A student of Ken Miller, Brian has been training in the martial arts since childhood and has been teaching Kung Fu for more than 10 years. He is ranked as a black sash (the highest rank within this style, which simply denotes the status of teacher) within the system. He also holds a first degree black belt in Aikido, teaches classes in Aikido, and helped found an anger-management program using Aikido principles and exercises at the University of Oregon. As an instructor, Brian tries to promote a relaxed and open atmosphere in class and considers himself a student as well as an instructor.
The Eugene Shaolin Club’s particular style of Kung Fu is based on the philosophical ideas of Ch’an Buddhism, and one of the key aims is to train in classical principles while keeping the applications relevant and practical. To that end, the club practices traditional Shaolin forms and techniques then brings them into context for modern self-defense application. Great emphasis is placed on making techniques simple and usable through live sparring and training with real resistance. The style includes hand and foot striking techniques, throws and takedowns, and joint-locking and controlling techniques.
PacMAC Instructor – 2009