As a child I began my martial arts journey with American Kempo Karate, which is a modern Asian style with roots in Chinese and Japanese styles. After several years of training several situations caused the bulk of the instructors left the area I was living in. I was forced to start exploring the rest of the martial arts community, which sadly left a bad taste in my mouth. That being said, I continued my next steps in Shotokan, then Tae Kwon Do, both being much more ridged and formal than Kempo. In high school I began to focus on my academics and music, leaving martial arts as a mere hobby. At college I was introduced to western weapons styles, and other Asian styles, such as Kendo, Akido, Ninjutsu, Judo, and Jeet Kun Do. After a back injury due to a car accident, I was advised to look to "soft" styles. I sought out Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Ba Gua, and Yoga to stay in shape, develop my skills, and allow my body to heal. After a time of this, I returned to studying "hard" styles. My choices at this point were Kempo, Kung Fu, and Tai Chi. After several years of this, and now with over twenty years of study and a decade of teaching in numerous Asian martial art styles I became interested in the fighting styles of my ancestors. I began investigating modern “western” martial arts. I found many manuals written between the 1400-1800's by masters such as; Donald Walker, Archibald Macgregor, Zachary Wylde, Thomas Page,George Silver, and many others. Now, after almost ten years of exploring western martial arts I wanted to use the ever growing web to share my ideas and experience in the martial arts to help others grow not just their skills of but also open them to the larger ideas behind Martial arts, not just fighting.
Stephen Craig Walker
