Grandmaster Tarm Sarm (many pronounce the name Tam Sam) was born in ‘To Ting’ Village in the ‘Hoi Ping’ suburb of Canton, China. Being the third child born into the Tarm family, he was therefore named ‘Sarm’, meaning the number three. 

Tarm Sarm trained in the Hung Gar (Hung Kuen), style of kung fu until he was fifteen. Later, Tarm Sarm was accepted to study under Master Lui Chang (Charn). Master Lui Chang was not only an expert in martial arts, but also in Chinese literature and philosophy. Master Lui Chang was a second generation Choy Lay Fut Master and the senior disciple of Grandmaster Cheung Hung Sing (Cheung Yim), who in turn was the top disciple of our Great Grandmaster and the founder of Choy Lay Fut, Chan Heung. 

Tarm Sarm was introduced to Choy Lay Fut by fate, as he frequently passed the Hung Sing Choy Lay Fut School, which was situated very close to where he lived. He also knew someone training there, and one day decided to enter and check out the school. 

Being young and somewhat arrogant, he asked if he could spar with one of the students. He was anxious to test his own skills against those of Choy Lay Fut. One of the students, Wong Sum, obliged and agreed to have a match with Tarm Sarm. The first round was barely over when Wong received a blow to his ribs, but managed in return to strike Tarm Sarm with a ‘Sau Chui’ (sweeping punch). Wong attacked again by applying the technique of ‘Jo Ma Gwa Sau’ (back fist and sweeping kick) which Tarm Sarm found difficult to counter. 

Not quite satisfied with his own performance, Tarm Sarm asked Master Lui Chang himself for a match! He was thinking that in this match he would do much better, and maybe gain back some of his respect. Despite his friends warning, Tarm Sarm stubbornly refused to back out. 

The match did not last long, as Tarm Sarm was floored by Master Lui Chang’s ‘Wun Yuen Ping Jong Sau’ technique, and Tarm Sarm had to be helped to his feet. Tarm Sarm’s friend approached him saying, “See, I warned you! You are lucky our Sifu held back his punches, otherwise the consequences would have been a lot worse!” After this incident Master Lui Chang accepted Tarm Sarm into the school. 

Tarm Sarm trained very hard and proved to be an outstanding student. After a few short years at the school, he was appointed to help instruct, and he taught many young students. They all addressed him as ‘Sarm Sook’ (third uncle). 

All went well for Tarm Sarm until one day, while his Sifu Lui Chang was away, he had a confrontation with a senior classmate, Ngan Yui Ting, and two of his family members. They all happened to be his ‘Si-Sook’s’ (his Sifu’s fellow junior colleagues, or younger uncles), and Tarm Sarm subsequently beat up all three of them! After this, the incident was known as ‘Kuen Da Sarm Ngan’, or ‘Fist Defeated Three Ngan’s’! 

When his Sifu, Lui Chang, returned and heard about this confrontation, he had no choice but to expel Tarm Sarm from the school. This expulsion was unfortunate, as Tarm Sarm had not yet completed his own training. Later on, however, he managed to learn the rest of the forms from his friend and colleague, Wong To. 

Together, Tarm Sarm and Wong To trained very hard, and became very close friends. Their notoriety spread everywhere, and soon people were hearing about Tarm’s reputation. They knew that Tarm Sarm’s success was not due so much from what he had learned, but from the constant experience he gained through sparring and tournaments.   

As Tarm Sarm’s notoriety and reputation as a fighter grew, he realized this could possibly compromise the good name of Master Liu Chang’s school, the Hung Sing Kwoon. Tarm Sarm ventured north; eventually settling in a suburb of Canton called Siu Buk (Little North). It was here that Tarm Sarm opened his first school, which he later named the Buk Sing Kwoon.