Consider this...

Consider This...

Consider this...

CHRISTIAN SLATER "TRIES" COMBO 10 ON CONAN

I thought that you might enjoy seeing Christian Slater on the Conan O'Brian show last night. He has a new TV series called "The Forgotten," and he uses some Martial Arts in the fight scenes. Here, he is trying to show Conan Combo #10!!!!

You will hear the term "Defensive Maneuver" as opposed to "Combination" because the West Coast schools are a later offshoot of our style of Martial Arts. They changed some of the terminology!

Posted by SiFu at 10/9/2009 4:25 PM | Add Comment

Mixed Up Martial Arts

Here is a great article I read recently. Keep in mind, I am not an opponent to MMA,
I just think it has a proper place; and that place is very far from ther personal
development that the Martial Arts has always developed!

I just returned from Washington, DC. While there I attended
a NASKA World Tour tournament (The U.S. Capital Classics)
met with about 25 school owners representing around 5,000
students, and then met several times with my instructor
Grand Master Jhoon Rhee.

Meeting with Jhoon Rhee and my other events during my quick
trip reminds me of several important aspects of martial arts
instruction in 2009 and beyond.

One of my favorite Jhoon Rhee quotes is "Martial Arts without
Philosophy is Just Street Fighting." Now, he's obviously a visionary
and at times out of sync with where things exist currently in the
martial arts community due to focusing on where how he sees
the future unfolding.

We discussed his development of Musical Forms (Martial Ballet.)
He explained that in the 1960's he foresaw that martial arts "fighting"
would no longer be necessary in the future but rather to preserve
martial arts the "art" must be preserved over the "martial." He then
explained that his concept was 100% congruent with our American
Founding fathers and with the true purpose of human evolution.
Quickly as he saw my skepticism he pulled out a manuscript of
his soon to be published biography and pointed out this quote:

"I must study politics and war, that my sons may have the
liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, natural history
and naval architecture, in order to give their children a
right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, tapestry,
and porcelain."

John Adams quotes (American 2nd US President (1797-1801), 1735-1826)

Now, that's really interesting.

To me it seems that in the 1970's and 1980's most martial arts
instructors had come around to Grand Master Rhee's way of thinking.
We practiced the "DO" arts to facilitate personal development.
The movie "The Karate Kid" shared principles and values that were
clear about developing discipline and confidence and avoiding
violence.

To my great disappointment it seems that many practitioners and
instructors have lost sight of what Grand Master Rhee keeps clearly
in focus. Martial Arts Practice today for the vast majority should be
purely about personal development. Clearly our armed forces and
police need effective fighting technique, but frankly that's more often
about modern weapons not about unarmed combat (hopefully.)

And, if you don't want to take Jhoon Rhee's word for it (or
even John Adams) how about another kick-boxing and point-fighting
legend Joe Lewis? He's perhaps the ultimate "old-school" tough guy
still training students throughout the world. What's he have to say?

In one aspect of what is called "martial arts," the MMA stuff, many
black belts come across as heavily tattooed, cartoon looking hoodlums,
who respect violence and feel free to curse and to exercise degradation
against others on national TV. The media has gone from completely
ignoring us in the early sixties to seemingly only granting visibility to
those who believe that it's in vogue to condone violence, and/or that it is
okay to send kids the message that adults accept the use of violence as
a means to resolve problems. This is not the message that parents in
martial arts wish to have their kids taught to value or with which to have
them exposed. Just as "Pro Wrestling" is not real wrestling, in a way,
perhaps MMA is not real martial arts.

Violence by definition is a "loss of self-control." Martial arts teaches
self-control; therefore martial arts is not violent-people are. Guns
(for the gun control freaks) do not kill others-bullets do.

We need to wake up-black belts are leaving the martial arts in droves.
We need to revalidate and grant dignity to the meaning of the old definition
of what is a black belt. Either it does not mean anything any longer (in this
fanatical M.A. marketing atmosphere) or it has become the finish line
which determines at what point in ones journey does he call it quits. SAD!

