I started training in the martial arts in 1970 and in a Yang style in 1975. I trained under a variety of local instructors in Ottawa, Canada, most notably Shirley and Steven Choi [R.I.P.] and  Allan Weiss.  Since first being certified as an instructor by Mr. Weiss in 1985, I taught group and private classes on an ongoing basis and have been doing so ever since with very few interruptions [wretched COVID stealing two years of my life that way]. 

Over the decades, I have been influenced by  variety of  instructors and I would like to thank the taiji experts who most influenced my training and teaching [notably William C.C. Chen, Sam Masich,  Eric Chew [R.I.P. 1997] and Erle Montaigue [R.I.P. 2011] after Allan Weiss. I make no claim to be currently part of any of their lineages or associations though all except Mr. Chew certified me at different times in the early 1990s to teach all or part of their curriculums.

I also learned baguazhang to some depth, being certified to teach that discipline by Mr. Montaigue in 1994. I led weekly group classes in that discipline for a decade and continue to practise it to this day. I have also learned and practiced aspects of traditional xingyiquan [since 1990] and Sun-style Taijiquan [since 2000] but have never been certified to teach those arts.

I have been writing on a variety of martial topics since 1980 and am the author of over 100 published print articles on taijiquan and the martial arts in a variety of Canadian and foreign magazines [among others... The RCMP Gazette, Karate Illustrated, Law & Order, Inside KungFu, Police Review, Combat & Healing, Tongren, and Irish Fighter].  I  also wrote two books on taijiquan and co-authored another with Erle Montaigue and all were published by Paladin Press in the USA.  Sadly, after being available for many years, all three are now out-of-print. Come to think of it. Paladin Press has also closed for business as of 2017. The age of print media seems sadly over.

For more than a decade in recent years, I kept a blog on taijiquan, baguazhang, swordsmanship and a variety of martial topics that I wrote a post for every month; but that ended in 2017. 

I taught group and private classes at a variety of locations [community & fitness centres, other martial arts schools, and finally my own school in downtown Ottawa] from 1985 until 2010.  Thanks to the hundreds of people who have passed through my hands as an instructor and especially to my teachers and senior students, past and present. A good teacher can only become that way by continuing to research the disciplines that intrigue him or her and by training with and teaching a variety of students over the long-term.  Any flaws in my teaching should be attributed to me and not taken as a reflection on the abilities of any of those with whom I have studied in the past. You can see some of my solo form work on my Youtube Channel.

As to summing up my philosophy towards the Chinese internal martial arts... I particularly like the words of an instructor who I regret never having met.  Wai Lun Choi once wrote: "To develop yourself, you must turn away from mysticism and mythology and the belief in secrets that you imagine will transform you. Science and nature are your true teachers, correct training is what will transform you."

For A Post on my Taiji Teaching Career by A British Taiji/Martial colleague [Thank You, Graham] visit his site and/or listen to a separate podcast interview he did with me sometime later here.