I grew up in an rural area in the Midwest and started shooting and hunting by age 5. At about 13 my father started training me with a 9mm pistol. He was of the mindset that it was his responsibility to make sure I was able to defend myself with different types of firearms. It was also about this time that I began Tae Kwon Do. I studied that Martial Art off & on until my junior year at college. After college and graduation from police academy I worked for a Sheriff's Department which then led to a job as a police officer. While at these jobs I soon began to realize that much of the training related to fighting was missing something but I wasn't quite sure what that was. It was a that point that I began a quest of sorts to find out about fighting with firearms. I attended many different schools, some of the training was good but there was a real lack of integration between gun, knife, H2H, and the physicality needed to make it stick. For a year I researched looking for a purity of focus concerning firearms training. I came to the conclusion I needed to train with an instructor that had some pretty rare credentials. Multiple gunfights would be a beginning along with a back ground in H2H plus a program that required pushing yourself in the fitness department. After a challenging shotgun class in South Carolina I knew that I found who I was looking for, Gabe Suarez.

For four years I enrolled in every shotgun, rifle, pistol,H2H, knife, force on force class that Suarez International had to offer. In 2006 alone I ran thru over 11,000 rounds of 9mm, 2,000 rounds of 12ga., broke two airsoft pistols, and around shot up 4,500 rounds of 7.62 x 39 honing my skills. This training led to more self reflection concerning my level of physical fitness. I have always kept myself in shape. But an integrated fighter needs to have a level of fitness that balances raw strength with coordination and endurance. I learned this needs to be maintained at a level beyond "pretty good" to have a real edge. All of these realities came from Suarez International's reality based curriculum. NO dogma or sacred cows, just pure fighting to win.

After getting certified to teach pistol, I expanded my teaching credentials to rifle and shotgun, along with force on force based classes. Rifle and Shotgun classes are a favorite of mine though. All of S.I.'s rifle and shotgun courses are relevant, challenging and physical. None are equipment based, ALL are based on the fighter. And what they need to prevail. I'm proud to be a part of the S.I. Family of Instructors. Being an instructor for most cutting edge firearms training organization in the country is both an honor and a challenge.