Joe Lewis

It's vital to recognize that Martial Arts Training is always about
developing high quality physical skills. It's about fitness and self-defense.
However, those mostly arise from the mental and emotional development
that goes with rigorous practice of martial arts.

And, to add another point that Joe Lewis makes. The first, second, or third
degree Black Belt must be a starting point for personal development. Just
as a high school diploma should be a start to one's learning through life.
For a beginning student achieving Black Belt is an appropriate early
"bench-mark" to beginning quality personal development for life. It's
not an end in itself.

Quality schools will (and, do) constantly expand and enhance the
definition of what a Black Belt (and, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Degree Black Belt) is
and must attain. Marketing for Martial Arts schools should be about
attracting quality students - never about watering down the achievement
and recognition of students and never about lowering standards of excellence.

Stephen Oliver, MBA
8th Degree Black Belt

CEO NAPMA (National Association of Professional Martial Artists)
Publisher - Martial Arts Professional Magazine
Founder/CEO - Mile High Karate.

Posted by SiFu at 9/30/2009 9:18 AM | Add Comment

REALITY SELF DEFENSE

The next time you hear someone debate about what is the most effective Martial Arts, or method of training Martial Arts – take a look at this film. It shows Derrion Albert; who was trying to help another student and got swept into a fight. As a result, he was punched, hit with boards, ended up on the ground, and was then beaten by several attackers – he was BEAT TO DEATH. So, consider the following

So, should you train to “stun and run?” YES
Train to defend weapons? YES
Train with rules considered? NO
Depend entirely on training that advocates going to the ground? NO
Depend on training that is entirely based on stand up technique? NO
Should you learn how to use weapons? ABSOLUTELY

By the way - make sure everyone in your family knows self defense!

Progressive Martial Arts Academy
WWW.PMAOAKRIDGE.COM
Kenpo Karate Jiu Jitsu Weapons
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Kali Self Defense

Posted by SiFu at 9/28/2009 10:59 AM | Add Comment

Does Trapping Work

I recently had one of my former students tell me that he watched a video on the subject that TRAPPING was essentially useless, and not functional in a real fight.

My first comment is that: Whoever wrote that probably was never in a real fight! Trapping is all about clearing, stopping, and deflecting, and if that doesn't happen in a real fight --- I'm not sure what else does!!! The minute you block someone's punch or kick, you are pretty much trapping.

Granted, the way that you practice trapping doesn't really resemble a "real" fight, probably analogous to the "horse stance." But, practice is just that...practice. We have to start somewhere.

It's funny, because the same people that scoff at trapping, also teach parries, slips, bobs weaves, stops, etc, and these are all somewhat forms of trapping. Even many of the sweeps of Jiu Jitsu employ the concept of trapping.

So, what is the bottom line? Easy, practice what makes Y-O-U better, not what everyone feels is right for them. As for me, I'll be working my "traps" tomorrow!

Posted by SiFu at 8/23/2009 7:53 PM | Add Comment

What Kind of Academy is PMA?

Simple answer; it is a Kenpo Academy. This might seem like an odd answer considering all that we teach. After all, you can train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Filipino Kali, Judo, Jeet Kune Do, and Kickboxing at the academy. Even better, the instructors at PMA hold Black Belts or equivalent level in each of these arts. This also makes PMA one of the “truest” Mixed Martial Arts academies in the world. So why do we teach all of these and still call ourselves a Kenpo Academy ? You see, I consider the techniques of Kenpo to be my base in the Martial Arts. However, I took the values, tradition, and sound technique given to me by my Kenpo instructors, and built upon it. Professor Nick Cerio used to tell me frequently that; if we don’t evolve, it is just like fighting a present day war with the weapons from World War One!

With that advice, I trained Kali with Carlito Lanada, Kickboxing with BlackHawk Walters, JKD and Kali with Paul Vunak, and Jiu Jitsu with Rorion Gracie, Helio Soneca, Pedro Brandao and Felipe Costa. I even trained in the Spanish art of Juego del Palo – a form of long stick fighting! All the while, continuing my training in Kenpo, but incorporating new ideas.

