My Mentor, My Teacher, My Master

10th Degree Chief Instructor Albert Tejero, simply known as "Chief". Passed away on August 15th, 2000 of a total degeneration of his organs from the brutal decease of diabetes. It's already been almost six years, and I STILL can't really talk about it without lots of pain. It would take a book (maybe I'll right it someday) to express what this man did for me. His Martial Arts abilities were unbelievable, his knowledge was vast and deep, his wisdom was humbling, but his Aloha spirit was like non other. All of his students treasured him like their own father, and that's what he liked, since they were all his children. He touched so many people in his lifetime, that his passing shocked the community as well as the Martial Arts world. He carried the flag for his teachers, and always gave them his complete respect, admiration, and credit. Without questions, he was the best breaker on earth. His Chi was off the scale - just his kia (yell) would scare the brick to break. I met him in 1984, and was very fortunate to spend an enormous amount of time with him. He taught me many things about the Martial Arts; history, technique, breaking (yes, even his famous glass break), but the only thing he really wanted for me to learn is humility - a daily struggle for me. There are moments in one's life that you will never forget, and can remember every detail as if it was happening right now - some say, they remember the day JFK was shot, we all remember September 11th now, for me it was the day I stood by his death bed and watch the doctors pull the plug . . .I can humbly say, that I was his true Samurai until his last breath. I love you Chief!

The First Students of Gosikido

George, Joe, and Rodney were the first group of guys that stuck with me for a while, learning everything I could throw at them. We trained really hard, lots of pain and blood - but it was all worth it, these guys are real tough now. We would train in my back yard, at a church hall, at Harbor Park, basically anywhere we could. As I always say, many have come through my door, but very few survived - these where the first survivors.

Festival of the Kings - Hawaii

This was our first real big trip, to a place of majestic traditions, and incredible beauty. This week was filled with one magical moment after another. Hawaii really welcomed us with their true Aloha spirit. But we are warriors, that went there to battle, and came home with victory. I was really proud of Sifu Willie for winning first place in the Black Belt Breaking division - he started playing the Hawaiian nose flute and stunned the audience with a ridiculous egg break. The boys fought well too, but it was Julio's "FLAWLESS" break, which won him first place, that I was most impressed with. We were up late the night before practicing in the dark of the night at a local state park - with only the car headlights for light. Julio couldn't get the break right, but the morning of the competition his Chi was truly balanced. I could go on about this trip, but all you have to do is ask those that went, I'm sure they will love to share their stories.

James' Wedding

Here's the crew at James' wedding. Everyone had lots of fun that day. Even Mr. Tino showed up later that night. I remember that Nick and I had a suite, but everyone came up to chat with me - it was like a scene from the "Godfather" movie. And there's James in the middle, with a beer in one hand and a thong in the other.

The First Official Gosikido Student

George Chacon - Started training with me in August of 1984, when I first decided to create Gosikido. I remember meeting him at Mr. Parker's Long Beach International with his brother-in-law Joe (who was my student in the Goju-Ryu school). After that, he would come over to train at my house three to four times per week as the forging of a new style was on its way. This went on for over 12 years. His dedication and absolute loyalty was uncompromising. He was the first animal I named . . ."The Tiger", due to his unbelievable technique. He gave me the honor of being the Godfather to his first born son. He now lives in Temecula (on the other side of the world), which makes it very hard to come an see us - but I know, all I have to do is call. I want to thank him for putting up with all of my tests, trials, and fumbles as I struggled to capture the essence of my teacher's knowledge.

Gosikido Trip to Ensenada

This was our first Gosikido trip with the new boys. Although it was a short trip, it felt like we were there for days. We really had fun doing different stuff, other than training. But the Tacos were great! It gave us all a chance to bond and listen to some interesting wisdom from Nick. Thanks to Giovanni's aunt for lending us the "COLD" house. Nolan was sicker than a dod, but we didn't notice since he never speaks. This picture, by the blow hole was a good reminder of some of the activities we did - although climbing on these rocks is not allowed.

My Birthday Party

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Welcome to the GOSIKIDO Blog

This will be the first posting to my new Blog. I encourage all of you to read it on a regular basis and comment as appropriate. Here, I will share some thoughts on Gosikido and the Martial Arts in general.