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| Louis Campos Martial Arts Biography: Autobiography Martial Arts History Beginning in 1981 with the encouragement of a long time friend Mr.Bill Malfitano, Louis began a special interest in world of martial arts through the attendance of martial arts seminar held at the University of Irvine campus. The seminar event was given by Bruce Lee’s protégé, Guro Dan Inosanto. There Louis met and trained with various high ranking Jun Fan instructors such as Tim Tackett, Richard Bustillo, Chris Kent, Paul Vunack, and Ted Lucay Lucay to name a few of the highly talented individuals who supervised the event. The seminar provided the glimpse and a spark of desire that has led to over a twenty-year involvement with the Jun Fan-Gung Fu Art and all the associated systems along with the numerous people involved with the Jun Fan-Gung Fu movement. At the very same seminar Louis met and trained with the now famous Fred Dergerberg whose Chicago Academy is the epitome and model for successful martial arts school in the United States. Upon his return to the Chicago area Fred invited Louis down to attend his academy and check out his Escrima instructor a man by the name of Alan McGlucky. Alan is a very experienced martial artist was a senior instructor under Mike Inay, who in turn was a senior instructor under Angel Cables of the Serrada Escrima system. Louis joined Fred’s academy and trained with Alan and his senior student Nate Defensor for about two and half years and latter became a member of the senior group of Eskrimadors at Fred’s Academy. About two years before going to California, Louis had joined the Uechi Ryu Karate academy in Kalamazoo MI. There, Louis trained in the Okinawan karate system of the same name under 7th Dan Master Instructor James Thompson. Though a lot of hard work Louis made the Shodan ranks in June of 1982. Both the karate and the Eskrima experiences coupled with the continuously new stimulation of all the instructors Fred was bringing through his academy, during the period when just about any one with a name was promoting their personnel system through the seminar concept. All of this really fueled Louis’s desire to make the move to California. Around 1984 Louis did it. Through the help of a relative he secured a place for himself and laid the foundation for the next step, find Guro Dan Inosanto and join the academy. In the beginning Louis joined the IMB academy in Torrance California, actually he had joined the original Torrance Academy, (Filipino Kali Academy/Chinese Gung Fu) but this was during the schools last month of operation and all students were transferred to the IMB for start up. At the IMB Louis trained with Sifu’s Richard Bustillo and Sifu/Guro Bud Thompson who taught the bulk of the classes and finally with Guro Dan Inosanto when he made it to the more advanced group. At the IMB Louis progressed through the first three phases of the Jun Fan-Gung Fu curriculum. Louis sought out other teachers to supplement his training and after searching he found and made arrangements to train with Wing Chun Master, Randy Williams. Sifu Randy was a very open and yet traditional instructor, who insisted Louis inform Guro Dan on his involvement with his traditional Wing Chun clan, this out of respect between the Sifu’s of the arts. Louis earned an instructor ranking from Sifu Randy’s Wing Chun Clan and so far to date; it has been some of the best training Louis has experienced, overall, in any of the traditional systems he has trained. Around 1987 after Guro Dan Inosanto decided to open his own school over in the Marina Del Rey, California area. Louis asked for permission and followed Dan over to continue training directly under him. There at Guro Dan’s school Louis got into the instructors program as an apprentice instructor in the Kali and Jun Fan-Gung Fu arts. Louis’s training continued until around 1993 when he had to drop out for a few years to meet work obligations. During this time period Louis had met and befriended Paul DeThouars, initially to continue some type of martial training during my time away from Dan’s organization and to take advantage of some free time in order go back to college. But this simple friendship turned into a serious study of progressive intensity in the Bukti Negara and Serak systems of Indonesian Penjack Silat. Louis eventually assisted Paul on organizing his board of Directors, organizing curriculum, testing students and instructors, as well as organizing camps for the Pendakar. Louis earned the rank or senior guru in Bukti Negara; he later became a member and was appointed a Special Officer in the Serak Silat system. Louis has tried to maintain a special relationship with Paul since his retirement for active teaching in 2001. Around 1998 Louis felt it was time to get back to Dan for some follow up instruction in order to advance his experience and rank in the latter event of eventually opening up a school. So far to date, Louis has attained the rank of Senior Associate Instructor in the Jun Fan and Kali arts under Guro Dan. On additional note, going back in time around to 1988, Louis became reacquainted with Guro Ted Lucay Lucay and his wife Tanya. Since his first meeting with Guro Ted at the original 1981 seminar in Irvine, Louis could not make or find any good opportunity to work with GuroTed, but around 1989, a stroke of good fortune brought Ted to the Inosanto Academy and for two unforgettable years Louis trained with Guro Ted and his wife Tanya in Classical Kali, Wing Chun, Panantukan and Jun Fan-Jeet Kune Do. In these classes there developed a small core group of dedicated students that included Mark Sells, Tony Casis, Mark Stewart, Bill Aranda, Damon Caro and a few other individuals who all became dedicated to Ted’s way of training. Louis tried to follow Ted after he left the academy, most notably through seminars at Sifu/Guro Bud Thompson’s school in Whittier, California. It was one of these seminars in January of 1993 that Louis was made an Associate Instructor in Guro Ted’s method of Kali/ JKD. Speaking of Sifu/Guro Bud Thompson, Louis is very grateful to this man from whom he has learned a great deal and has been given much opportunity to grow and develop with. Sifu/Guro Bud Thompson has very generously bestowed upon Louis the rank a Associate Instructor for efforts and training at his small but well equipped academy in Whittier, California. Louis Campos now holds the title of as a full instructor at the senior level under the supervision of Sifu/Guro Bud Thompson. |
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