Here is an interview with Paul Vunak found on fighting.net. Read the bottom, he explains the program in more detail. I don’t always agree with Paul Vunak’s methods but he does a pretty clear job of clearing things up a little for everyone I think.-ED
The Interview…
PFS: What was your first art?
PV: Tae Kwon Do…I started at age 9 and studied for four years.
PFS: Who was your instructor?
PV: Actually, there were four instructors that ran the school. They were called the Yi Brothers - I believe their names were Yung Pok, Yung Kuk, Yung Ho, and Yung Chuen.
PFS: Why did you leave the Yi Brothers?
PV: After I finally got a black belt I decided to move on. I felt my kicking techniques were OK; however, I lacked good hands.
PFS: What was your next school?
PV: Tiger-Crane Kenpo Karate…it was an offshoot of BKF (Black Karate Federation). A gentleman by the name of Al Fleming was my instructor.
PFS: How long did you study there?
PV: For roughly three years.
PFS: Why did you leave?
PV: Well, I ended up doing most of the teaching there and soon discovered that our school had turned into a childcare center. I had about 25-30 adults (mostly in their late twenties), and over 50 kids. My emphasis was on fighting, and not on running a business, so I got the brainy idea to close down the kids’ class. Three months later, our school closed down!
PFS: Why is it that you were more interested in fighting than business?
PV: I grew up that way…I witnessed a lot of fighting starting from a very young age. I was living in the worst part of Long Beach, California. In my high school (Poly High), being Caucasian meant you were the minority. Not to mention growing up in an extremely emotional household with a Yugoslavian father and a Sicilian mother!
PFS: Where did you go after the BKF school?
PV: It was November 22, 1976 when I was first introduced to Dan Inosanto and the Filipino Kali Academy.
PFS: What was that like?
PV: I remember there were some dividers separating the classes. Most people don’t know, but the old Kali Academy used to teach Kenpo Karate as well as Jeet Kune Do and Kali. I remember showing up on a Saturday afternoon during which there were no formal classes, just free workout time. I decided to spar with someone to confirm that this was indeed the school for me.
PFS: What was the result of this encounter?
PV: I picked the biggest, most serious-looking guy in the school and asked him if he would spar with me. My adrenaline was pumping and I was bent on taking this guy out. I also remember hitting this guy with a backfist…that’s the last thing I remember! When I woke up there was a bunch of guys staring down at me, and I remember my first words were, “Sign me up!”
PFS: Did you ever meet up with this guy again?
PV: (laughing) Yeah, we became friends and trained very hard together. His name was Torrance Mathis. I remember after he kicked my ass all over the gym, I had car trouble and he drove me home. I sat on my bed staring at a wall full of trophies and certificates until, in tears, I ripped every certificate off my wall. I vividly remember my Mom walking in during my adolescent emotional outburst and asking what happened to my face. When I told her she said, “So I guess those two black belts and a quarter will get you a cup of coffee.”
PFS: So where did you go from there?
PV: After about three years at the Kali Academy, I started teaching there.
PFS: What year are we in right now?
PV: I was 19, so it must have been around late '79.
PFS: What were your days like teaching at the Kali Academy?
PV: Eventually I ended up teaching several classes daily. I opened the doors at 4:00 every afternoon, and our last class ended at 10:00 PM. A handful of us would stay every night until 2:00 AM talking to Dan.
PFS: So you spent 8-10 hours a day there, 7 days a week?
PV: No, we were closed on Sundays.
PFS: Why the hectic schedule?
PV: Well, I was basically supporting myself from age 17 on through teaching. During the time I was training and teaching at the Kali Academy I also had a Savate school with Daniel Duby from 1980-1984. [Ed. note: This was the first Savate school in the United States.] I’ve never had a real J.O.B. Actually, that’s not true…I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken for 3 12 days. I was the Extra Crispy Man!
PFS: How long did you keep up this training pace?
