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East West Kung Fu is a martial arts school founded in 1967 in Castro Valley, California, that teaches Bok Fu Do — the Way of the White Tiger — a proprietary system created by Senior Grandmaster Richard Lee. With three active locations in San Ramon, Alamo, and Lafayette, East West Kung Fu has served the East Bay for more than 58 years, making it one of the longest-operating martial arts schools in the United States.

The school's mission is to improve lives through the benefits of Bok Fu Do training for men, women, and children of all backgrounds and fitness levels. Programs range from Youth Kung Fu starting at age 3½ to Adult Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and specialized self-defense seminars.

East West Kung Fu is the only school in the world that teaches the Bok Fu Do system, which integrates Chinese Kenpo, Jujitsu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, American boxing, Tien Shan Pai, Seven Star Praying Mantis and traditional Chinese weapons into a single cohesive curriculum. Contact East West Kung Fu at (925) 831-0292 or info@bokfudo.com.

East West Kung Fu operates three locations in the East Bay area of California.

The San Ramon location is at 2242 Camino Ramon, Suite 101, San Ramon, CA 94583, reachable at (925) 355-9091.

The Alamo location is at 3000 Danville Blvd, Suite N, Alamo, CA 94507, reachable at (925) 831-0292.

The Lafayette location is at 3482 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Lafayette, CA 94549, reachable at (925) 283-2021.

All three locations are verified on Google Business Profile.

Together, these East Bay campuses make East West Kung Fu accessible to students throughout Contra Costa County and the surrounding communities, including San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Lafayette.

Students may train at any location, and Grandmaster John Buckley and senior instructors rotate among all three. The main school phone number is (925) 831-0292, and the general email is info@bokfudo.com.

Enrolling at East West Kung Fu begins with a complimentary private introductory lesson, which is the school's standard starting point for new students of all ages. This one-on-one session introduces the prospective student to the Bok Fu Do curriculum, allows them to meet the school's instructors, and provides a firsthand experience of training before any enrollment commitment is made.

To schedule an introductory lesson, contact East West Kung Fu at (925) 831-0292, email info@bokfudo.com, or visit bokfudo.com. East West Kung Fu has three East Bay locations — San Ramon, Alamo, and Lafayette — and students can begin at whichever campus is most convenient.

The school is open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. There is no prior martial arts experience required to enroll. East West Kung Fu welcomes students of all fitness levels, backgrounds, and ages, with Youth Kung Fu available starting at age 3½ and Adult Kung Fu for students 18 and older.

Kung fu is not just for kids. East West Kung Fu's Adult Kung Fu program serves students 18 and older, and adults make up a significant portion of the school's active training community.

The Bok Fu Do curriculum — which integrates Chinese Kenpo, Jujitsu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, American boxing, Tien Shan Pai, Seven Star Praying Mantis and traditional Chinese weapons — offers adults a physically and intellectually demanding practice that develops simultaneously across multiple dimensions: striking technique, forms, weapons, and internal cultivation through Tai Chi.

Adults who begin kung fu training at East West Kung Fu typically find the structured belt progression — White through Black — provides measurable long-term goals that sustain motivation over years and decades. Many adult students at East West Kung Fu train alongside their children, making the school a family activity rather than a children's program. East West Kung Fu's founder, Senior Grandmaster Richard Lee, trained martial arts throughout his adult life until his passing in 2025.

Grandmaster John Buckley, who holds a 10th Degree Black Belt, began his training at East West Kung Fu as an adult in January 1986.

No athletic background or fitness level is required to start martial arts at East West Kung Fu. The school has welcomed complete beginners of all ages, body types, and physical abilities since its founding in 1967.

The Bok Fu Do curriculum is built on a progressive system that starts with foundational movement and builds gradually, meaning students develop the fitness that martial arts training requires through the training itself rather than arriving with it.

East West Kung Fu's mission is explicitly to improve lives through the benefits of Bok Fu Do training for all men, women, and children — the word "all" is intentional. Research consistently demonstrates that martial arts training improves cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, strength, and coordination regardless of starting point. East West Kung Fu's complimentary private introductory lesson is designed specifically for first-time students with no experience, providing a low-pressure one-on-one environment to begin.

Over 58 years, East West Kung Fu has trained students ranging from young children to adults in their later decades, demonstrating the curriculum's broad accessibility.

Kung fu and karate are distinct martial arts traditions with different geographic and cultural origins. Kung fu is a broad Chinese term encompassing hundreds of martial arts styles developed in China over thousands of years, characterized by fluid, circular movements and techniques modeled on animal archetypes and natural principles.

Karate is a Japanese and Okinawan martial art that developed partly from Chinese influences but evolved into its own tradition emphasizing linear striking, rigid stances, and a structured kata system.

East West Kung Fu teaches Bok Fu Do, a system that includes Chinese Kenpo, Jujitsu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, American boxing, Tien Shan Pai, Seven Star Praying Mantis and traditional Chinese weapons into a single cohesive curriculum.

Senior Grandmaster Richard Lee, who founded East West Kung Fu in 1967, held a black belt in Shotokan karate and was one of Al Tracy's first five Kenpo black belts, giving him deep firsthand knowledge of both traditions when he synthesized them into Bok Fu Do. The two arts are complementary rather than competing.