I never set out to be a Black Belt in any other art – all I wanted was to improve “my” Kenpo, and the Kenpo that I could offer my students. Furthermore, I never set out to be the “best” at any of these. Rather, I wanted to be the best at what would work in the moment. Against a better grappler, I wanted to be a good grappler and a better kickboxer. Against a better kickboxer, I wanted to be a good kickboxer and a better grappler. Against any of these, I wanted to be better utilizing weapons.

Today, I am still looking and training. While some strive to be the best at the newest thing, I continue to look for the “best fit.” I really don’t care what it is! You see, a true Martial Artist always evolves, but also always remains loyal to their family. For me the family is Kenpo, and the evolution is everything else that we do to make our Kenpo better. And…just like my family name – my Martial Art will always be the same; KENPO! So don’t abandon your base art for the newest thing that everyone says is more effective

The bottom line is PMA doesn’t teach Kenpo along with the technique of other arts – we teach a revised Kenpo open to improvement and continually evolving to become better.

For more on Progressive Martial Arts - the area's Original MMA Academy - go to WWW.PMAOakridge.COM

Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.

PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga

WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Jiu Jitsu Knoxville Jiu Jitsu Oak Ridge Gracie Barra Knoxville Gracie Barra Oak Ridge Gracie Barra Tennessee Kenpo Oak Ridge Kenpo Knoxville Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid's Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense

In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing

Posted by SiFu at 8/16/2009 10:42 AM | Add Comment

THE COMPLETE MARTIAL ARTIST

These days there’s a trend sweeping the martial arts community…the ability to become an all-around “complete” Martial Artist – some might call it MMA. Although this notion may be new to some, it has actually been around since as far back as the ‘60’s. Back then people used to say, “To become a complete Martial Artist, one must be able to punch and kick.” Throughout the late sixties into the seventies, we saw karate people augmenting their particular style with boxing. That was the original impetus in the development of PKA (Professional Karate Association), of which Bill Wallace was clearly the king. PKA fighters were very exciting to watch – their hands looked like boxers’; plus they possessed (and effectively used) high kicks.

Back then they believed that kicking below the waist was far too dangerous to the legs. Then, some years later, Thai boxing started to become popular; and people slowly began to develop an appreciation for leg kicks. At this point, the new and improved definition of the “complete Martial Artist” was someone who could box well and who also studied muay Thai, thereby possessing powerful leg kicks. For several years, the boxer/Thai boxer was the gold standard for the “complete” Martial Artist…that is, until the Gracies came to town.

The Gracie Brothers first came to America in the mid-1980’s and slowly started to develop a reputation. In the early 90’s, the Ultimate Fighting Championship came along; shortly thereafter, Gracie Jiu-jitsu became a household word. By the time the UFC II and III came around, the running debate was over who was better, the standup fighters or the ground fighters. As the years went by, more and more no-holds-barred tournaments started cropping up, and eventually the definition of a “complete” Martial Artist began to evolve. This new standard was a hybrid form of Martial Arts known as MMA where the student learned the standup and ground fight. Although I agree that the definition of the “complete” fighter, or the “complete” Martial Artist has evolved; there is still something important that is missing…weapons training!

According to the most recent government study of violent attacks, around 80% of street altercations involve weapons of some type (this statistic does not include guns). The very second a fight breaks out, it is a visceral response to grab something – including pool balls, beer bottles, ashtrays, cue sticks, etc. Anyone who lives in Los Angeles or on the East Coast knows that every gang kid alive carries some kind of makeshift weapon. You can’t go anywhere in the Midwest and not see some good old boy with a buck knife. How many times have we heard of someone in a fender bender, and the first thing the guy does on the side of the road is get out of the car, go to the trunk and pull out a flash light or tire iron. With this in mind, please allow me to me illustrate my definition of the complete Martial Artist: Someone who can kick and box, and is also proficient in trapping (i.e. head butts, knees, and elbows); this person must be able to ground fight as well; they should be well-versed in all weapons; and must be well trained in two-on-one, three-on-one, four-on-one, biting, eye gouging, etc. These are the principles that Bruce Lee espoused in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do; in fact this has been our precise curriculum at Progressive Martial Arts and our preceding academies, going back as far as 1986. In conclusion, I believe adding the use of weapons to one’s existing game will not only make you a better all-around Martial Artist, but will also improve whatever your empty hand game is.