PV: Basically until the Kali Academy closed down…so, from 1976 - 1984. I then continued to study with Dan at Culver City for the next two years. That’s when I formed my own organization, Progressive Fighting Systems. However, I never stopped being Dan’s student.
PFS: How did you go about setting up the organization?
PV: During the years I spent teaching under Dan, my private clientele had grown rather large. A lot of times, students would ask Dan for private instruction in certain specific areas, then he would direct them to the most appropriate instructors. For example, if someone wanted stickfighting, Dan would send him to Ted Lucay. For boxing, he would usually guide them to Richard Bustillo. For people interested in raw streetfighting, Dan would send them my way. Consequently, PFS is comprised of people all over the world with the same bent - the pursuit of pure fighting and self-defense.
Paul instructing in Germany, early 1998
PFS: How many people belong to the organization?
PV: We have over 300 instructors and over 4,000 students worldwide.
PFS: Do you own all 300 schools?
PV: No, I didn’t learn anything from KFC, this is not a franchise! PFS is an organization of all friends, in which I get to be more of a guide than a boss. We really only have two basic goals:
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Undying loyalty to Dan Inosanto.
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To help keep Kali and Jeet Kune Do alive and growing in an ethical and responsible way.
PFS: Could you explain your ranking system?
PV: To understand our ranking system, you first need to understand the methodology of learning Jeet Kune Do. It has everything to do with the process, and little to do with the product! In other words, one becomes proficient in JKD through the process of self-discovery…and self-discovery is fueled by the process of teaching. This mentality started when Bruce Lee first came to America; he had his mother art of Wing Chun, but after discovering certain limitations he would essentially experiment on his students by teaching them. This gave him people to train with - absolutely crucial for him to develop! Dan Inosanto is the main link between us and Bruce’s principles and concepts. After Bruce passed away Dan was left with the mantle of “Jeet Kune Do” on his shoulders. In order for him to continue the growth of the art, he opened up the Filipino Kali Academy. This school was like no other; we were basically a giant garage full of hard-core students.
People would come from all over the world to view Bruce’s art…professional boxers, Thai boxers, world-class Karate and Gung-fu men, and about every other style you can imagine. We had two words for anyone who came with a negative attitude: “Glove up!” I remember our school had a “bad rap.” People would say, “They aren’t martial artists, they’re just interested in fighting.” The floors had seen so much blood, we finally gave up and painted them red!
The Kali Academy was the laboratory in which the art that we learn now was developed. When the Academy closed and I started PFS, I needed bodies to teach, in order for me to personally continue growing. The only way I know how to teach is to get my students to a particular level and then allow them to take the concepts and principles and teach students of their own. By the process of teaching Jeet Kune Do Concepts, my students are accelerating their personal growth tenfold.
After roughly ten hours of very intense one-on-one training with me, I usually award an apprentice instructorship. This does not mean that these individuals are qualified Jeet Kune Do instructors! It simply means one has our blessing to teach what he or she knows, and to grow from the experience. (Hence the term “apprentice.”) After roughly fifty hours of private instruction with me (or 2-5 years of training in a group setting, and depending on skill and other factors), an apprentice will receive the first official rank of instructorship, Phase One Instructor. At this point, after several years of dedication to learning, to Dan Inosanto and to PFS, a Full Instructorship is awarded. All of my full instructors must not only have the physical side of the art groomed well, but the mental and emotional sides as well. Full instructors can make their own apprentice instructors. Finally, we have the rank of Senior Instructor. All of our Senior Instructors have been around for ten years or more. They must exhibit not only all the attributes of the full instructors, but also have a solid belief system. Our Senior instructors have evolved to the point where they are exploring the spiritual side of the art. It takes absolute determination and persistence to achieve this level, the highest attainable in PFS. Seniors can make apprentice and Phase One instructors.
“Ninjas are not dangerous. They are more afraid of you than you are of them.” --The Tick
