About Jimmy Smith

In Short

 At the age of 10 my career in martial arts began.  Over the past 25 years I have developed a diverse background in martial arts studying different forms including Kickboxing, Taekwondo, Kempo Karate, Kung Fu San Soo, Jeet Kune Do, wrestling, Kali, Aikido, Jui-Jitsu, strategic self defense, and mixed martial arts.

My passion is in instructing others to live their lives with greater sense of well being, awareness, focus, and personal safety.  I enjoy sharing my experience and knowledge, and I strive to positively affect everyone whom I have the great opportunity to cross paths with.

 

My Full Story

 I was born in Missouri, never knew my dad and entered the foster care system when I was 3 years old.  While growing up, I lived in many different foster homes from Texas to California.  At one point, I even entered into the juvenile system, not because I was bad kid but because there was no foster placement at the time.  It was very difficult being brought up in the foster care system, and I was always getting beat up while in different homes.  I ended up moving to the surrounding areas of Los Angeles and experienced firsthand drugs, gangs, pimps, car jackings and criminal acts of every kind.  During my younger years, there was no help, no rules and it was survivor skills that I learned.

When I was 10 years old a foster parent exposed me to the martial arts which led me to spending the next 25 years studying kickboxing, Taekwondo, Kempo Karate, Kung Fu San Soo, Jeet Kune Do, wrestling, Kali, Aikido, Jui-Jitsu, strategic self defense and mixed martial arts.  I fought in cage fights (no holds barred is what they called back then). Through the no holds barred fights I was able to face my fears and test the skills that I had learned.

In my later years and while in Los Angeles, I was also a private body guard/driver/trainer for upscale clients in Hollywood.  I was able to work in Hollywood as a stunt fighter, stunt double (Corey Feldman, Chad Macqueen) and assisted Art Camacho, a world renowned director and fight choreographer in various films with fight choreography.  Sifu Art Camacho is a friend and teacher that I still stay in touch with today.

I also trained with other well known names such as Gerald Okamura, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Jim Hellwig "The Ultimate Warrior" , Rich Rabodgo, Antonio "Mandingo" Mckee (International Fight League), Orange County Sheriff Mike Cataline along with other law enforcement, bouncers, fighters, and even an FBI agent.

Martial arts has taught me so much more than fighting. It's taught me discipline, respect, and most importantly that the challenges we face in life are not going to be easy but how we face our challenges and what we become when we experience those is what counts. We all have a story in life to tell and my story is in the martial arts. Thank you to all of my students and teachers of the past,present and future to come.