2010 RMA Festival Instructors & Workshops

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Sifu Sharif Bey (Syracuse, NY)

Sifu Bey, head instructor of the Central New York Branch of Yee’s Hung Ga Kung Fu Association, is senior inner door disciple of Master Frank Yee Chee Wai of Toisan, Guandong Provice, People’s Republic of China, Fourth Generation from the famous Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. Beginning his martial training at age 5, and having studied Wing Chun, Hok Chan Kuntao, and Lam Sai Wing Hung Ga, Mr. Bey has devoted himself to practicing, teaching, and preserving the traditional Tang Fung lineage of Hung Ga Kuen.

  • Workshop: Hung Ga Concepts

Sensei Al Blakley (Galway, NY)

Sensei Blakley has trained 18 years under Master Paul Munchbach in Nemaru Karate (a blending of hard style Japanese Karate and Ju-Jutsu). He has achieved a rank of 4th Dan and is presently teaching at the Galway Karate Club. In addition, he has trained for 13 years under Sensei Stan Kiyonaga, in Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido, Kendo, and Jodo, at the Meitokukan School of Japanese Swordsmanship in Schenectady. He is currently preparing for his 3rd Dan test in June.

  • Workshop: Iaido (The Art of Drawing & Cutting)

Sensei John Borter (Scotia, NY)

Sensei John Borter  is the senior instructor of the Modern Jujitsu Academy and holds the rank of 5th degree blackbelt in Modern Jujitsu. He also holds blackbelt ranks in a number of other martial arts including   Small Circle Jujitsu, U.S. Jujitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, Combat Hapkido, and   Kyusho-Jitsu, as well as Instructor Certifications in Military Combatives and Police Defensive Tactics.Kyoshi has 37 Years Martial Arts Training  and is a Hachidan 8th Degree Black Belt. He is involved with Martial Arts for the Handicapable (MAH) and President of the Martial Arts for the Handicapable of Greater New York, Inc. (MAHOGNY). Kyoshi is also a Nanadan 7th Degree Black Belt in Oyata Shin Shu Ho – RyuTe® Renmei, and Certified instructor of Modern Arnis Filipino Martial arts. He also has experience in Da Liu Tai Chi Chuan & Small Circle Jujitsu.

  • Workshop: Modern Jui Jitsu Joint Locking
  • Workshop: Kubotan

Serge Gerlach (San Francisco, CA)

Serge Gerlach has a long history in martial arts with training in san shou, submission wrestling, BJJ, and Combat Sambo under Alexander Barakov. Most recently Serge has trained in Moscow with Igor Kurinnoy. He won the heavyweight bronze medal at the 1997 Gene LeBell World Grappler’s Challenge in Toronto, Canada; a gold medal (2004) and silver medal (2006) at the United Gracie Tournament in San Francisco; a bronze medal at the 2005 Unity Classic Sambo Tournament; and a silver medal at the 2005 and 2007 North American Freestyle Sambo Championships. Serge holds an assistant instructor rank from New York Combat Sambo and teaches Combat Sambo classes throughout the San Francisco Bay area.

  • Workshop: Introduction to Sambo (Russian Grappling)
  • Workshop: Sambo Submissions
  • Workshop: Sambo Throws

Master George Curbelo Jr. (Albany, NY)

With over 40 yrs. of training in various styles Curbelo and his Martial Arts system and Methods have been recognized by several organized nationally and internationally. A hall of fame inductee for life time achievement, His Mountain Martial Arts Academy is in operation for 17 yrs. He has earned the respect of the local community, Northeast Martial Arts community and is currently rapidly expanding into the web. Curbelo’s Mountain Martial Art System is not a style but a system that enables its practitioner’s individual self-definition as a martial artist. “We should not define ourselves by conformity but through self-discovery. To practice a style, to train in a stylistic manner is to give up your fullest potential.”

  • Workshop “Escaping Bad Positions” Pinned to the ground!
    Ground fighting is a nightmare when you have no skill and even worse when you find yourself pinned with no clear way out! Working with 3 basic hold downs (pins) we’ll work on systematically escaping these bad positions so we can turn the nightmare into just a bad position you know how to get out of.

Sifu Raffi Derderian (Johnston, RI)

Sifu Derderian began training in martial arts in 1973 at twelve years old in Uechi-ryu Karate. He started his training of JKD and Filipino Kali in 1990 and is a certified Full Instructor of Jeet Kune Do & Filipino Martial Arts under Sifu Kevin Seaman. Sifu Kevin Seaman is one of the few Jeet Kune Do practitioners to achieve the level of Full Instructor in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali under the legendary Guro Dan Inosanto.

