INSTRUCTORS

Paul LaPointe
Head Instructor
Matsuno Ryu Kajukenbo / Jujitsu
Praying Mantis Boxing Kung Fu

Martial Arts have always been a way of life for Paul LaPointe.  Growing up in the 1980s he idolized the martial arts media that was everywhere he looked, from television to movies to video games.  His “formal training” began at the age of nine in traditional Shitō-ryū Okinawan Karate in Savannah, GA.  He trained in this style for three years before relocating back to Tucson, AZ (where he was from originally) due to his father’s job.

Back in Arizona, he continued his training in the form of Jujitsu and Kajukenbo under Vinson Holck, the son of Kajukenbo co-founder Joseph Holck.  Holck, a retired member the Tucson Police Department’s SWAT entry team, instructed LaPointe in a no nonsense, self defense method of fighting.  Holck’s training placed strong emphasis on kickboxing and controlling one’s opponent through throwing, joint locks, and constriction techniques.  In 1999, LaPointe received his first degree black belt from Holck.  He currently holds a fourth degree blackbelt under Holck and is an avid practitioner and teacher to this day.

Later, LaPointe’s training extended to kung fu with the study of Northern Tang Lang Quan (Praying Mantis Boxing) and Chen Tai Chi Chuan under the tutelage of Clem Daems.  Daems was an advocate of the importance of a balance between the external and internal aspects of training, including the importance of proper stances, overall movement and the application of explosive internal energy (Fa Jing) into self defense.  LaPointe received his instructor certificate under Daems shortly before Daems retired from public teaching in 2002.

Throughout his training LaPointe has always sought out the application and real world fight theory behind the martial arts.  Through constant research, study and seeking to increase his skill and knowledge, LaPointe has continued his training with a focus on the theories behind the martial arts.

When it comes to training and passing on the styles, LaPointe believes in a hands-on, application focus.  It is his view that the art and practitioner are always in a state of growth and evolution.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jared Krentzel
Instructor
Matsuno Ryu Kajukenbo / Jujitsu

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preston Leftwich
Instructor
Matsuno Ryu Kajukenbo / Jujitsu

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Melvin Kemp
Instructor
Praying Mantis Boxing Kung Fu