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Moving, need feedback on these potential instructors
By jwinch2 - 03-26-2010 09:05 PM
Originally Posted at: FMATalk
====================
So, here is my situation. Over the last few months, I have been interviewing at different universities across the US for faculty positions. I am currently a professor at George Mason University in northern Virginia where outside of work, I study the Inosanto-LaCoste blend and BJJ at Guro Pat Tray's school (Trident Academy of Martial Arts). I love the system, love the school, and the instructors are great. No complaints. Prior to that, I studied Modern Arnis with an instructor under Datu Tim Hartman's organization. I was forced to stop training Modern Arnis when my instructor stopped teaching due to conflicts with his duties as a law enforcement officer. There was another instructor in the area but he drive would have been entirely unrealistic in the Washington DC Metro. Again, loved the system, the instructor was great, and no complaints.
During the last few months that I have been interviewing, I have been exploring training opportunities at each of the potential new locations I would have been going to. To that end, I have posted threads about certain sytems,certain locations, and certain instructors. Basically, I have been making a big fat nuisance of myself. :moon:
Now, I have pretty much settled the deal and know that I will be moving to the Johnson City, TN area and will be working at East Tennessee State University. In terms of prestige of the university it is a bit less but in terms of strength of the academic program I will be associated with and my ability to perform my research, it is a major step up for me and one that I am very excited about.
In the area, there are no FMA instructors unless I am willing to drive a significant difference. To that end, I have been in discussion with multiple instructors and am looking for feedback and to see if anyone here knows these individuals. All of them have indicated that they would be open to my driving up one day a week for an extended training session since it is a longer distance. They are all pleasant on the phone and have been very helpful thus far.
The first one is Guro Jerry McCleary who is highly ranked in PTK under Tuhon Bill McGrath and in Pentjak Silat Serak under Maha Guru Victor de Thouras. I have to admit, the opportunity to study both PTK and Silat Serak is tempting as all get out. He is also an instructor in JKD under the late Larry Hartsell but though I love JKD, I would really want to focus on PTK and the empty hand aspects of Silat Serak if I was to train there.
http://www.theedgema.net/ainstructor.html
The second instructor is Guro Steve Klement who is highly ranked under the late Suro Mike Inay in Inayan Eskrima. I rented all of the Inayan Eskrima videos from Goldstar in order to get a feel for the system. There was some very good stuff in the DVD series and I have exchanged e-mails and spoken on the phone with Guro Klement and he seemed like a great guy. I imagine I would learn a good deal training with him and his other instructors.
http://www.inayan.com/ISE/Klement_Bio.html
The third qualified instructor that I am aware of is Guro Larry Rice who an apprentice instructor under Guro Dan Inosanto in Kali and Silat. I spoke to him on the phone the other day and he seemed like a pretty good guy from what I could tell. I am attracted to the opportunity to stick with the same system but have to admit that I am interested in seeing what else is out there as well. In addition, it is my policy to train with the best instructor around and while rank in a system may not equal "best", the other two instructors are significantly more advanced in terms of their art from what little I can tell from a phone call and webs search. That may or may not be important but I thought I would note it regardless.
http://mountainmartialartsacademy.com/1894.html
The last person I have been speaking with is Guro Edward Rey Baggott who teaches Kuntao and Kali (I don't know which systems or styles specifically) and seems like a great guy on the phone. He has been very helpful in pointing out other people in the region and in general, just seems like a good guy. I know next nothing about Kuntao and since I don't know his style of Kali, it is a little hard to make judgement.
http://kuntao.webs.com/
So, what's the scoop? Anyone know these instructors and want to share? Have some thoughts? Sick of me and my BS... :laugh: Let me know! I have some thoughts of my own in terms of what I am looking for in the art and the instructor but I don't want to influence the discussion before I get people's honest opinions.
Cheers, and thank you very much for the help!
Best regards,
Jason
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By jwinch2 - 03-26-2010 09:05 PM
Originally Posted at: FMATalk
====================
So, here is my situation. Over the last few months, I have been interviewing at different universities across the US for faculty positions. I am currently a professor at George Mason University in northern Virginia where outside of work, I study the Inosanto-LaCoste blend and BJJ at Guro Pat Tray's school (Trident Academy of Martial Arts). I love the system, love the school, and the instructors are great. No complaints. Prior to that, I studied Modern Arnis with an instructor under Datu Tim Hartman's organization. I was forced to stop training Modern Arnis when my instructor stopped teaching due to conflicts with his duties as a law enforcement officer. There was another instructor in the area but he drive would have been entirely unrealistic in the Washington DC Metro. Again, loved the system, the instructor was great, and no complaints.
During the last few months that I have been interviewing, I have been exploring training opportunities at each of the potential new locations I would have been going to. To that end, I have posted threads about certain sytems,certain locations, and certain instructors. Basically, I have been making a big fat nuisance of myself. :moon:
Now, I have pretty much settled the deal and know that I will be moving to the Johnson City, TN area and will be working at East Tennessee State University. In terms of prestige of the university it is a bit less but in terms of strength of the academic program I will be associated with and my ability to perform my research, it is a major step up for me and one that I am very excited about.
In the area, there are no FMA instructors unless I am willing to drive a significant difference. To that end, I have been in discussion with multiple instructors and am looking for feedback and to see if anyone here knows these individuals. All of them have indicated that they would be open to my driving up one day a week for an extended training session since it is a longer distance. They are all pleasant on the phone and have been very helpful thus far.
The first one is Guro Jerry McCleary who is highly ranked in PTK under Tuhon Bill McGrath and in Pentjak Silat Serak under Maha Guru Victor de Thouras. I have to admit, the opportunity to study both PTK and Silat Serak is tempting as all get out. He is also an instructor in JKD under the late Larry Hartsell but though I love JKD, I would really want to focus on PTK and the empty hand aspects of Silat Serak if I was to train there.
http://www.theedgema.net/ainstructor.html
The second instructor is Guro Steve Klement who is highly ranked under the late Suro Mike Inay in Inayan Eskrima. I rented all of the Inayan Eskrima videos from Goldstar in order to get a feel for the system. There was some very good stuff in the DVD series and I have exchanged e-mails and spoken on the phone with Guro Klement and he seemed like a great guy. I imagine I would learn a good deal training with him and his other instructors.
http://www.inayan.com/ISE/Klement_Bio.html
The third qualified instructor that I am aware of is Guro Larry Rice who an apprentice instructor under Guro Dan Inosanto in Kali and Silat. I spoke to him on the phone the other day and he seemed like a pretty good guy from what I could tell. I am attracted to the opportunity to stick with the same system but have to admit that I am interested in seeing what else is out there as well. In addition, it is my policy to train with the best instructor around and while rank in a system may not equal "best", the other two instructors are significantly more advanced in terms of their art from what little I can tell from a phone call and webs search. That may or may not be important but I thought I would note it regardless.
http://mountainmartialartsacademy.com/1894.html
The last person I have been speaking with is Guro Edward Rey Baggott who teaches Kuntao and Kali (I don't know which systems or styles specifically) and seems like a great guy on the phone. He has been very helpful in pointing out other people in the region and in general, just seems like a good guy. I know next nothing about Kuntao and since I don't know his style of Kali, it is a little hard to make judgement.
http://kuntao.webs.com/
So, what's the scoop? Anyone know these instructors and want to share? Have some thoughts? Sick of me and my BS... :laugh: Let me know! I have some thoughts of my own in terms of what I am looking for in the art and the instructor but I don't want to influence the discussion before I get people's honest opinions.
Cheers, and thank you very much for the help!
Best regards,
Jason
Read More...
------------------------------------
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