Podcast #005 - Self-Defense & Warrior Spirit - Grand Master David Amiccuci

April 6, 2020 Joel Aylworth

I’m not paranoid, I’m prepared

This week’s episode, I had the great pleasure of interviewing self-defense expert Grandmaster David Amiccuci. David has a wealth of experience and has been training in martial arts since the fourth grade when he started wrestling. David has been training in martial arts for over 40 years and was a correctional officer for 29 years, where he was the Team Leader for their tactical team for the majority of his career. I was blessed to have trained with Grand Master Amiccuci for eight years and received my black belt.

The older I’ve become and the more I’ve grown, I’ve realized how impactful martial arts was on me. It strengthened my mind, molded me to have a warrior spirt and a never quit attitude. Martial artist and self defense expert Tony Blauer has a great article called “The Economics of Violence,” which basically states you can’t afford to get attacked. What will it cost you to be attacked? The emotional, psychological trauma. Self defense is an absolute necessity in my opinion. The ability to protect your family and loved ones should be taught to everyone, and I feel grateful to have been influenced by Grand Master Amiccuci.

David is a 9th degree black belt in Kajukenbo. Kajukenbo was founded in 1947 and some credit it as the first MMA. Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial art that phonetically breaks down as Ka (Karate) Ju (Judo/Jiu-Jitsu) Ken (Kenpo) Bo (Chinese Boxing/Gung-Fu). The originators of Kajukenbo wanted to create a martial art that had the best of all these martial arts. They wanted something that was street effective especially on the dangerous streets of Hawaii. Kajukenbo specializes in neutralizing multiple attackers, disarming people armed with weapons such as clubs, bats, knives, and guns. I can tell you from first hand experience, Kajukenbo works and it is one of the most effective martial arts I have experienced.

Every class needs to be a victory. The only time it’s a loss is if you don’t learn something.

David specializes in improvised weapons and using his environment as a weapon. David is experienced in unorthodox weapons such as the whip and sjambok. David is especially talented and well versed in knife fighting and knife defense.

If you’re someone who wants to learn some basic self defense principles, but don’t want to make it an every day thing, I can’t recommend enough David’s yawara seminar. David modified the class over the years and the class includes a tactical flashlight. It’s one of the best self defense classes I’ve taken and afterwards you’ll learn key principles like body mechanics, awareness, pressure points, throws, and more.

See this SoundCloud audio in the original post

Timeline

07:45 - David’s first martial art

13:05- How David was introduced into Kajukenbo

16:25- Origins of Kajukenbo

19:20 - Ahgung Tony Ramos and his early days

23:08 - A great story and prank that Ahgung played on students

24:00 - Why Kajukenbo is so effective and history of Ahgung’s street fights

34:50 - David’s two most dangerous weapons

35:45 - David tells a life & death story where he had to use his martial arts to survive

45:40 - The mental gift I received from martial arts

47:20 - The principles of defeating multiple opponents