William Kwok

William Wai-Yin Kwok (; born 1972) is a Hong Kong-born American educator and martial artist. He is the founder of the Martial Arts Education Society (MAES), a nonprofit organization focused on martial arts education, community engagement, and safety education. His work connects Practical Wing Chun teaching, martial arts education, community safety education, and experiential learning programs.

Early life, education, and martial arts background William Wai-Yin Kwok was born in Hong Kong in 1972. He is the elder son of Kwok Yuen-wah, a physical education professor whose work in physical education influenced Kwok’s early understanding of martial arts as a form of body education. Kwok graduated from Hong Kong Pui Ching Middle School in 1990.

Kwok trained in traditional Taekwondo under Kim Suk-jun, a disciple of Choi Hong-hi, and later studied Practical Wing Chun under Wan Kam-leung. Kwok has been associated with the promotion of Practical Wing Chun in the United States. Kwok has taught Practical Wing Chun in New York and has presented on martial arts education in academic and community settings. He has also organized seminars in the United States featuring Practical Wing Chun founder Wan Kam-leung, and was a guest presenter at the first Wong Shun Leung Ving Tsun North America seminar in Los Angeles in 2017.

Kwok earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Harvard University in 2007. He later completed a Doctor of Education degree at Northeastern University. He also studied physical education at Columbia University and previously taught business studies as an adjunct faculty member at the City University of New York.

Academic and educational work Kwok’s academic work has focused on the relationship between martial arts practice, mindfulness, experiential learning, and education. His doctoral research at Northeastern University examined how skilled martial arts practitioners with advanced academic degrees interpret mindfulness in traditional martial arts and how they understand its impact on educational methods and the social and emotional learning of children.

While studying at Harvard University, Kwok worked under historian Philip A. Kuhn as his thesis director. He later served as co-chair of Harvard Alumni for Education in New York City, where he discussed martial arts-inspired approaches to experiential education and social-emotional learning.

Martial arts teaching and educational development

Kwok founded Gotham Martial Arts in New York City, where he taught Practical Wing Chun and developed martial arts instruction with an emphasis on body awareness, timing, structure, and experiential learning. His teaching drew from his training under Wan Kam-leung and focused on explaining martial arts concepts through practical movement, partner interaction, and body mechanics.

In 2018, Kwok founded the Martial Arts Education Society, a nonprofit organization created to promote martial arts education and develop programs that connect martial arts practice with broader educational goals. Through the organization, he developed Martial Mind, a martial arts-inspired social-emotional learning program for elementary school students.

Kwok has presented martial arts education programs in academic and public settings, including talks at Harvard University, UMass Amherst, and Princeton University. These presentations addressed topics such as martial arts education, Chinese martial arts culture, movement awareness, and the relationship between martial arts practice and sensory learning. In a 2018 Princeton University seminar, he discussed the five sensory systems and their relevance to Wing Chun training, self-defense, and experiential learning.

His later teaching and workshops increasingly focused on translating martial arts principles into movement-based learning, self-regulation, and educational practice.

Community safety and civic education Since 2020, Kwok has been involved in community safety education, bystander intervention, and personal safety training. He has collaborated with community organizations to conduct workshops focused on awareness, boundary setting, de-escalation, personal safety, and bystander response.

In 2025, Kwok and the Martial Arts Education Society collaborated with Homecrest Community Services, The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), and the New York City Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC) to launch Safe · Seen · Strong, a community safety education initiative in New York City. The initiative incorporated the SAFE and S.A.F.E.R. frameworks for personal safety education and bystander intervention. According to Points of Light, Kwok had led more than 30 community safety workshops serving diverse community groups.

Cultural and media projects Kwok has been involved in film and media projects related to martial arts, Asian identity, and Chinese cultural representation. He served as an executive producer of Kung Fu Grandma and Kung Fu Scriptures, short comedy films directed by Kadi Tsang. Kwok was featured in A Man and Wing Chun 《詠春情緣》, a documentary produced by China Central Television (CCTV) examining the transmission of Chinese martial arts culture overseas.

In 2023, Kwok participated in public events marking the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death. He later served as an executive producer of Bruce, a Cantonese-language short film directed by Kadi Tsang and co-produced with the Bruce Lee Foundation. The film was selected for the 2026 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival in the “Best Narrative Short: Drama” category.

Recognition In 2015, he received the Community Leadership Award from the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition for his contributions to martial arts education and community engagement.

In 2026, Kwok received the Daily Point of Light Award from Points of Light, a national recognition program established to honor individuals whose volunteer service addresses community needs through civic engagement and public service.