  • Workshop: Filipino Martial Arts
  • Workshop: Upper Body Lock Flow

Sifu Erik Harris (Alexandria. VA)

Erik began his martial arts training in Poekoelan Tja Kalong in 1984 under Cheryl Dolce, stopping after only a year and a half. He returned to the arts in 1990, when he began studying Liu Seong Gung Fu under Sifu George Reyngoudt. In 2005, Erik also began studying directly under Sigu Reyngoudt’s primary teacher, Mr. Joe Salomone. Erik holds a third degree black sash under Sifu Reyngoudt, and an orange sash (instructor’s rank) under Mr. Salomone. Liu Seong Gung Fu is a family art that consists of a mixture of Chinese and Indonesian martial arts, with its roots in Hokkien gungfu and Javanese silat. Erik has been teaching this art since 1996, and presently teaches in Northern Virginia. His club can be found at http://www.kungfu-silat.com

  • Workshop: Head and Leg controls
    A common aphorism within the martial arts is, “where the head goes, the body goes.” Without head control, an attacker cannot effectively use the rest of the body to fight. Erik will share methods of controlling an opponent’s head to neutralize incoming attacks. A fighter needs a stable foundation for an attack to succeed, making the legs an ideal target for incapacitating an opponent. Erik will share some of the methods used in Liu Seong Gung Fu to neutralize an opponent by attacking the legs. Rather than focusing on sweeps and reaps that are present in most systems, Erik will focus on leg locks and kick takedowns.

Datu Tim Hartman (West Seneca, NY)

Mr. Hartman has been a personal student of the late Grand Master Remy Presas for over 16 years. He has been featured in multiple magazines including Black Belt and Filipino Martial Arts Magazine. In addition to teaching in the United States, Mr. Hartman has taught in Canada, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and England. Mr. Hartman has been publicly endorsed by GM Presas as his number one black belt in the United States. When Grand Master Presas’ announced his retirement for medical reasons, Mr. Hartman formed the World Modern Arnis Alliance as a vehicle to preserve the foundations of the art and share it with the next generation of students.

  • Workshop: Modern Arnis – Stick Concepts

Sensei John Ingallina (Rochester, NY)

John Ingallina has been training in the arts for over 22 years and has the privilege of working with some of the most talented instructors in the world. His current teacher, Patrick McCarthy, resides in Australia has personally instructed and awarded a teaching license to John in his art of Koryu Uchinadi Kenpo Jutsu. One area that KU students train excessively in is Tegumi or 2 person contact drills.

  • Workshop: Tegumi Renzoku-geiko (2 person contact drills)
    These flow drills link fundamental techniques to their corresponding defensive themes and application principles. The drills range from checking, trapping, and blocking, to locking joints, twisting bones, seizing cavities & impacting specific pressure points. Tegumi kicks open the door to discovering kata application without adversely affecting the signature characteristics of one’s own style or system.

Sifu Frederick James (Rochester, NY)

  • Workshop: Eagle Claw Kung Fu

Sensei David Kalish (Victor, NY)

Sensei Kalish is the head instructor and operator of the United Martial Arts Center in Victor, NY. Kalish has a wealth of martial arts experience, having trained in Shotokan Karate, Seido Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Jujitsu.

  • Workshop: Hattatsu Ryu & Shingitai Jujitsu – “Pain vs. Damage”

Master Michael Macario (Apex, NC)

Master Michael Macario is the owner and chief instructor of the Apex Ki Do Kwan. He is a Raleigh Police Officer and has studied the martial arts for over 20 years.  He holds a 4th degree black belt in Ki Bon Sool. He has earned a fourth degree black belt in Hapkido, a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo through the Kukkiwon, and a 1st degree black belt in Yong Mu Do.  He is also a practitioner of Yang and Chen style Tai Ji Quan under Sifu Henry Lai.  Master Macario has taught martial arts to children and adults since 1992. Currently, Master Macario is also a full-time instructor at the Raleigh Police Training Center preparing recruits to become Raleigh Police officers.  He is a general course instructor in the basic law enforcement curriculum. He is also a physical training instructor and a defensive tactics instructor, bringing elements of his martial arts experience to law enforcement training.

  • Workshop: Hapkido Cane
    The cane is an amazingly versatile weapon.  The type I am referring to is the simple wooden cane with a hooked end.  You can purchase them at any drug store, antique shop, or medical supply store. It is also one of the only martial arts related weapons that can be carried openly without drawing much attention.  It can be taken onto an airplane, into sporting events, or any place you need it to go.  It can be draped over your arm to allow for two hands to be free.  It can be used for striking, slashing, tripping, locking, choking, and it can help support your weight if you have bad knees! The purpose of this demonstration is to present the basics of using the cane.  The method will be to incorporate cane use into your existing martial arts curriculum.  You will not need to learn any new stances, grips, or movements.  You will simply use the cane as an extension of yourself.  During this block, you will strike, lock, choke, and generally unbalance your opponent with the cane.  You will learn to utilize every side of the cane with both one and two-handed techniques.

Sensei Jeff Melander (Ballston Spa, NY)

Sensei Melander began training in the Indonesian Art of Pentjak Silat in 1982. He is a tournament veteran locally and on the national karate tour. He has since amassed over 300 trophies, including nearly 50 grand championships in forms & weapons.  Jeff has competed in some of the largest events in the United States, including The Battle of Atlanta, The US Open, and The Diamond Nationals. Jeff teaches karate full-time at the Red Dragon Karate School in Ballston Spa, NY.

