I have been a student of the martial arts since I was 13, starting with Ishynru karate classes at the McKeesport YMCA. Even at that young age, studying was very important to me; my mom could not afford lessons, so not only did I have to work to pay for them myself, but I also walked from Liberty Boro to McKeesport for the lessons, a distance of 6 miles round trip. Once I switched to Tae Kwon Do, I knew I had found my niche. I received my first black belt in 1991 at the age of 20 and have continued with it to this day.

After receiving my black belt, I wanted to test the waters elsewhere, so I began studying different styles, along with Tae Kwon Do. I have studied Aikido, Ninjitsu, Yoga and Jeet Kune Do. Studying these other styles became important to my teaching, as I like to incorporate them into our self-defense. I think it is especially important to have falling and ground techniques in self-defense, because most attack situations will end up on the ground.

After meeting my wife (and indoctrinating her to the martial arts lifestyle!) she became my business partner as well, and we opened Dynamic Martial Arts in 1996. We opened the doors to 12 students, and our atmosphere quickly became one of family. We often miss those old days, where after tournaments, all the families would go to the local Pizza Hut to eat. It really helped bond everyone together!

Over the years, my wife and I have both competed at the PA state and US National level, and have both earned many medals and trophies. We felt it was important to demonstrate to our students the same which we were asking of them. Better still, our school has produced PA state and National Champions, which brings us extreme pride in our kids' accomplishments.

Now a fifth-degree master black belt, I look back on my accomplishments, and know it is just the beginning. I have recently just introduced another location into the Pleasant Hills, PA area. I want to continue to offer the discipline of martial arts, with a caring attitude for many years to come. My plan is to raise my children in the martial arts lifestyle, and hopefully pass on my legacy to them one day.