Q: How long have you been training and in what disciplines?
All in all for about 15 years. I have trained extensively in Aikido and Systema. Other styles include Nami-Ryu (Samurai Art), Yambashi Ryu (Jiu-Jitsu), Judo, Krav Maga, American Kenpo, Tai-Chi and Yanagi-Ryu (Aiki-Jitsu). I have also been trained in advanced firearms, high level combat techniques and tactics. I am very grateful for the time all of my instructors have invested in my development.

Q: Have you ever had to defend yourself?
Yes. On several occasions. I have been involved in several fights, survived a mugging (two on one) and a few others. Without getting into the details, I can attribute my survival to my training. Living in an urban area has been… interesting.

Q: How do you feel about competing with other instructors?
I don’t really compete with them and they aren’t the competition. The real competition is any distraction that prohibits people from learning how to protect themselves. I have encountered many victims, the vast majority of whom say the same thing: “I wish I had taken the time to learn how to defend myself”. I commend any instructor who is competent and takes the time to train students properly.

Q: What is your philosophy about teaching?
The focus is to teach people how to function under stress and to illustrate principles and strategies that greatly increases the likelihood of surviving conflict. My philosophy can get lengthy so for the sake of brevity I will stop here. If you really would like to experience what I am talking about, feel free to take a class.

Q: Ok, but really though, what would you say is one of your core principles?
Well, I guess I would have to say that our overall principles are one of non-destruction. From my vantage point a lot of schools teach students to match “force-for-force”, meaning to kick, punch, gouge the eyes, or “doing whatever it takes to survive”. I understand where they are coming from. But there is a part of self-defense that a lot of schools don’t talk about or know about; that being the aftermath of conflict . You see it sounds really good to smash someones face in, but when you do it there comes a time when a lot of people experience a moral dilemma. In a nutshell, it is unnatural for people to willingly want to hurt another human. When we do there is usually emotional fallout. We teach a philosophy of non-destruction - meaning there are ways to defend yourself and NOT injure someone. We feel this is working on a higher moral level. On top of that is the possibility for legal action. It is a far to common occurrence for the assailant to sue the victim (re-read that again) for injuries sustained. If you search legal documents you will find scores of cases where the mugger (or whomever) sued the intended target — and won. Sad to say but we face a society that is litigous and a justice system that is ever increasingly siding with the criminal.

Q: What is your typical class like?
We have a few rules. The first is to relax and have fun. The topic at hand is serious enough so why not enjoy the ride. Who ever said learning to protect yourself can’t be a blast. The second is to accept yourself for where you are, no matter if you are a beginner or advanced practitioner there is always something to be learned. On a personal note, I always make sure people are engaged, laughing and having a good time (oh yeah, and learning too). Additionally I always encourage people, this is not about making me look good, stroking my ego or any such non-sense. My job is to impart critical knowledge not to puff myself up.

Q: What makes you “different” from other styles?
The main difference is that we don’t teach the typical, tired and over trained material so prevalent in many self-defense classes. We don’t teach people how to punch, kick or some “Magic Technique” (there is no such thing); rather we focus on how to use opponents energy and aggression against them. In addition we teach principles as opposed to canned movements. When a student learns how to apply principles as opposed to technique, their ability to defend themselves is magnified greatly.

Q: What styles do you recommend to students?
I don’t. When it comes to making such a decision the only thing I will do is tell you about the style. I do not and never will compare styles. No style is superior to another. Any practitioner in one style can be beat by another practitioner of another style on any given day. The decision is very personal, a lot goes into it. The only recommendation I will make is to pick the one that fits your moral background and start training!

Q: Would you be willing to elaborate on your training background?
Sure. It can be a bit lengthy, so if you would like the details click here.