Vijay Lakshman was born in Ottawa, Canada. He spent his early years in Bangkok, Thailand. When he was nine, his father took him to a martial arts exhibition and his life changed forever. He dedicated the next thirty years to mastering the martial arts, his quest taking him across the U.S., Europe, and to China. In 1991 he earned his master's rank in a hard style of Chinese martial arts, then in grappling and submission (ground fighting), and finally in kendo, a Japanese form of sword fighting. Since that time he has accumulated over 1,200 combat engagements against the best the world has