn privately from him. Master Zamora didn't test for Black Sash in JKD since he wanted to honor Bruce Lee's philosophy of "No Rank" in his fighting system. Master Zamora was under Professor Dill's JKD for almost a decade.

The official fighting system of the Israeli Military

Master Zamora heard of a system of combat that resembled JKD, but had an excellent curriculum in disarms against firearms, bladed weapons and blunt objects. This system is known as Krav Maga in Hebrew and translates to Contact Combat. This system is used by many military branches as well as law enforcement agencies worldwide. Master Zamora trained in Krav Maga under the Israeli KM master instructors in the Krav Maga headquarters in Los Angeles, California. His schools are the only authentic Krav Maga instruction in the Rio Grande Valley. Master Zamora has been training in Krav Maga since March of 2000.

Upholding Tradition for Modern Times

Today, Master Zamora has two strong schools that pass on the disciplines that he has trained in his 37 years in the martial arts. His schools are Known as Mastery Martial Arts and teach the traditional arts of Wah Lum and Sil Lum Kung-Fu. As well as the self-defense system of Krav Maga, and the fighting techniques of Coszacks Karate and Jeet Kune Do. With all the physical aspects of the arts, Master Zamora brings forth the traditional philosophies and virtues that have been passed on in Chinese Kung-Fu for thousands of years. His schools, instructors and students believe in "Upholding Tradition for Modern Times."