Our story begins with a very gingerheaded little nerd.
Often quick-witted enough to get himself into trouble and most often able to talk his way out of most altercations.
He sought more a lot more.
A way to become more than that witty little bucktoothed freckle faced little kid.
He saw a flyer for a summer course at a local community center for Okinawan Karate.
The year was 1979 and my foot was firmly placed on the traditional martial art path.
Recognized for my dedication and passion was assigned to be the assistant instructor in charge of teaching new students in the Dojo.
I was 13 teaching adults and kids alike in our entrance program.
I had already begun my studies into Suntzu's The Art Of War and Musashi's Go Rin No Sho. I was determined to incorporate the ways of the Samurai into my personal life path.
From early on I was an assistant instructor and ran class if the other instructors did not make it that day. I became ready for my black belt. However at that time two things needed to happen to obtain black belt. One our North American Uechi-Ryu Karate Association at that time did not allow submission to black belt below the age of 18 and even if my petition was accepted all the testing would need approval in Okinawa.
Waiting until several students were ready for the black belt exam I was granted special permission a year earlier than normal becoming the youngest person at the age of 17 ranked to black belt in Uechi Ryu in Texas.
Though becoming a Spanish Linguist was not my first choice the support I did in 82nd Airborne led me to be around some of the top operators in the special forces and operations commands at Ft. Bragg. Martial arts came from soldiering. Not as some would believe coming out of some temple.
What I figured out very quickly was too things that forever changed my life and my training. TMA (Traditional Martial Arts) had been diluted from it original form because of what I was eventually to discover social and political agendas and pressures outside the TMA community.
My study at this point was already training in KOBUDO, Swords training, Ninjutsu and I was about to be introduced to a family style of KALI from a Green Beret I met at DLI. We were all working on bringing combatives back into the arts. Deconstructing technique and retro-engineering the methods to fit back into life and death scenarios.
This started a quest to discovery the historical arts that really worked in combat and in real defense. Military was not yet ready to understand the benefits of personal combatives in the scheme of training, the power of mental preparedness it offers, the ability to have practiced applied tactics. But we were working on it through training people around the base, officially where we could unofficially when at all possible.
The cross training was a hard thing to do at the time as it was NOT at all accepted and caused many to reject my participation.
Though I opened a few schools and self defense programs in the years after I was in the service there were some obstacles and a goal to further my education in the works as well.
November of 1999 I was picked up by Apple Computers and that afforded me the option to start training in the evenings.
PHOENIX EYE DRAGON CLAW DOJO was born and I officially opened a school and trained at first out of a local church and later out of my garage and eventually moved into shared martial arts academy in North Austin.
Focused primarily on the original Okinawan Karate but with a great deal of realistic and applied training.
is a Concierge service offering an elite style personal training program.
Bringing the instructor to your door. No having to coordinate a busy schedule around a school.
Private elite personal training in all the benefits that TMA has to offer. Mental endurance, Physical conditioning, Spirititual Growth the trifects of areas it takes to become more to reach new levels. All while learning skills applicable to all other aspects of your life. Health, fitness, stress-reduction, focus, leadership skills, tactics and strategy, personal defense and so very much more.