I’ve been consistently involved in the martial arts for the last 47 years since I was 15 years old.

I’ve operated martial arts schools, taught hundreds of students and logged many, many hours in training, studying and analyzing martial arts. It has been my life.

I was born in 1958 in Erie, Pa (USA). to a beautiful woman named Pauline and an awesome father named William.

When I was 14 years old, I was getting picked on and beat up on a regular basis. Even though I was afraid, I eventually decided it was time to fight back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fight to save my life, so my father offered to take me to the local self defense school. I liked the feeling of not being afraid anymore, and I was hooked. Thanks Pop!

I trained with many people over the years, some of who were really excellent… not just in physical ability, but in their understanding of martial arts as a whole. I grew to understand that the truly great martial artists (including boxing, submission wrestling, fencing and ALL combative arts) had knowledge that went beyond natural talent and simply the speed and power of punches and kicks. 

After training in primarily striking arts since 1975, I began adding submission grappling into my arsenal in 1993. In 1998, I coined the name Combative Arts Concepts to describe my art, since it is a culmination of concepts, tactics and philosophies I’ve experienced over the years and really falls outside the scope of any one particular style.

My goal is for you to benefit from my experience in the world of martial arts.