The interview was conducted in Kang Lee's room on the eve of the 2003 World Sanda Championship. After 15 years. Kang Lee is an extremely accessible person, even if it is the first time they meet, there will be no strangeness, and soon there will be a feeling of being an old friend. He's more of a sunny boy who likes to reinforce his tone with gestures.
There are many topics about Kang Li in the outside world, but this interview seems to be closer to the real Kang Li. This series consists of 3 articles.
Early photograph of Kang Lee (center row, second from left).
Reporter: Can you tell us about your martial arts experience?
Kang Lee: Born in Vietnam in 1972, I escaped from gunfire when I was 3 years old and came to the United States with my parents. I was lucky enough to leave that war. I studied under a Vietnamese teacher and learned traditional Chinese kung fu, which is a kind of hardcore kung fu. At the same time, during his high school and college years in the United States, he also studied classical, freestyle and Greek wrestling, and participated in the competitions at that time. Later, I learned some MMA techniques, but I mainly participated in sanda competitions.
Reporter: How did you start practicing Sanda?
Kang Li: I started studying kung fu in 1992, and before that I started wrestling. I started practicing Sanda in 1994, when I competed in a lot of competitions, karate, Muay Thai, wrestling. Once there was a sanda competition, and I wanted to try it, so I participated. I had a great time kicking and hitting, throwing my opponent over my head and using "scissor legs" to cut them down and win the game. In fact, this kind of "Lee style sanda" is completely played by me freely.
In 1995, I was selected for the U.S. National Sanda Team and won the bronze medal at the World Championships. In 1997, the referee terminated my game because of a foul injury to the opponent's lower abdomen in the tournament I participated in, and I could not compete for the championship. At the 1999 World Championships in Hong Kong, I ate a kind of fruit, and I had a lot of diarrhea, and finally won the bronze medal.
Reporter: Can you talk about the characteristics of your "Lee Sanda"?
Kang Li: I have learned many kinds of martial arts, I can wrestle, I can fight, I can kick, I can freely combine these things and fight with others. Later, when I arrived at the American team, the coach invited Gao Meijian, the coach of the Chinese Armed Police, to give a lesson, and I learned what the training of regular sanda was like. For example, Sanda wrestling, like to lift people up, do a shabu movement to fall down, I used to like classical wrestling over the chest wrestling, throwing the other person over the head.
After practicing Sanda, he met many opponents, and he was deeply impressed by the Russian Sanda champion named Ramata, who was a three-time world champion. When I played against him, the score was very close. He knew the rules of the ring better, pushed me out of the ring, lost three points, and I lost the game. In addition to Sanda, Karate, Muay Thai, taekwondo have been practiced. In 1994, I became a member of the IKF.
Kang Lee demonstrates leg-cutting techniques
Reporter: Do you know that some people in China call you the "King of Leg Scissors"?
Kang Lee: (laughing happily), I don't know.
Author: Yi Ping