Welcome to Red Dragon Kyuki-do Martial Arts!
Red Dragon Defense Head Instructor,
Eric Conley
Eric Conley
Head Instructor; 2nd Dan Kyuki-Do, 1st Dan Hapki-Do
Eric Conley had spent a few months looking for the right Dojang to train in. After finding the one that caught his attention the most, in 1996 he began training under Wayne Hull at Wayne Hull's School of Kyuki-Do, in Salt Lake City Utah. It was always Mr. Conley's personal goal to become an Instructor, and one day open his own Dojang. After 3 years of training and hard work, Mr. Conley reached his first big goal of 1st Dan Kyuki-Do Black Belt in May, 1999. Mr Conley started teaching as a co-instructor under Wayne Hull, learning how to be a great, and caring instructor. In the mean time Mr. Conley also gained rank in Hapki-do.
"My main goal is to give the gift I have been given by my Instructor Wayne Hull, the ability to spread the love of Martial Arts and the teachings and lessons you get out of it, to as many individuals as possible.
In 2000 Mr. Conley moved to Pensacola to open the 1st Kyuki-Do Dojang in Florida. Eric Conley Started building a committed Kyuki-Do school in March 2001, teaching in a local Park in North East Pensacola. After only four months in August of 2001, Red Dragon Kyuki-Do opened it's doors inside the University Mall. To Cut overhead costs, in October of 2002, the Dojang was moved to the Bayview Community Center. In 2008 Red Dragon Martial Arts was opened at 6301-10 N 9th Avenue and is going strong today.
Mr. Conley reached 1st Dan Hapki-Do Black Belt in April of 2005, Then 2nd Dan Kyuki-Do Black Belt in April 2006. He has reached many goals with Martial Arts and has many more to reach, but with lots of hard work, time, and support from friends, family, students, and other Instructors, they will be reached. Mr. Conley says, "My main goal is to give the gift I have been given by my Instructor Wayne Hull, the ability to spread the love of Martial Arts and the teachings and lessons you get out of it, to as many individuals as possible. I have seen Martial Arts Change the lives of many people including my own. I want each and every one of you to see what it can do for you if you stick with it, and take it to heart."
Red Dragon Defense Assistant Instructor,
Wesley Garman
Wesley Garman
Assistant Instructor; 1st Dan Kyuki-Do
Red Dragon Defense Assistant Instructor,
Michael Jones
Michael Jones
Assistant Instructor; 1st Dan Kyuki-Do
Brizalian Juijitzu Instructor,
Rico Holanda
Todd Pisarich
Brizalian Juijitzu Instructor
I have been teaching for over 15 years now. I carry 4 black belts and am a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor brown belt under Helio Soneca. I love the martial arts, and even more I love teaching. I teach mixed martial arts which combine stand up fighting and ground fighting. This is what I believe to be true self defense. We are a Black belt school which means we strive to achieve that goal. My main focus it to teach a real self defense. My current professor and friend is Helio Soneca . Out of everything I have trained in, I love Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Todd Pisarich owns and operates The Academy, a 3rd Generation Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/ MMA and Fitness School in Ocean Springs, MS.
Capoeira Instructor,
Assumar Borges
Assumar Borges
Capoeira Instructor
Combat Dancing
By Fraser Sherman
Originally printed in The Destin Log
The Brazilian martial art of capoeira, Assumar Borges says, makes him a better person.
“I was as kid when I started (studying) capoeira in Brazil,” Borges, who teaches capoeira classes at Destin Community Center told The Log. “It helped me be better. It’s a poor country with violence and drugs and capoeira helped keep me out of trouble… America has the same troubles (and) over here they have money, they can buy drugs more easily.”
Capoeira (pronounced Ka-poo-air-a) developed among African slaves in Brazil, through historians disagree whether it originated there or slaves adapted it from African fighting forms. The whirling moves and spins of capoeira were a way to hide the training sessions by making it look like dancing rather than combat.
“Capoeira is good for the mind, “ Borges said, “because you have to pay attention to the music. You have to listen to the music before you start: Play fast, you (move) fast; play slow, you’ve got to (move) slow.”
Capoeira practitioners all take on nicknames; Borges said it was a way for slaves to conceal themselves from masters who couldn’t distinguish their faces and relied on their names. Borges goes by Mocambique, while others in the class include Docinha, Leque, Espert, Grandao and Amazona.
Amazona, AKA Chrisely Melecio-Zam-brano, said she begun studying with Borges last summer, after her sister had gotten her interested in Brizilian culture.
“It’s great exercise,” she said. “And it’s like a family, everyone supports each other.”
As students filled into the Community Center’s Zerbe Room Wednesday night, they exchanged hugs, caught up and chatted with each other, Borges and his wife Wambia Faria. Faria and Borges’ 14-month-old son Bryan wandered around, at one point grabbing up drumsticks and beating out an impromptu rhythm on a tambourine.
Music is an essential part of capoeira. The warm-ups took place to a CD, then some of the class took up instruments, including drums, tambourine and a beribau – which resembles an archery bow with a rattle on one end – to play.
“Capoeira is good for the mind, “ Borges said, “because you have to pay attention to the music. You have to listen to the music before you start: Play fast, you (move) fast; play slow, you’ve got to (move) slow.”
The moves ranged from a series of tumbling exercises to the sparring sessions where class members spin around as they trade and duck each other’s sweeping kicks, all timed to the music.
At one point five-year-old Aidan Grossman decided to keep spinning after he left the exercise mat. He kept at it until dizziness put him on the floor.
Grossman told The Log that capoeira keeps him from watching television. He didn’t seem to think that was a good thing. Faria told The Log that her husband had worked in construction in Atlanta, then followed the work down to Destin, where he then began teaching capoeira back in 2007.
“It was just me and him, until people started to know about it and come,” Faria said. Now Borges has 20 students, though not all show up at every session.
Borges and his students all sport two cors tied around their waists, the equivalent of belts in other martial arts. Grossman wears white and yellow kid’s cords while Borges, as teacher, wears white and black.
“Capoeira is complete,” Borges said. “Dance, fighting, culture together. When you mix them, the result is this. Look at the faces of my students; something magical happens, not like other martial arts.”
W.A.P.S. & Self Defense Instructor,
Steve Mattutat
Steve Mattutat
W.A.P.S. & Self Defense Instructor
WAPI was founded by Steve Mattutat in response to the worldwide epidemic of sexual and physical assaults on women of all ages. Steve is a certified black belt in World Tae Kwon Do, which is the only registered form of martial arts to be included in the Olympic Games. Steve was trained by Jong C. Jang, who is a world renowned Master of World Tae Kwon Do. In addition, Steve has worked for the District of Columbia Department of Corrections and has trained many women in assault prevention.
WAPI has designed a seminar that increases self-esteem and empowers women by teaching them how to minimize the possibility of being sexually and physically assaulted. The seminar is based upon simple, but effective, techniques that each woman can utilize upon completing the seminar. This is not a self defense class but a unique seminar to empower women.