My Martial Arts Journey
Since I was a boy I have been interested in the martial arts for fitness and self defense.
For more than 30 years I trained on and off (mostly off) in various styles including, Hapkido, Judo, various self-protection systems, and Tai Chi.
In the last few years I have begun to train more seriously and I have been fortunate to have access to some of the very best instructors in the world.
Krav Maga and Premier Martial Arts
For the last several years my primary instruction has been in Krav Maga and the Premier Martial Arts System (a combination of Kickboxing, Submission Grappling/Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, and Kali) under Ernie Kirk and his senior instructors (primarily Stephen Plyler). Under these gifted martial artists, I have completed more than 1200 hours of instruction including more than 80 hours of instructor training. Here is a video of me partnering with WMMR's Preston Elliot as he earns his Green Belt in Krav Maga (a grueling, six-hour test). Here is a video of me at the final stages of my basic Krav instructor's test. I'm now certified to teach Krav Level 1 (Basic) techniques. And here is a video of Preston earning his blue belt, I took the same test -- you can see me in portions of the video. In April of 2011 I took an even harder test -- 9 hours long and earned a brown belt in Krav Maga from Ernie Kirk. It consistsed of a two hour portion of throwing opponents (and being thrown) and defending against close long gun, shot gun and machine gun threats on Friday night. Then, on Saturday, there was a 7 hour non-stop test of combatives, fighting, and self-defense and defense against all kinds of weapons. Here is a short video of parts of the test. You can see Preston throw me at about 1:30 into the video. This was an exahausting test.
Tai Chi and Yoga
I have studied Tai Chai (Yang Style) sporadically since 1988 for relaxation, balance and flexibility, and for its martial arts applications. I previously studied under Master C. K. Chu in New York, and through DVD and occasional live instruction, with Terry Dunn in Los Angeles. I also practice yoga, weekly, with various instructors, for its restorative powers
Other Training
Through Ernie Kirk I have had the opportunity to train or take short courses with various world-class and celebrity instructors including Nick Hughes (see the Ultimate Warrior episode on the French Foreign Legion), John Whitman (Krav Maga), Jeff Jimmo (kickboxing and submission grappling), Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro (four time world BJJ champion), Peter Hobart (author of Kishido), Roland Osborne (host of Discovery Channel's Go Warrior), Terry Bullman (MMA fighter and creator of the History Channel's Human Weapon), Tvi "BK" Blankchtein (lead defensive tactics instructor at the Maryland Police and Corrections Training Commission), and Jim Klauba (champion kickboxer, lead defensive tactics instructor for Chicago Police Department and founder of the SuperCop boxing exhibitions).
Over the years I have also had the opportunity to train with many law enforcement officers, military personnel, executive protection specialists, black belts in many different disciplines, MMA fighters, bouncers, and professional athletes. There are too many to thank individually, but I would like to thank them, collectively, for teaching me and sharing their experiences about the way things really are.
Last updated 12/11/2011