I was certified as a TTM instructor for Yang Style 10 Movement Form and 13 Movement Form in the spring and summer of 2023. On attaining my Silver Eagle rank, I applied for and was approved as an Associate Instructor. It took years of work.  I’m extremely grateful to my teacher, and proud of this accomplishment.

My journey began as a young man in 1974 just starting a 29-year career in the United States Air Force. I began to explore martial arts. From 1975 to 1987 I studied Judo, Fencing, and Tae Kwon Do. Though fun, none of these kept my interest beyond a few years.

In 2015, the Tai Chi instructor at the YMCA left our employment which prompted me to get certified byTai Chi for Health Institute. Other certifications followed from the International Tai Chi and Qigong Association, and TaijiFit with David Dorian-Ross.

This set me on the Tai Chi path, but I yearned for something traditional with a definitive line to the founder. In 2020 I became part of the International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association and a member of their Tai Chi Chuan Teacher Academy. Since then I’ve had the honor to study privately with Mari Lewis, Yang Yaju, head of the TCC Teacher Academy USA and a disciple of Master Yang Jun.