I began my martial arts journey in 1982 at age 12 in Boise, Idaho. I had wanted to learn Karate for several years when one summer my best friend wandered into a new dojo close to our neighborhood and joined while I was out of town. A couple of weeks later I returned and he couldn't wait to share the news with me. I signed up immediately and it didn't take long before we were living, eating and breathing martial arts. This school was primarily a Goju Ryu dojo with some Shotokan sprinkled in.
After a couple of years I had reached the rank of 3rd Brown Belt when my teacher, who had been away for a year, informed us that we would be incorporating Tai Kung Fu into our training. This was a great time to be in martial arts in the Boise area. Our generation participated in a lot of cross training with students of other schools such as Shito Ryu, Kajukenbo, Ed Parker's Kenpo, Kyokushin Kai and more. This wasn't often encouraged by most teachers but we learned a great deal from each other and got to pressure test our techniques on opponents outside of our own schools. You might say it was mixed martial arts.
By 1986 I had earned my black belt at the age of 16 and had opened my own dojo in downtown Meridian, Idaho on Main Street. I trained and taught here for a year before shipping out with the Marine Corps in 1987.
In the Marine Corps I trained sporadically wherever I found myself stationed and had the opportunity to visit dojos as I traveled, mainly in Hawaii and Okinawa. I reenlisted to serve on Embassy duty where I got my first training in Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics - something I would continue to train in throughout my career in law enforcement as a Municipal Police Officer, Detective, Federal Air Marshal and Federal Agent. At times in these positions I served as an instructor in Defensive Tactics and Hand to Hand Combat.
After leaving active duty with the Marine Corps I reopened my dojo in Boise, renting space in an Aikido School where I taught Tai Kung Fu for about a year before moving to Seattle.
Although I wandered far, I never truly left my roots, that first dojo in Boise, Idaho. I eventually earned my 4th Degree Black Belt from my first teacher, Master Kevin Anderson, along with a teaching certificate. In my quest to get closer to the origins of Karate, I began studying Okinawan White Crane under Hanshi Lawrence Vellucci in the Kobukan Federation. I have since earned my Second Degree Black Belt in Okinawan White Crane.
