WOOF! I started formally in martial arts under Reno Lumampao in Simplified Modern Arnis. I achieved a purple belt rank in his system, before moving to Houston. Once in Houston, I was fortunate to meet and train under Grandmaster Alfonso Seneres. Grandmaster Seneres was in Houston, from Iloilo City, Philippines, visiting his daughter and I felt priviledged to be his private student. Grandmaster Seneres is also Reno Lumampao’s instructor. During the intense training I achieved instructors ranking in Arnis de Mano Sopon style.
I have also had the priviledge of meeting and training with the Dog Brothers, and although I am now a Dog Brother, I still consider myself a student of Marc Denny. The Dog Brothers are a group of stickfighters who have the philosophy of “Higher Conciousness Through Harder Contact”(tm). Wearing only a fencing mask, street hockey gloves, and a heavy unpadded rattan stick, we test our skills and quickly learn what is useful. In addition to all stick techniques, also allowed are kicking, punching, elbowing, kneeing, slapping, trapping, grabbing, throwing, sweeping, grappling, locking, and choking with or without the stick. To closely mimic the intensity of a street fight, each fight continues until someone “taps out”, is knocked out (this is relatively rare) or 90 seconds has expired. One advantage to this format is that it allows each fighter to have several fights during the course of the day. There being no judges, i.e. no declaration of winner and loser with its attendant squabbling, everyone is free to concentrate on doing his best and growing as much as he can. Once you begin testing yourself, your training mind will never be the same. November 13, 1994, I was given the name “Hound Dog” and became a full fledge member of the Dog Brothers. Head Instructor Marc Denny promoted me on August 13, 1995 in Kingwood, Texas and I am the only certified Dog Brother Apprentice Instructor in Texas.