B. F. Galbraith's Knols of Knowledge: My Martial Arts Background

Most of what I have to say about martial arts is from a consumer advocate perspective. This raises the question: what is my martial arts background anyways? Like most people who take martial arts lessons, a "year" means training around 3 hours per week. The exception to this was when I was training in the mid 90's in Doc Fai Wong's system under Vern Miller, there was about 18 months where I was studying 3 to 4 hours per day, 5 to 6 days a week. If my normal training week is 3 hours a week, this would have been several times as intense.

Training (1 year or more):

Tae Sho Arnis (AKA "Dave Bird's Combat Arnis", RBSD, Karate Kata, Kumite Point Fighting, American Kickboxing and Arnis) [18 months, 1988-89.]
Aikido under Bruce Baumann (2nd Degree Black Belt, wrote to an organization in Hawaii to get permission to teach.) [18 months, 1991-93.]
Doc Fai Wong's system under Vern Miller (Yang Tai Chi, Choy Lay Fut, K-1 Rules Kickboxing) [3 nonconsecutive years, 1992-2001.]
One year at Summit BJJ in Seattle (99% sport, on the ground) [2013-ish.]
MMA classes at Kitsap Combat Sports [18 months, 2016-2018.]
I have been doing daily Tai Chi conditioning [since 2004.]
Trained at the Bremerton Martial Arts Center [2018 to 2020.]
I am one of the founders of and still active in the Tres Espadas full-contact-and-continuous weapon sparring club (which trains on average a few times per month) [2010 to present.]

Cross Training (less than three months):

Tae Kwon Do (at Lancaster's Tae Kwon Do) [in around 1989.]
"Knock Down" Karate (Tai Ku Kai Kan, a Kyokushin break off) [in 1995-ish.]
Baguazhang/"Wudang Dan Pai" Tai Chi (in Seattle) [2006.]
Judo (at the Kitsap Judo Club and Seattle Dojo) [2001-2010-ish.]
For-college-credit Self Defense class, focusing on strikes from Butokukan Karate Kata [2001.]
Various 1 day security personnel seminars taught by local black belts (in Enshin Karate and Hapkido) or taught by former military, including arm bar take downs, hand cuffing or the use of pepper spray [2009 to 2012.]

Tournaments:

1989 Lakeside Invitational, 2nd place in division in Kumite Point Fighting.
2 K-1 rules kickboxing fight cards cancelled in around 1996 because of chronic wrist pain
2001 Tiger Balm, 2nd place in Tai Chi forms and 3rd place in Tai Chi Push Hands in my divisions.
2006 Wudang Dan Pai in-house Freestyle Push Hands tournament, eliminated in 2nd out of 4 rounds of elimination.
2017 Pacific North West Warrior Tipon Tipon (4 knife fights.)
2018 Pacific North West Warrior Tipon Tipon (3 knife fights, people I coached had 2 knife fights.)
2019 Pacific North West Warrior Tipon Tipon (3 knife fights, people I coached had several padded stick or knife fights.)

Street Fights:

I grew up in West Bremerton during a much less enlightened time. Was pulled from the 8th Grade (not "expelled") for the safety of other students (after a few days of ongoing extended violence, it was determined that about a dozen bullies were going to have to go to the nurse's office on a regular basis if I remained in school. I had been involved in Tae Sho Arnis for about 6 months.) One time on my way home from work in high school, I was jumped by 4 people, they only hit me once and I escaped, but I still have a scar on the bridge of my nose from this experience. Lots and lots of other minor brawls, at that time it was more of a local past time than a physical emergency.
I was involved in security or public safety in a professional capacity off and on from 1995 to 2017, the apex of which was me being the Security Supervisor for Seattle City Hall in 2009-2010. Most of this experience was in the most dangerous parts of Downtown Seattle. I have verbally deescalated dozens of potentially violent situations, but when that failed I resolved several attacks on my person with mostly martial arts distancing, side stepping, parries and head movement.

I haven't had the luxury of being able to train at one place long enough to become a certified expert. But I did have the luxury of learning Tai Chi from the Sifu who also taught me K-1 Rules Kickboxing, Aikido from a Muay Thai fan, some BJJ from a not-for-profit club, MMA lessons from a gym that broke off from a BJJ school that no longer wanted a Muay Thai program, Muay Thai from the same Guru who I trained in Kali with, and knife fighting from a former fellow Kung Fu classmate who become passionate about Cold Steel instructional videos. What I AM an expert in is the experience consumers have when they take martial arts lessons, and what is useful for most martial arts consumers to spend their time learning.