Shihan Fitzgerald began training in the martial arts in 1956; taking Judo and Jui Jitsu at the YMCA in Boston, Massachusetts. After two years of instruction, he sought instruction in Aikido in Cambridge, Massachusetts for a short period. During the 1960s, he trained in Shotokan briefly but was still seeking a martial art which would give him a more well rounded education. He took up Shaolin Kempo Karate in 1974 and found a style which he felt suited his martial arts goals. Upon receiving his Shodan rank (l st degree Black Belt), he founded his own school in 1979. Lotus Self Defense Studios has taught thousands of Kempo Karate disciples since its opening.