Looking around in San Diego

**feederic** · Posted On: 8/21/2007 2:13pm

I'm looking around right now for a school to join in San Diego. Does anyone have any reccomendations?

Here's where I'm considering so far:
http://www.parkerlinekin.com/

also,

http://www.powaykenpo.com had a good review on this site.

**Jim_Jude** · Posted On: 8/21/2007 7:20pm

There are alot of schools in SD, what are you looking for? If I lived in SD, I'd been training heres:

Kali Ilustrisimo
http://www.bakbakan.com/
BAKBAKAN USA - West Coast (USA-WC)
Chief Instructor: Christopher Ricketts
Group/Private Sessions by appointment
San Diego, CA
Tel: (619) 414-8837
(619)390-9087
email: bakbakanCR@aol.com

or here:

http://www.dojoofthefourwinds.com/instructor.html

or here, if you're an MMA nuthugger:
http://www.sdundisputed.com/index.php?id=4

http://www.americanboxing.net/

or here:

Train with Paul Vunak
http://www.fighting.net/pfs_training.html

or here:

Choy Lee Fut
http://www.clfsd.com/home.html

or here:
this place has alot available, so you can figure out what you like.
http://www.sandiegoselfdefense.com/styles.htm

or here:

http://www.mantisskills.com/generic74.html

or here:

http://www.sdpakua.com/

**Permalost** · Posted On: 8/21/2007 9:41pm

I highly recommend Brand X out in Ramona. If I lived closer I'd go there. The head guys there come from Cepeda Bros by SDSU- I'd also recommend them if you're looking for a hard contact FMA/kempo school.

Jim Jude noted a kali Illustrisimo school taught by Christopher Ricketts. He is a well respected instructor in the FMA community. Narrie Babao also lives in San Diego, but I don't know if he teaches (I only know he's here because my dad carpeted his house back in the day).

I have some issues with the choy lee fut school mentioned (that's the first time I've seen the website, and I recognize most of the people), but I won't get into it. My sifu taught most of them before they branched off. Anyway, I'm sure they train hard.

I was reading the Preying Mantis site, and I realized thay they're the group I've seen in Balboa Park (I just started training there with Chickenbeakfist). They seem like a legit CMA org.

If you're looking for a sparring partner in San Diego, I'd be happy.

**Jim_Jude** · Posted On: 8/21/2007 11:11pm

Hell, yeah! Meet up and train with fellow Bullshido-ers. You can be pretty sure they have their heads screwed on straight.

Make it a date, guys! heeeheee

**feederic** · Posted On: 8/22/2007 12:25am

Thanks for the advice.

Today I checked three places out.

1. San Diego Self Defense

Parker Linekin is the Grandmaster instructer there. He was a 6th dan from Ed Parker and I believe an 8th from Brian Adams. He told me he also has a 6th dan in Aiki Ju Jitsu, which he incorporates into his Kempo class as a single curriculum which he calls street smart self-defense. He said he has great experience in three major kempo styles, and tries to evolve them into his own with a rounded out ground fighting style. The price is right, and his upper-level students looked pretty sharp as far as I can tell. His beginning class however, was full of young kinds and women...hardly people I would like to spar with. But he sounds like he offers quite a bit at a great price.

2. Poway Kenpo

This place is more of a mma oriented school. Under the same building is boxing, kickboxing, and surprisingly enough gracie barra bjj w/ Nelson Monteiro. They started out pretty physical, beginning with about 45 minutes of drills and conditioning. The next 45 minutes was reserved for technique and skill work. Quite a big difference from Linekin's academy. The instructors there look much more refined, albeit they are about 20 years younger than Parker. Along with enrolling in this program there are free boxing, kickboxing, and muy thai classes by hired and trained professionals.

3. Gracie Barra BJJ

I was going to go to this place tomorow, but surprisingly it was under the same building as Poway Kenpo (in fact I thought I had my directions switched when I got there). There weren't very many students, and there was solid instructional time with Nelson on a one on one basis.

I can actually join both Poway Kenpo and Gracie Barra BJJ w/ a discount and fit in about 2-3 days of each a week. This place seems to offer everything I'm looking for, which is great striking with an excellent ground game and intense conditioning. The problem is $$$ (think 250-300 /mo).

That dojo of the four winds looks great too..but thats WAAAY to far. I'm in Eastlake, it took me an hour just from Miramar.

**Jim_Jude** · Posted On: 8/22/2007 2:16am

It's up to you & what you want really. I used to drive from Camp Pendleton to Irvine 4 nights a week to train back in the day. To me, it was an easy choice. I could drive over 30min to a okay school, or drive close to an hour to train with a really good instructor. If there's something that is close to home that works well on all fronts (well-rounded instruction/close to home/reasonable price) then hell yeah! go for it.

Good luck, man.

**feederic** · Posted On: 8/22/2007 2:22am

Originally Posted by Jim_Jude

It's up to you & what you want really. I used to drive from Camp Pendleton to Irvine 4 nights a week to train back in the day. To me, it was an easy choice. I could drive over 30min to a okay school, or drive close to an hour to train with a really good instructor. If there's something that is close to home that works well on all fronts (well-rounded instruction/close to home/reasonable price) then hell yeah! go for it.

Good luck, man.

Once I graduate college (next spring) it shouldn't be as big of a deal. I simply can't afford to drive much further than I already do with the little money that I make.

Where do you currently train?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 8/22/2007 3:12am

I just started training with Chickenbeakfist on Saturday mornings in Balboa Park, if you're interested in developing some kickboxing, weapon sparring or push hands.