My Life as a Martial Artist

My Life as a Martial Artist and a Warrior

I always find it interesting how people talk about lineage when it comes to martial arts.  Who was your teacher?  Who was your teacher’s teacher?  I have read many articles and books with people listing off multiple generations of teachers and have absolutely no idea who they are talking about.  I think it is kind of cool but really does it matter? 

Great martial artists come from many places.  Some have pedigrees and some do not.  To me it is more important who the artist is himself, not who he studied with and even less so who someone studied with generations ago.   That however is my personal opinion. 

Having said all of that I am going to name some great people and teachers I have had the pleasure of meeting and training with over the years. 

You may recognize some of the names and you may not, it doesn’t really matter but it is fun to think about.

I started my martial arts studies with Murray Parsons in Calgary, Alberta.  He was a student of Pat Gallagher from Winnipeg , Manitoba who had studied in China with numerous teachers who I do not recall.  The system was Tiger Claw Kung Fu.  It is a modern system incorporating Wing Chun, Hung Gar, Tai Chi and Ba Gua.  To me it was one of the best martial arts I have ever been exposed to.  I still go back to this training, 30 years later.   After several years of study I received my Black Sash in 1985. 

I took a break due to the rigors of College life and joining the Canadian Army where I went through officer training and was awarded the rank of 1^st Lieutenant in the Medical Corp.  After serving my time in the military I became a Police Officer with the Metropolitan Toronto Police Service.

During my training I met several martial artists and police instructors who were involved in Jiu Jitsu, the Japanese kind, not Brazilian.  When I finished the Police College and was assigned to my first Division I started practicing Jiu Jitsu with my fellow officers.  This was a wonderful experience and I learned a great deal.  I had the pleasure of meeting and studying with some amazing teachers from all over the world. 

These include:

Soke Michael Lamonica – Hakko Ryu Jiu Jitsu - USA

Professor Richard Morris – England

Alain Sailly –  Goshindo Jiu Jitsu –France

Other teachers from Germany, Greece and Italy were also included in this distinguished group. 

I also started studying Japanese Karate when I moved to Toronto.  I met Ron Yamanaka who was the Head Instructor for Yodansha Kubojitsu Karate Do Federation.  I studied Shotokan and Goju Ryu Karate with him receiving my Black Belt in 1989. 

I moved shortly after that and lived near Lake Ontario right downtown Toronto in a neighborhood that was populated with a lot of Filipinos.  At a nearby gym a man named Rudy Cosico was teaching Escrima and Arnis.  I attended a class one Sunday afternoon and was amazed to watch him and his students.  This was something new and impressive so I joined up and studied with Rudy for about two years.  He was from Manila and had been taught by his father, who was taught by his grandfather .  

Living in a big city has it’s benefits.  I attended martial arts seminars on a regular basis and had the honor of training with some martial arts greats such as Joe Lewis and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace.  Talk about funny.  These guys put on a seminar with Joe teaching hand skills and Bill teaching kicking.  You could tell they really enjoyed each other as they teased and tormented each other throughout the day bringing laughter and relief to our grueling training.  It was fun and very educational.

 Another seminar that really affected me was something new to North America,  Systema, Russian Martial Arts.  The teacher had recently moved to Toronto and was establishing a martial arts school.  No one really knew what he was teaching at the time but it sounded interesting.  I attended the workshop at the Police College and was blown away.  We did knife defense and other skills that were very different from the classical Asian martial arts.  I really liked it, it was practical, combat oriented and easy to learn.  This instructor, who was relatively unknown at the time, is Vladimir Vasiliev.   Vladimir is very well known now and Systema is known around the world.   

During all this I was also working as a Police Officer and training in Defensive Tactics.  I went back to the Police College to complete my instructor training and became certified as a Police Defensive Tactics Instructor.  I also became a Firearms Range officer, Aerosol Weapons Instructor and completed programs in Conflict Management, Crisis Resolution and other related programs. 

I attended a four week SWAT training course that was an eye opener as well.  Right around this time I was given a choice.  Join the SWAT Team, called the Emergency Task Force, or go to the Provincial Police College as an Instructor.  I choose the College, was promoted to Acting Sergeant, and went off to teach recruits how to survive on the street.  When I completed my time at the college I went back to working the streets and brought my policing career to an end at 42 Division in the east end of Toronto.

I moved to California, lived on a mountain and focused on internal martial arts.  I practiced Tai Chi daily and really decompressed and connected with nature.  I continued with my circle walking from Ba Gua and studied with Scott Mc Laughlin, who was a student of Gin Soon Chu, a master of Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan, from Boston.  I read books by Yang Jwing Ming and practiced several different Chi Kung sets.  My body relaxed, my mind opened and I went into a place deep within.

After 18 months on the mountain I returned to Toronto.  I opened my first martial arts school based on wisdom that I received while living in California.  The school is called Spirit Warriors Martial Arts.  The system is called Black Tiger Kung Fu.  It is an Internal/External System focused on practical combatives and personal development.  We emphasize real life combat scenarios and practical skills that are effective in our modern world.  We use Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Chi Kung to strengthen our body and develop internal power.  We study anatomy, biomechanics and physics to understand angels, leverage and how to utilize our own body and our opponent’s body to gain advantage and win in a violent confrontation.

In April 2000 I moved again, this time to Santa Fe, New Mexico .  After settling in I opened another school just north of the city.  I continued with my own studies and teaching classes twice a week.  I wanted to try something different so I looked at schools around town.  I started attending classes in Kenpo with Tony Potter, and really enjoyed the people and learning something different.  This created an opportunity to meet and train with another well-known martial artist, Jeff Speakman.  If you don’t know who Jeff is, watch the movie Lethal Weapon, its great. 

At the Kenpo school there was a man teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  I realized that with all my martial arts experience my main weakness was ground fighting.  I started studying with Kevin Bankens and worked through my fear of being pinned on the ground and not knowing what to do. 

I continue to challenge myself and expand my knowledge.   My school is now located in Santa Fe.  We have classes for adults twice a week. I continue to study as I will always be a student.  Martial Arts for me are a way of life.  I have had many wonderful experiences and met amazing people.  I hope to continue to do so for many years to come. 

To all of my teachers and students, THANK YOU, you are in my heart and I will always remember.