Posted by SiFu at 2/16/2009 4:48 PM | Add Comment

YOGA FOR WARRIORS

It takes a courageous person to be open to a novel idea and eventually champion it. Anyone can follow the path that has already been laid, but not everyone has the bravery necessary to be a pioneer. Take Christopher Columbus for example. When everyone else said he and his boat would fall off the edge of the earth, he took the risk and proved everyone wrong. Imagine how we would all think today if he didn’t have the nerve to stick to what his instincts told him was right.

Where would you be right now if Gastão Gracie’s sons had refused to accept the martial arts information delivered to them by Mitsuyo Maeda. Not only would there probably be a big hole in your life, you wouldn’t even have this magazine in your hands to ask such a question! In both of the above examples, the authority of common thought was questioned, an evaluation took place, and the people added their own ideals to it and grew themselves and their legacy. How often, however, do you just blindly go with the flow and believe what someone else told you just because that is the way things have always been done? I would like to say that I never do this, but the following example showed me again that Ralph Waldo Emerson was right: “Every man in some way is your superior.”

Every week after working on my standup in judo, I would always be one of the last athletes to leave. I would finish training hard, lie on the floor and then change to get ready to leave. When I would be heading out, I would see a past nationally ranked judoka named Barry Friedberg doing stretches on a funny block in silence in the back corner of the dojo.

After over a year and a half of training and getting to know Barry, I finally asked him what he was doing each week while everyone else had left. He stated that when he was young, he heard Muhammad Ali state that stretching after every workout was a key to his longevity. Barry took this to heart and concocted a routine to perform after every judo session. I asked to watch him and perform it with him, and he obliged. After I finished, I was more relaxed and felt looser. It was then that I was shocked to be told by Barry, “Welcome to yoga.”

Yoga? I don’t do yoga!” Instantly I had thoughts of women stretching themselves into horrific positions, men performing crazy breathing activities and a room full of weirdoes chanting “Om”! At first, I rejected the thought that I was doing yoga. After challenging myself to find out more about it before I jumped to any other conclusions, I found not only would this research changed how I thought, it would help me to grow my training.

Yoga is a practice that is said to have existed anywhere from 2500 to 5000 years. Today, with the popularization of yoga, there are many different styles, but on deeper study, I found that they are founded in the same poses and concepts. Yoga, to the practitioner is not just stretching out for a workout or after exercise, it is the connection of the mind and body through exercise, meditation and breathing techniques. I thought that yoga was only for the flexible or the weak, but I have found neither to be true.

I used to think that the workout was over after the training was done. Now if I were in a spelling bee, I might spell the word recovery wrong because I now believe it has many more than 2 R’s in it. To me the 5 R’s are Review, Relax, Realign, Rehydrate and Replentish. With the use of the modified yoga vinyasa (sequence of postures) above, you can achieve most of the R’s above (hydrating and getting proper nutrients can be performed quickly before the sequence to hit them all).

My version is similar to the Sun Salutation or Surya Namaskara with some exercises omitted and others added. The key is to perform the drills with the following 5 rules:

1 Monitor your breathing to reoxygenate your system. Inhale with deep breathing to a full pause, and then exhale smoothly to a full pause. Learning to control your breathing is a key concept in yoga called Pranayama.

2 Each posture or asana below should be performed for 3-5 full breaths.

3 Follow the poses in order below and perform each to the best of your ability, but never into a range of pain. Perform equally on each side. The key is to relax and slowly build up your flexibility.

