Please share with our readers a little bit of your non-martial arts background.

I'm a Clinical Database Analyst at Johnson & Johnson where I work on the data management aspect of clinical trials. My work involves building electronic data entry forms to capture clinical data, as well as programming. Outside of work, I used to swim, and play water polo and volleyball. I've done a couple of open-water swims including two in the Hudson River, which were part of an awareness campaign on the river's improving water quality. I also used to play water polo for the Lawrenceville Stingrays club as well as the Princeton Tigers club team. If I had more time, I would like to get back into water polo because it really builds one's stamina. On the creative side of things, I like to take photographs, of which street photography is my favorite. I would be happy to show some of my photographs if anyone is interested.

What made you first interested in Martial Arts?

Like many others, movies and TV are what probably got me interested in Martial Arts. Perhaps, it is Si Jo Bruce Lee who is the ultimate inspiration for getting me interested in the Martial Arts. I remember that whenever I saw a cool move on film or on TV, my brother and I would try out this move and would further experiment on it. I also remember having bought a couple of books on Karate, Kung Fu, and ninjas. And several years after arriving here in the US in 1995, I saw some of the early UFC fights on DVDs that my brother had, which made me interested in the Martial Arts once more. Then in winter of 2008, I found PAMA on the Internet.

How did you hear about PAMA? What influenced you to join PAMA?

I first noticed PAMA several years ago from the car wash across the street. At that time, I had no idea what was being taught at PAMA. It wasn't until winter of last year that I seriously thought of learning martial arts again. At that time, I was working seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, for a couple of months straight. Oftentimes, my legs would get numb from sitting too long in front of the computer. I also noticed a deterioration in my eye sight, presumably from staring at a computer screen for too long. During certain days when I was working from home, I would do some stretching and side/round kicks in order to get my blood circulating in my legs. This is actually what gave me the idea of taking up martial arts once more. On the Internet, I searched for martial arts schools in the area and found PAMA. It is the variety of arts offered by PAMA, including JKD, Kali, and Silat that influenced me to pick PAMA. It is also because of the direct lineage from great masters like Si Jo Bruce Lee, Guro Dan Inosanto, Punong Guro Edgar Sulite, Pendekar Paul De Thouars, and Pendekar Herman Suwanda to Sifu Rick Tucci that makes PAMA special.

Which martial arts have you studied to date and for how long?

The only martial arts I had formally studied was Karate (Shotokan, I think). I first took this in grade school, but I only advanced to yellow belt. My interest in Karate resumed when I was in high school, but I also advanced to yellow belt only. I think if I wasn't into swimming and water polo in high school, I probably would have advanced further. I also remember asking my ex-girlfriend's brother (who was studying Arnis De Mano in school) to get me a pair of sticks. I didn't have any formal instructions in Arnis; I just twirled the sticks and had no idea what I was doing.

What are your favorite arts and why?

My favorite arts in PAMA are Jun Fan, Kali, and Silat. These were actually the three arts that I had originally intended to take before I decided to join PAMA. I like Jun Fan because of the quickness and economy of motion that Bruce Lee had developed. It is so different from the rigid and heavy stances that I had learned in Karate.

I like Kali because, being Filipino, I thought that I should at least know the martial art from where I was born. To be honest, I did not think highly of Arnis (the term that I was familiar with at that time) when I was still living in the Philippines. I used to have a higher regard for the Japanese and Korean martial arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do. This changed when I saw on the Internet how extensive and effective Kali is, and how it is being taught to law enforcement and the military around the world. After I joined PAMA, my brother also gave me some books on Filipino Martial Arts. Now, I am really impressed with Kali, and proud to be practicing this martial art from my native country. If I had known more about Arnis when I was still living in the Philippines, I probably would have studied it there.

Similarly, I like Silat because of its connection to the Philippines. I understand from Sifu Rick that this is being practiced in certain parts of Mindanao (one of the three main islands), which is very close to Malaysia and Indonesia. The movements are quite different from what I have previously seen in other martial arts. Like Kali, the movements are quite beautiful to look at, but at the same time, very effective.

Although Jun Fan, Kali, and Silat are my favorite, I am also attending Muay Thai, boxing, and grappling classes. As Sifu Rick has said, it is advantageous to cross train in different arts.

What are some of the key things that Martial Arts has taught you?

I would say that the top lessons I have learned from Martial Arts are discipline and respect. I think discpline is very important if I one is to advance far in martial arts. One will certainly get hit, thrown, and possibly hurt the during practice, but with discipline and perseverance, one should be able get past that initial shock. I also have this constant uncomfortable feeling before coming to practice, fearing that I won't have the energy to do all the drills. But with a little discipline, I force myself to come and I actually feel a lot better having survived a strenous workout and having learned new skills.

You are Filipino. How has our training in Kali helped you connect to your heritage and culture?

I found it interesting that Tagalog is being used widely in naming or describing different aspects of Kali: in drills, in the movements and strikes, and in the salutation. This, and the rich history of Kali that is being taught at PAMA has helped me in re-connecting myself to my heritage and culture.

What is your impression of PAMA today? What do you like most about PAMA?

I think PAMA is one of the best and most complete martial arts schools that one can find in the area. It is evident that the PAMA instructors are continously sharpening their skills, which are directly being handed down to the students. This, the variety of arts being offered, and the direct lineage from masters, is what that I like about PAMA.

Anything else additional you would like to add?

PAMA is not only a good place to learn martial arts; it also great place to make new friends, and to learn alongside people of different ages and backgrounds.