Like most martial artists of my generation, I started in traditional Japanese systems. My first instructor’s organization taught both Isshinryu Karate and Judo. I didn’t realize how unusual this was for traditional martial artists 25 years ago, nor how valuable it would prove to be years later at the Inosanto Academy. Throughout college and in the first few years after moving to Los Angeles I studied Aikido which helped me become a better student by learning to analyze the body’s movement, as well as increase my fluidity of movement. Although I eventually left traditional Japanese arts, they were an excellent starting point and surely helped me in the arts I would later focus on for life
As a longtime student of Guro Dan Inosanto and a staff instructor at his Academy in Los Angeles, CA, since 1995, I can say without question, Guro Dan’s method of cross training is the only way for me to train and teach. I often focus on one art more than another, but I always train in order to maintain my level in them all. I teach Muay Thai, Boxe Francaise Savate, Filipino Martial Arts, Pencak Silat, Jun Fan Gung Fu / Jeet Kune Do Concepts and Wing Chun. I can compartmentalize them, but choose not to because I view movement as movement. All of the arts I’ve studied over the last 25 years complement and conflict with each other in varying ways. That’s why when I teach, I blend aspects of them all. This helps me illustrate my points better, as well as reach students with different natural abilities.
Naturally, the programming for this channel will be cross training. We will cover aspects of all the arts I listed above, at times keeping them separate and at other times blending. Like Guro Dan says, “You don’t fight with a system, you fight with your body,” and I am confident you will see the value of training in multiple arts in order to accomplish the most important goal: allowing you to “absorb what is useful.”