"From as early as I can remember, I have always dreamed of training in martial arts. It wasn't until 1991 that the opportunity came for me
to begin realizing my dreams. My first instructor was Master Angus of Rockport Tae Kwon Do. Although a Korean style originally, Mr. Angus
had modified his class to incorporate more self-defense training and 'street smarts' than most other Tae Kwon Do schools. His philosophy is
in self-defense is still a part of my training and I thank him for his wisdom.
After earning my first black belt, I realized that there were far more methods and philosophies in the world and that I had, by no means,
reached the epitome of my potential, thus my search began. I would train 4 days per week and travel to another school on one or two additional
days of the week, searching for a style that truly represented what I sought to learn. My traveling introduced me to many styles and many
instructors of ranging calibers, yet I never found myself entirely complete. Somewhere along this journey, I discovered the elements through
a book written by a Ninjitsu master from the 60's. Reading this book along with my weekly visits to different styles, ideas began to gather
and take shape as to precisely what I was looking for.
With my ideas finally taking shape, I began to test my theories on some of my students in Tae Kwon Do to see how they could adapt and react
with the elements of Earth, Water, Air, and Fire as organized into unique fighting styles. I also tested my theories on instructors from other
styles to see how they would react. Never once had anyone told me that my theories were invalid or flawed, but rather, most people understood
and enjoyed the conversations and demonstrations provided.
Since I had been teaching Tae Kwon Do already for several years, I decided to provide a much more in depth review of my theories to my students
and actually watch the progression of a student learning one element or another. The observations excited me and others and begged the questions
as to what it was becoming and how far it was going to go.
After about two years, I decided to separate the elements and all related methods from the Tae Kwon Do class and formalize the system into
its own entity, thus allowing Tae Kwon Do to return to its original traditional state. Henceforth, Shikata Yoso Te was born.
About 4 years later, Yoso Te had its first student and the journey began."