The early years
 After a few months of dabbling in Korean Tae Kwon Do at a local class in the early 80's, I began my first serious attempt at learning martial arts in a Chinese soft style.
Under the tutelage of Instructor Rick Lippincot, I spent the following years obtaining my Black Belt in TAI Kung Fu, which is a Westernized variation of soft style Kung Fu, very much resembling Jeet Kune Do.
Rick Lippincot was an amazingly talented instructor with lightning speed and unbelievably fluid motion. His emphasis on discipline and strict basics in form were to be the foundation of what I took with me into my martial arts training from then on.
 TAI Kung Fu was strictly a "street" self-defense style with no focus on competition, but heavily founded in combination techniques and kata. Like other soft styles, it utilizes flowing circular motions, lethal strikes and grappling maneuvers.
This Kung Fu style incorporated a strong base coming from traditional Chinese Kung Fu styles, combining in more Western style tactics like boxing, wrestling and street self-defense.
I assisted my instructor in running his school on the East side of Newark for a couple years until he changed jobs and had to close the school down.
Shots from the early years in Kung Fu
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In the mid-late 80's, my instructor moved away and I drifted out of the martial arts for a couple years or so. I became involved in other sports for a bit and did a little Kung Fu training on my own at that time.
Photo Galleries
- The early years
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Truly missing the martial arts after the exodus of our Kung Fu school, I decided it was time for a change in style. I sought out one of the most reputable dojos in the state, which was owned and ran by Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee... GrandMaster George Annarino. Sensei Annarino operated under GrandMaster Don Madden based out of Chillicothe, Ohio, founder of the AKJU (American Karate & Jiu Jitsu Union).
 My new style was now to take a 180 degree turn from a Chinese "soft style" system to an Okinawan "hard style" system... Ko Sutemi Seiei Kan. Rather than the more circular and fluid motions of Kung Fu, I now had to re-train my mind into pursuing more linear, powerful straight-line techniques. Eventually, the combination of the two styles provided me with what I feel to be the best of both worlds.
So, very early in the 90's I began my long journey down the road to martial arts excellence under the guidance of GrandMaster Annarino and his head instructor, World Champion Paul Cortright. Sensei Cortright was to become my new mentor and model to follow for the remainder of the decade.
With countless National and World Class titles under his belt, Sensei Cortright is truly one of the most amazing martial artists I have ever seen. With an exemplary ability to perform katas at a flawless level of perfection, a truly unbelievable set of fighting skills, and a level of discipline and honor that one could only hope to achieve, he was certainly a great new direction for me to follow.
Training time at Annarino's
back in the 90's
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Over the following years I trained hard at the dojo and helped out teaching the lower belts and youngsters whenever possible. I competed in quite a few tournaments just to get the experience and eventually became active on Sensei Annarino's demo team.
 In 1993, as a brown belt in Seiei Kan, I won two Gold Medals, one Silver, and finally my first Grand Champion trophy (overall point champion) in the 20th Seiei Kan Grand Nationals qualifying me as an AKJU All American.
Becoming an Instructor
 On May 1, 1994 I was finally awarded my Sho Dan (First Degree) Black Belt in Seiei Kan Karate. I continued training hard and eventually took over most of the adult classes as Sensei Cortright's job and responsibilities were not permitting him to be there to teach on a regular basis. In 1998 I competed in the 2nd Irish Cup on AKJU Team America and again in 1999. In March of 2009 I obtained my 5th degree Black Belt.
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