Tell us a little of your background. Where are you from? What line of work are you in? What do you do for a living?

I grew up in a small village in Catalunya, Spain. When I was 17 I moved to Barcelona, where I studied computer science and later on worked in the image processing department of my university. About two years ago I came to the United States to do an internship in the corporate research department of a video technology company. I'm really fortunate to work there with smart and talented colleagues and friends.

How did you find out about PAMA and what made you come in and try a class?

When I was a kid I asked my parents to put me in a martial arts academy, but they thought it was a better idea for me to take piano lessons. So my only contact with martial arts was through the screen of my TV.

One year ago, I made a new friend who had been practicing Taekwondo since she was only three years old. She made me remember that a long time ago I wanted to learn martial arts, so I Googled an academy in the area. I checked the PAMA web page and I was amazed at the curriculum, so I scheduled a trial class for Jun Fan.

Tell us about your first impression of PAMA and your impression today.

As I had never been in a martial arts school before, I was a little bit nervous before crossing the door of PAMA on the day of my trial class. As soon as I stepped in though, I found the academy very cozy and the instructors very nice. During the class I was very impressed at the techniques I saw, especially the trapping ones, and the dedication of the instructors and Sifu. After such a positive impression I decided to join that same day.

Something I can say about PAMA is that the more time I spend in it the more I like it. I'm still amazed at the skills of Sifu and the instructors, and the effort they put in to teach us.

Why do you train in martial arts? What is it that keeps you coming back?

I practice martial arts because it makes me happy. This is my rule, I only do things that I enjoy doing and that can help me to be in that emotional state.

I will come back as much as I can because there is too much to learn in PAMA, and this not only includes the techniques of the martial arts but also the advice that Sifu and the instructors give to us that I try put into my life.

Which classes do you take? Why are you taking those classes?

I started taking Jun Fan because I liked its simplicity and this was the only martial art I practiced for almost 6 months. I thought that focusing my attention in just one martial art would be better in order to improve faster, but I couldn't be more wrong. Sifu mentioned multiple times that we should take as many arts as possible, and I regret I didn't do this earlier.

Around four months ago I started taking Silat because of its effectiveness and beauty, and later on Kali because I wanted to try a weapon oriented art. I also take MMA, but less often than the other arts.

What do you see as some of your goals in the martial arts?

I haven't even scratched the surface of the arts, but I want to get a better understanding of them. I don't see a clear goal but a path that I want to follow in life. I want to learn to occupy my body and be more aware of the things that happen in my life, and I think that I can accomplish that and much more through the martial arts.