4 Focus your mind on the position and how it is helping your body to realign the tightened tissues that have been affected by the previous training session.

5 Use this time to mentally review the previous training session and what new movements you have learned and what progress or lack thereof you have made.

The warrior sequence

I took the following 8 poses that I felt would best counteract the tightening that takes place with combat arts like Jiu-Jitsu, judo, wrestling, and boxing. Since the head, chest, forearms, abdominals and hips are constantly flexed during training, I chose the following exercises to rebalance the body. Follow the pictures above, with Vinicius Draculino, and you should be able to complete the poses. There are other yoga positions that work other areas as well as more challenging exercises for balance and strength. Although I did not include them here, they could be something else for you to pioneer your own path.

As I said in the introduction of this article, a pioneer courageously takes information, evaluates it and adapts it to fit his or her own needs. I hope you take this information, evaluate it, absorb what is useful and blaze your own path toward what you think is right. You may not be proving something like the earth is not flat, but you will be taking your game to the next level. It may be hard at first to stay disciplined, but remember, there is never a traffic jam on the extra mile. Now get to work!

1 Mountain pose - Tadasana

2 Sky reach - Urdhva Hastasana

3 Cobra - Bhujangasana

4 Boat - Navasana

5 Lunge - Ardha Mandalasana

6 Prayer twist - Namaskar Parsvakonasana

7 Revolving warrior - Parivrtta Virabhadra Konasana

8 Warrior I - Virabhadrasana

* Martin Rooney is director of the Parisi Speed School and conditioning coach for Team Renzo Gracie. He has trained fighters for the ADCC, UFC, and Pride. His “Training for Warriors” book and DVD are at www.parisischool.com . Also check out the Training for warriors website.

Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.
PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga
WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing

Some of SiFu Bruce's more notable full time, part time, and seminar students have included: Barry VanOver - 6th degree Black Belt & VP of United Professionals, Senior Instructor Premier Martial Arts Patrick Cummiskey - Chief Instructor for Krav Maga - Country of Ireland Todd Renigar - 8th Degree Black Belt, and President of South East Karate Instructors of Chinese Kempo Roland Costanzo - 5th Degree Black Belt & VP of SATORI Academies of Martial Arts Mike Rash - 9th Degree Black Belt & President Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Lou Faralan - 6th Degree Black Belt - Senior Instructor of Kalahi Martial Arts Dennis Ocampo - Founder - STATS Defense System Mark Sheeley - 8th Degree Black Belt & Founder Kensho Ryu Kenpo Nick Chamberlain - 8th Degree Black Belt, and Chief Instructor Dallas Kenpo Tony DeLalla - 5th Degree Black Belt and Senior Instructor Elite Martial Arts Academy (Please note: Mr. DeLalla was awarded an honorary promotion recognizing his previous rank in martial arts. However, he never successfully completed the Black Belt Exam) Keith Gordon - 5th Degree Black Belt and Chief Instructor SD Kenpo

Posted by SiFu at 9/7/2008 5:28 PM | Add Comment

A FASHION STATEMENT

I went to Blockbuster to rent a video, and take some time off. As I was looking through the mass amounts of possibilities, I looked up to see a fully grown adult, dressed in a complete Tae Kwon Do Dobak (Gi) complete with a black belt bearing three stripes!

In my world, this is considered disrespectful, dumb, and yes – stupid!

Okay, some of you might ask why? So, here are some things to think about:

Cleanliness – you train close to people when you are practicing.
Knowledge of martial arts is like a”treasure in the pocket” keeps it to yourself and don’t advertise like a billboard. If you want others to learn about martial arts – set an example, and then tell them about training
Wearing your “colors” outside is just an invitation for …….
We are adults, therefore we don’t wear our sports clothes out to shop
It is traditional NOT to wear your Gi outside the dojo for everyday business

That said; I guess it is just a case of how much something means to you. I also have to ask you: Don’t you think that wearing your Gi, complete with belt, etc to the video renatl store is just plain stupid?

Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.

PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga

WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing

Posted by SiFu at 8/1/2008 12:39 PM | View Comments (1) | Add Comment

A LEOPARD NEVER CHANGES IT'S SPOTS!

I came across this site on the INTERNET. Funny, it even talks about a name change at this particular establishment. It is a shame that this type of reputation relative to the martial arts is projected by certain "businesses. Oh, by the way, there is only ONE trademarked "PMA" in the world - we are it - just take a look at the U.S. Trademark DataBase. Everyone else is simply a knock off!

Bottom line - Do your research! Here is the link for the actual page on the INTERNET for a better look http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/169/RipOff0169286.htm

I hate to be identified with this type of person!

Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.
PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga
WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing

Some of SiFu Bruce's more notable full time, part time, and seminar students have included: Barry VanOver - 6th degree Black Belt & VP of United Professionals, Senior Instructor Premier Martial Arts Patrick Cummiskey - Chief Instructor for Krav Maga - Country of Ireland Todd Renigar - 8th Degree Black Belt, and President of South East Karate Instructors of Chinese Kempo Roland Costanzo - 5th Degree Black Belt & VP of SATORI Academies of Martial Arts Mike Rash - 9th Degree Black Belt & President Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Lou Faralan - 6th Degree Black Belt - Senior Instructor of Kalahi Martial Arts Dennis Ocampo - Founder - STATS Defense System Mark Sheeley - 8th Degree Black Belt & Founder Kensho Ryu Kenpo Nick Chamberlain - 8th Degree Black Belt, and Chief Instructor Dallas Kenpo Tony DeLalla - 5th Degree Black Belt and Senior Instructor Elite Martial Arts Academy (Please note: Mr. DeLalla was awarded an honorary promotion recognizing his previous rank in martial arts. However, he never successfully completed the Black Belt Exam) Keith Gordon - 5th Degree Black Belt and Chief Instructor SD Kenpo

Posted by SiFu at 7/14/2008 9:24 PM | Add Comment

United States Martial Arts Hall Of Fame

I was recently notified that I was being inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hal of Fame! THE UNITED STATES MARTIAL ARTS HALL OF FAME. Wow, what does it really mean?

One of the first things is that the recognition by the USMAHOF is for my family, not just me. This part of it is a big thing for me, since all of my family are Martial Artists, and that makes us somewhat unusual – in a good way! My wife is a martial artist, my kids have all trained martial arts, and most of my cousins, some uncles, and many more in the family. In addition to what most people recognize as Martial Arts, we also come from an uncountable number of generations of military members. My grandfathers and their fathers served, I spent 22 years in the military, my wife served 6, and 2 of my sons also served

I recently put an old picture of my grandmother sitting in the bleachers with Grandmaster Ed Parker of Kenpo on our academy website. This photo was taken over 25 years ago. The fact that he is visiting with my grandmother pretty much shows the total involvement that my family has had in the martial arts for longer than I can remember. We (the family) have fought full contact in just about anything imaginable, including kickboxing, MMA, boxing, and stick-fighting; as well as competed in Judo, Jiu Jitsu, and Karate. One of my cousins was a major fight promoter, and some have been designated trainers for official agencies. My oldest son was a great kickboxer, one of my sons was an outstanding wrestler, and one is amazing on the ground. All are excellent in many other areas. The best part of this, is that now, we can train each other – and I never get old!

Many times, when people come into my academy; the first person they meet is one of my sons. Sometimes the new potential student will want to know who will teach their classes. They assume that the two young guys (ages 18 and 21) might not be experienced. However what they don’t realize is that my kids have no idea what it is like not to train! When other kids were playing with toddler toys, mine were playing martial arts on the mat.

So, I have to say thanks to The United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame on behalf of my family, and I’m happy to see that the family is now “officially” recognized as an American Family of Martial Artists!

WWW.PMAOAKRIDGE.COM

Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.

PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga

WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense

In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing

Posted by SiFu at 7/3/2008 4:28 PM | Add Comment

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