MASTER KEVIN JAMES
KEVIN JAMES
Our Budo Lineage
KAICHI TEI, O' Sensei
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Kyoju Dairi 教授代理 – international representative instructor of Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu as certified by Soke-Sokaku Takeda
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8th degree black belt in Kodokan Judo
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Creator of Shiseikai Aikibudo
BENJAMIN DeLEON
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9th degree black belt in Nihon Jujitsu (USMAA)
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8th degree black belt in U.S. Jujitsu
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7th degree black belt in Kodokan Judo
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7th degree black belt in Chang Moo Kwan Karate
SHIGERU OKADA - 8th degree black belt in Judo USJF Haichidan #8-128
BENSO TSUJI - 7th degree black belt in Judo USJF Shichidan #7-120
5th degree black belt in Aikido
SHIGERU YAMAMOTO - 6th degree black belt in Kodokan Judo
USJF Rokudan #6-332
HARLAN W. EMERSON - 4th dan in Kodokan Judo
Owner of American Legion Judo Dojo in
Lompoc, California
USJF Yondan #4-728
TANG SOO DO
&
TAE KWON DO
Jung Kil Kim, 'Tiger Kim'
USTGS Hall of Fame Inductee
Kukkiwon Appointed Representative
9th degree black belt - Taekwondo
9th degree black belt - Tang Soo Do
9th degree black belt - Hapkido
Duk Sung Song - 9th degree black belt
Heir under creator of Chung Do Kwan
Founder of World Taekwondo Association (WTA)
Stephen Oliver, 8th Dan
CEO and President of Mile High Karate
First generation black belt under Jhoone Rhee
the Father of American Taekwondo
Larry Magill, 7th Dan
Professor of Taekwondo at Metropolitan College of Denver
BOXING
Kenny Loehr, a USA Boxing 'Hall of Fame' coach, a former Olympic gold medalist, and mentor to undisputed boxing champions Leon Spinx, Micheal Spinx, and Harold Petty - a 2 time World Bantamweight champion. Kevin trained regularly at the 12th & Park Boxing Gym in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
Clarence Thatch III, 4th degree black belt in
Enshin Karate
Certified Jeet Kune Do Instructor under Paul Vunak
4 Time World Heavyweight Sabaki Champion
(no pads, no gloves, full-contact karate)
Full-Contact Budo Record: 167-9-0
Professional Boxer: 38-2-0
Nevada State Licensed Referee
JEET KUNE DO CONCEPTS
Jesse Glover - the creator of Non-classical Gung Fu, Bruce Lee's very first student after meeting in 1959, the first man to teach Judo to Bruce Lee, a 2nd-degree black belt in judo, and best known as Bruce Lee's first official training partner, Assistant Instructor/Co-Instructor.
Howard Williams - began training with Bruce Lee at the young age of 15 during the Oakland, California era and continued to study and teach JKD for over 30 years after Lee's death.
Richard Bustillo - a former student of the late Bruce Lee and well-respected authority on Jeet Kune Do Concepts and Filipino Martial Arts.
Ted Wong - met Bruce Lee in 1967. He became a devoted student, sparring partner, and one of Bruce's closest friends. One of a few people to be certified in the art of JKD by Lee himself.
SHAOLIN WUSHU
Grand Master-J. Justin Meehan
Tai Chi | Wu Shu (Siu Lum) | Praying Mantis
Hung Gar | Wing Chun.
*President of the Chinese Internal Arts Association.
Grand Master-Tuey Staples
Tai Chi Ch’uan & Wing Chun.
U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee.
Grandmaster-“George” Xu Guo Ming
Chen Style Tai Chi & Shaolin Qin Na (Chin Na)
1984, Gold Medal in the Chinese Martial Arts Games
President of WACIMA, the Worldwide Association of Chinese Internal Martial Arts
JUDO
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Gold Medal, 1984 U.S. Armed Forces Judo Championships
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Multi-StateS Judo Champion (California, Nevada, Missouri, Illinois)
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1979 Silver Medalist, USA Judo Midwestern Collegiate Regional Championships
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1971, A.A.U. Judo Jr. Olympic Trials (Competitor)
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Executive Director of Combat Judo International, the largest and fastest growing non-sport judo organization in the world with Department of Defense accreditation.
KARATE (Tang Soo Do / Taekwondo)
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4 Time U.S. Nationals & Regional Karate Champion - ISKF, IKKA, AFKA & USKA
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2 Time IKKA Light Heavyweight Karate Champion (1997 & 1995)
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2X Time ISKF Great Lakes Mid-western Karate Champion (1996 & 1997)
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1996 ISKF, Mid-western Karate Champion, 1996 Black Belt Div. 1st place
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ISKF 19th Annual U.S. Nationals & Pan American Karate Open. 1996 Silver Medal.
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Silver Medal, 1995 United States Karate Association, ‘Goodwill Games‘
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1995 3rd Place, 24th Annual AFKA Grand Nationals
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Grand Champion, 1995 International Kenpo Karate Association,’Quest of the Best’ Tournament held in Pasadena, California.