  • Workshop: Pentjak Silat – “The dirty dozen takedowns”

Avi Nardia (Rochester, NY)

During his 24 years as a reserve officer, Avi Nardia (Major, IDF Res.) served as an Official Hand to Hand instructor and safety officer. He also serverd in an Israeli Police special Counter Terror unit as an intelligence team member with the rank of Staff Sergeant Major (NCO) and as its official defensive tactics/CQB instructor. He also served at the Israeli Operational Police Academy as an official instructor of defensive tactics and operational behavior. In 24 years of reserve service to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), he earned the rank of Major. He has also trained Police agencies and armed forces all over the world, from Police patrol and corrections officers to SWAT, SRT and SERT team members along with Army, Marine and counter terror units and Special Forces. He is one of a handful of instructors to have been an official instructor for the Israeli army, Israeli Police, and Israeli counter terror units.

  • Workshop: KAPAP – Israeli Face To Face Combat

Sensei Steve Pearlman (New Paltz, NY)

Dr. Pearlman’s fascination with the martial arts began with the first Saturday afternoon Kung Fu movie he watched when he was about eight-years-old. His formal training did not begin until age 13 when he started Tae Kwon Do classes at his local “Y.” Unfortunately, as he was the only student in the class, it soon ended, at which point his parents enrolled him in the local Shorin-Ryu karate school. Dr. Pearlman trained hard in Shorin-Ryu but only for a short time. About year later he started at another local school with three of his friends. He earned ranking in that system and began teaching it at college. However, he soon realized that the system to not live up to its rhetoric, and so he renounced his ranking.

From that point forward—since 1990—he has devoted himself to learning as much about the martial arts as possible. Not having sought rank in other styles, the bulk of Dr. Pearlman’s training has come through formal or informal one-on-one workout sessions with other instructors and practitioners. Though a firm believer in keeping an open mind, he does not recommend this piecemeal, often haphazard way of training! Instead, he recommends (and feels he would have been better off) devoting himself to a highly credible instructor for an extended period of time.

Over the years, Dr. Pearlman has to varying degrees studied a wide range of martial arts, including arts from China, Japan, Malaysia, Okinawa, as well as hybrid systems from the United States. Eventually, he ceased examining styles for techniques and began examining styles for common forces that linked all of the martial arts together.

  • Workshop: Universal Concepts in the Martial Arts
  • Workshop: Genri-Ryu approach to Staff

Sensei Kevin Suggs (Portchester, NY)

Kevin Suggs began his journey in the martial arts in the fall of 1973, receiving instruction with Sensei Ron Henderson, in Tae Kwon Do, to intermediate level. He also studied with Sifu ‘Lucky’ Gonzalez in Wing Chun Gung Fu, Sifu Ruban Morales in the Yin Moy Gung Fu system, and Pete “Khalef” Williams in Chinese Goju. Kevin joined Sensei William Grady of USA Goju in 1979. Mr. Suggs presently holds the rank of Black Belt- 6th degree, awarded May 2009. He has served as a staff instructor at Super Summer Seminars (Zen-Do-Kai) since 1992 and as President of NEMAC (Northeast Martial Arts Council) from 1993 to 1996. Mr. Suggs has also done demonstrations for the Greenburg School District’s pre-school during Black History Month and headed a young teens’ self-defense program at the Fresh Air Funds’ Camp Mariah during the summers of 1999 – 2001. Mr.Suggs also introduced the aerobic kickboxing programs to Club Fit Briarcliff, a leading health club in Westchester, New York.

  • Workshop: Goju Ryu Karate

Sifu Eric Winfree (Syracuse, NY)

Sifu Eric has been studying the martial arts for over 35 years. He is a certified instructor in Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do and Kali Escrima. He teaches from a perspective of street tactics and security. He has brought several martial artists to the instructor level. He concentrates on the spiritual side of the martial arts and his goal is to help fellow martial artists reach enlightenment.

Sifu Eric has developed his own comprehensive Street Self Defense System and Women’s Self Defense Program that are highly regarded among the martial arts community. He is the Syracuse representative of Jeet Kune Do and Kali Escrima under Guru Kevin Seaman and is the Central New York representative of Sifu Francis Fong. A Certified member of Wing Chun Association of the USA under Francis Fong and East West Martial Arts Association under Kevin Seaman

  • Workshop: Jun Fan Jeet Kun Do

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I began training in martial arts in 1973 at twelve years old in Uechi-ryu Karate. In 1990 I attended a martial arts summer camp in Syracuse NY hosted by the Zen-Do-Kai Association. I was exposed to the Filipino Martial Arts by Guro Kevin Seaman. This experience showed me how little I knew about martial arts and how much there is out there to learn. I had come from the “master one style” mentality that had been pounded into me by my instructor at the time. The Zen-Do-Kai camp sparked an obsession in me to start cross training and learn all I could. You could spend a lifetime studying martial arts and not even scratch the surface of what is out there. I am proud to have such a fantastic group of teachers who work with me to help me become the best instructor I can possibly be. They set an example that I strive to live by. I have been lucky to have a school of hard working, dedicated students who share my desire to learn and grow in the vast world of martial arts. It is an honor to be their teacher.