Jason Crabtree became interested in Martial Arts in the early seventies and began his training in Lau Gar in 1977 with the BKFA. He achieved his 1st degree black sash in 1984.
He started competing in 1986 and it was here that he started to be recognised nationally. In 1987 he won his first National Kung Fu Championship in the sets/forms category. He later expanded his competing skills and entered the Pushing Hands (Chi Sau) category and also got first place in 1990. From there on he has become the most successful competitor in these two categories and the only person to have won both categories on the same day. This success has continued right up to the present day having recently won the pushing hands in October 2003.
In 2000 he was invited by Master Yau (chief instructor of BKFA) to be one of the ‘Lau Gar Guardians’. This is the first time that this council has been appointed. Jason Crabtree feels very honoured and proud to be part of this elite group of instructors. The main subjects that the Guardians discuss and concentrate on are training standards, coaching and development (future) of the style.
In 2001 he was part of the winning team in BBC2’s Masters Of Combat. His team (The Death Squad) successfully competed against other combatants from other styles.
In 1987, Jason learned Tai Chi. He is looking at developing this internal art for all his students and will look into teaching it out into the the wider community.
He regularly visits Ireland and the Czech Republic to teach other students from other styles the skills and knowledge he has gained over the last 27 years.
He has visited China on two occasions and his passion has grown more and more for not only the richness of the Martial Arts but also the culture and beauty that China offers.