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1st Place Masters Division, 1994 Rocky Mountain Open Karate Championships.
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3rd Place Black Belt Div. Champion | 24th Annual AFKA Grand Nationals Karate Championships held in Chicago, Ill. (1995)
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2nd Place, 1984 International Sport Karate Federation (ISKF) Chicago Invitational Karate Championships.
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1st Place, 1983, 5th Annual ISKF, ‘American Karate Regional Open’ held in Evanston Illinois.
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Silver Medal (Sparring), 1981 9th Annual Japan Karate Organization (JKO) Open. Held in Kingsport, Tennessee
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Kevin James is a lifetime disciple of the martial arts and one of America's foremost authorities in the field of military and law enforcement counter-terrorism training, high-threat diplomatic protection and personal combatives.
Master Kevin James has been passionately involved in the martial arts since 1968, starting with Japanese Judo at the young age of seven.
For more than two decades Kevin competed in and won first, second or third place in some of the most prestigious tournaments in sport Judo, Karate and full-contact all styles budo.
Master James ended in sport career in 1997 having achieved two international karate championships, a collective 12 US national, regional and state championships, and a gold medal US Armed Forces championship title in Judo.
*As of 2019, Master James holds the rank of 6th degree black belt in Shiseikai Aikibudo, 5th degree black belt in Kodokan Judo (Korean Yudo), 4th degree black belt in Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo and full instructor competency in authentic Jeet Kune Do©.
Filmography:
Visit Kevin James’ IMDB page for details on his movie work.
Kevin James is a veteran of the United States Navy Special Operations community where he served as an elite parachutist and NEC-9502 Master Training Specialist (MTS, for short).
In a leadership capacity, Kevin James was responsible for authoring maritime interdiction (waterborne operations) course training curriculum. His work involved research, evaluation and testing of combat tactics to improve the operational capabilities of his peers; Navy SEAL teams, Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen (SWCC), Explosive Ordinance Disposal technicians, amphibious assault groups and other elite forces.
Kevin led in the delivery of training to his peers and held signatory authority to award Certificates of Competency to graduates of his classes.
After fulfilling his military service obligation, Kevin worked as a contracted tactical instructor/trainer to state Fugitive Law Enforcement Apprehension Group (F.L.A.G.) units, police special response (SRT & SWAT) teams in the Midwest and Private Military Companies involved in post-war reconstruction efforts and diplomatic security services projects in regions of the Middle-east.
About Kevin James
In 1968, at the young age of seven, Kevin and his brother Ronald Ray began formal training in the Japanese martial art of Kodokan Judo. Kevin’s first Judo instructor was Harlan Emerson-Sensei (4th DAN), founder of the American Legion Judo Dojo located in the Southern California town of Lompoc, California.
Sensei-Emerson consistently produced city, state and national-level champions. Kevin and his brother Ronald Ray captured limelight becoming the first African American youth and brothers pair to collectively hold California state judo championship titles in their respective age and weight division, win at U.S. Nationals, and later compete in the A.A.U. Junior Olympic Games.
JUDO has no equal..."
"After 50 long years of exhaustive study in the fighting arts of Korea, China, the Philippine Islands, Indonesia, Russia and Africa...,I can truly say that JUDO stands alone, in a class all by itself."
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Former Head Coach of No Gi Judo & ShootBoxing at Tap Out LA located in downtown Los Angeles, California. *Gym name change to HQ Brand Training Center in late 2014. Between 2008 and 2015, Tap Out LA was widely regarded as one of the top #10 MMA training centers in North America. For many years Tap Out LA was the #1 mixed martial arts training facility on the West Coast and top #5 in the world. The biggest names in the UFC, Bellator and K-1 Kickboxing trained at TapOut LA on a regular basis.
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Head Instructor (Contractor) - Glenarm Recreation Center, a fitness center owned by City of Denver Department of Parks and Recreation.
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Former Program Director at Mile High Karate Denver Grandmaster Stephan Oliver
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Head Judo (Korean Yudo) Instructor at Tiger Kim’s Academy in Denver, Colorado
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Owner & Head Instructor - Iron Dragon Jeet Kune Do Academy at City of Littleton YMCA in Littleton, Colorado
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Former Head Instructor (Contractor) at Gold’s Gym of Alexandria, Virginia
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INSTRUCTOR COMPETENT
Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do
Kevin James is a qualified Full Instructor in Jun Fan Martial Arts/ Jeet Kune Do Concepts. For over 40 years he has studied directly with well known first generation former students of the late Bruce Lee.
In addition to having earned JKD certificates of training from Richard Bustillo and Dan Inosanto, Sifu James studied with the incomparable Jesse Glover who was Bruce Lee’s very first student in the United States and Lee's first Assistant Instructor. Sijo-Jesse Glover is the creator of Non-classical Wing Chun and was the first man to teach Judo to Bruce Lee and held the rank of 2nd dan black belt in judo as well.
