Barry G.

I have been a practicing martial artist for over twenty years and have been giving private lessons for the last four. While I enjoyed practicing many martial arts I found that I was often spending hours of my time learning eastern philosophy, classroom etiquette, and foreign language. While I have a great amount of respect for eastern cultures and the roots of these martial arts, what I was really looking for was a great workout that was going to teach me how to defend myself.

While I believe that I can teach any age group the techniques they need to keep themselves safe, prepare for tournement, or how to just stay fit, I find I have the most success with teenagers and young adults due to their receptiveness to instruction. My background is mostly made up of Karate, Aikido, and Jujitsu with a mix of Judo, Tae Kwon Do, and Wing Chun thrown in giving me a fantastic "all-around" base for teaching self defense on a variety of levels.

There is always more to learn and I want to be there every step of the way so that you can be cool in the heat of the moment, confident in your abilities, and prepared for whatever life throws at you.

Black Belt in Shotokan Karate as well as various rankings in Judo, Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, and Wing Chun. Experienced wrestler, boxer, and kick boxer. Trained in the practical use of the bo staff, jo staff, cane, katana, broadsword, nunchuku, sai, knife. Experienced fight choreographer for film and stage.

I prefer to start with my sessions with a basic warm up of stretches and light cardio to get the blood pumping and then move right into technique. It may seem repetative to start but once you've got down the basics you'll start developing your skills at an alarming rate.

My emphasis is on practical self defense, tournament combat, and MMA. Because of my personal faith I believe that God has perfectly designed our bodies and our lives for self-defense so I like to incorporate the lifestyle of my student into their training so they can make easy transitions into technique rather than having them learn complicated movements that are awkward and unnatural.

We will usually move on to a simple, but intense exercise designed to build core strength (these exercises will vary) and end with a light cool down.

I promise that by the time we finish our first session you will already feel more confident and prepared to face whatever the world throws at you.