Kevin James (l) training with Dan Inosanto (r) who is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority in Bruce Lee's art of Jeet Kune Do. [July 2003].
HONORARY SHIHAN (師範) Expert Instructor of Shiseikai Aikibudo as certified by the Shiseikan Budojo Honbu in Minatoku-Tokyo, Japan.
Kevin James is a longtime pupil of the late Kaichi Tei, (1911-2006) and his hightest ranking Assistant Instructor. Kaichi Tei is an Aikido Journal Encyclopedia Hall of Fame inductee. Kaichi Tei is one of Japan’s most revered pioneers of Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujutsu and Kodokan Judo.
What Is AikiBudo?
AIKIBUDO is a synergistic blend of several traditional budo arts rooted in the principles of "Aiki". Sogaku Takeda defined aiki as “the ability to defeat an enemy with a single glance.” The word, “Aiki” is composed of two characters: The first character conveys the meaning “to unify, come together or fit.” The second character is commonly defined as energy or spirit. Through proper breathing, exercises and meditation one can develop the ability to collect, harness and unify and project the cosmic energy of your opponent, nature, and yourself to achieve a specific tactical objective.
The art of Aikibudo draws on concepts from Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu (feudal era Japanese samurai combatives), Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu (sword-based fighting concepts), Iaido, Yagyu Shingan-ryu, Kito Ryu Jujitsu, Hakko Ryu Jujitsu, Nippon Kempo Jujitsu (Full-contact Kumite), Wado Ryu Karate, Shorinji Kempo, Aikido, and Judo.
5th Degree Black Belt in Kodokan Judo – as certified by the hand of Kaichi Tei-Judo 8th DAN, Shigeru Okada-Judo 8th DAN, and three prestigous accrediting bodies; the Menji Jingu Budoju Shiseikaikan Aikibudo Honbu located in Shibuya-ku Tokyo, the Kokusai Budoin Remnei IMAF (International Martial Arts Federation) headquartered in Japan, and Combat Judo International (CJI) of Los Angeles, California. Kevin James is also a former member of NANKA Judo Southern California and the United States Judo Association.
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· 1st Degree Black Belt - February 21, 1978
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· 2nd Degree Black Belt - December 2, 1981
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· 3rd Degree Black Belt - May 3, 1992
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· 4th Degree Black Belt - March 3, 1998
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· 5th Degree Black Belt - October 17, 2000
Instructor Competent in Jun Fan Gung Fu & Jeet Kune Do - as recognized by Sigung Richard Bustillo. Since 1982, Kevin James has attended numerous seminars, boot camps, and semi-private training sessions in Jun Fan Fighting Concepts. His instructors included; Sigung-Jesse Glover, Sifu-Howard Williams, Sifu-Ted Wong, Sigung-Richard Bustillo, and Guro-Daniel Inosanto. Each of these men are well known former students of the late Bruce Lee. *Kevin James completed the equivalent to 450+ classroom training hours over a 35 year period.
4th Degree Black Belt (master teacher) in Chung Do Kwan Taekwondo as certified by Grand Master Duk Sung Son (9th degree black belt) and founder of the World Taekwondo Association. Grand Master Duk Sung Son (June 17, 1922 – March 29, 2011) was a co-founder of the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do, and successor/inheritor of Won Kuk Lee's Chung Do Kwan worldwide family of schools.
Additional credentials awarded from the hand of Grandmaster Jung Kil Kim-9th DAN (President of the World Taekwondo Moo Duk Gwan Association), former Vice President of the Korean Taekwondo Association, and Colorado state President of A.A.U. Taekwondo Olympic Committee. Grandmaster Kim is a member of the World Taekwondo Masters Union (WTMU) - an officially recognized affiliate of the Kukkiwon, which is the international governing body for Taekwondo worldwide https://www.wtmu.org/state-of-colorado/
The WTMU is fully authorized by the Kukkiwon to supervise black belt rank examination testing up to 9th dan on behalf of the Kukkiwon. Verify the same here.
*Kevin James directed and managed all aspects of delivering judo instruction to 100+ students at Tiger Kim’s Academy of Martial Arts and taught full-contact Kyuk Too Ki and Yong Mudo. Kevin reported directly to Grand-master Jung Kil Kim.
Date chronology of rank issuance
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1st degree black belt certificate #2061. June 12th, 1985
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2nd degree black belt certificate #2282. December 2, 1989
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3rd degree black belt certificate #3713. May 3rd, 1994
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4th degree black belt certificate #8031. March 23, 1998
1st Degree Black belt in Jung Mu Won Hapkido - as certified by the Korea Kido Association. Dr. Chong Sung Kim of the Jang Mu Wong Hapkido Association. The Jang Mu Won style of Hapkido is the only style of Hapkido that places a strong emphasis on preparing students for multiple attacker scenarios and how to use a wide range of improvised weapons. The training syllabus contains all of the kicking techniques common to Taekwondo, the joint-locks of Aikido, and foot-sweeps, reaps, and throwing techniques of Judo.