Andrew Hall is not your typical Martial Artist. Well known throughout the town of Oyster Bay N.Y.
Andrew a family man began his Martial Arts Journey on his birthday in 1980, when he attended an intro class for Chinese Kenpo. Three years later he was teaching the art and achieved his first black belt in 1985. Andrew never thought that one class would unleash a passion that is even stronger today than it was in 1980.
Andrew’s Martial Arts background is expansive and during the last three decades Andrew has racked up quite a resume specifically
• Black Belt in Kenpo.
• Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do

• Black Belt in Wushu.

• Full Instructor (Jeet Kune Do ) under Sifu Paul Vunak
and Progressive Fighting Systems.
• Full Instructor (Jeet Kune Do) under Sifu Michael Gruener
and Tactical Solutions for Defense.
• Law Enforcement and Military Certified at
DEA facility in San Diego.
• Guest Appearance on News 12 Long Island to discuss
personal protection.
• Certified in Sports Safety Training
• Certified in Child and Adult CPR
• Competency in Tai Chi and several Kung Fu styles.

Andrew is a pioneer in his field in 1985 he started offering private instruction for families in their home.
It was then he developed his “Family Protection Program”. Andrew found that when families train together and practice together they stay “safe” together and become closer.
Andrew’s passion for the martial arts is second only to his dedication to the community. Andrew started his first Police Athletic League program in 1984 and since then has opened four additional
programs and assisted in a fifth. In 1987 he was presented with an extraordinary opportunity to study Wushu in China by his teacher Master Yu Shao Wen a member of the Beijing Wushu National Team.
Andrew took the opportunity and upon return made a major decision he would focus on helping as many people as he could learn to defend themselves and their families. During the next 12 years he would work on honing his personal protection program and customizing it for different ages and occupations.Andrew has conducted numerous personal protection seminars some examples are:
• Junior League Women’s Group.
• Long Island University Brooklyn Campus for
Students and Residential Life Staff.
• New York Institute of Technology Central Islip
for Residential Life Staff.
• New York Institute of Technology Criminal Justice
Exposition for Nursing, Police and Corrections Personnel.
• Threats In The Air for Airline Personnel.
In 2001 with the advent of the September 11th terror attacks Andrew formed Close Quarters inc. a counter terrorist training company which specialized in training for civilian and military personnel.
Today Andrew’s dedication to children and the community is stronger than ever. While he still does individual private training his focus is on his Family Protection and children’s program. His current children’s program has 130 students and has the only martial arts scholarship program in the area.
In Andrew’s own words “My Favorite thing is to have a child come to me shy and intimidated and then to watch them as they are empowered and break out of their shell…. Become a dynamo of sorts. Their
self confidence increases, they do better in school and are more resistant to peer pressure.They are more inclined to go along their own path rather than go along with the crowd.”

Age: 44
Married:3 children
Locust Valley, NY

Russ has been studying and teaching professional martial arts for more than 25 plus
years. He began his training in Shotokan karate and placed third in the New York State
High School wrestling Championships.

In 1987, Russ decided to pursue his martial arts path and moved to Southern California to
study Bruce Lee’s art of Jeet Kune Do under internationally acclaimed expert, Paul
Vunak. While in California Russ had access to some of the best martial arts instructors in
the world. He trained, taught and assisted in many seminars and for Russ this was his
dream come true.

In 1989, Russ moved back to Long Island to continue onward with training, teaching and
sharing the many disciplines he learned. During the next two decades, he trained many
people of all ages and occupations including stay-at-home mothers, doctors, lawyers,
security, military and law enforcement personnel.

Credentials:

•
Black Belt in Eskrima (Doce Pares under Grandmaster Arnulfo “Dong” Cuesta)
•
Full Instructor in Jeet Kune Do under Michael Gruener
•
Full Instructor in Jeet Kune Do and Kali under Tom Barell
•
Instructor under Richard Bustillo
•
Apprentice Instructor with Paul Vunak
•
Blue Belt in Jujitsu from Matt and Nick Serra
•
Member of the 1992 United States Stick fighting team
•
Muay Thai (Phil Nurse and Joe Sampieri)
•
Sayoc Kali (Tuhon Chris Sayoc)
•
ASP certified
•
Appeared in Inside Kung Fu (February 1989)
•
Appeared in Inside Karate (May 1989)
•
Appeared in Jeet Kune Do Magazine (October 1989)
•
Appeared in Inside Kung Fu (June 1996)
Russ has always been fascinated with the martial arts and felt there was something
“Mystical” about them. When Russ was asked why he still teaches, he simply stated “The
biggest part is the teaching… all of what I have learned doesn’t mean a darn thing unless
I teach it”. What distinguishes Russ from most instructors is not only his ability to spot
talent and develop it in a variety of disciplines, but more so his finesse in bringing out the
champion in the average person, helping them reach levels they never thought they were
capable of, both physically and mentally. He is a man of encouraging words, instilling
confidence in many, both in and out of the martial arts community.

Florian Knapper begann im Alter von 14 Jahren mit dem Training in verschiedenen Kampfkünsten. Über Wing Tsun und Aikido kam er Ende der neunziger Jahre zum ITF-Taekwon-Do, welches er rund 10 Jahre trainierte und bereits 2001 die Prüfung zum 1. Dan ablegte. Einige Jahre lang war er als Taekwon-Do-Trainer im Jugend- und Erwachsenenbereich tätig. 
Da er stets an realistischer Selbstverteidigung interessiert war, begann er mit dem Crosstraining in den verschiedensten Kampfkünsten, denn…
… „only a complete fighter is a good fighter”.
Dies führte ihn schließlich zu Progressive Fighting Systems und später Tactical Solutions for Defense. In T.S.D. hat Florian gefunden, was er lange Jahre gesucht hatte: Ein den Gegebenheiten der heutigen Zeit angepasstes, realistisches Selbstverteidigungssystem, welches das Kämpfen in allen Distanzen mit und ohne Waffen lehrt.
Seit Ende 2010 ist Florian Full Instructor unter Michael Grüner und gibt momentan regelmäßiges Training beim Chang Hun Taekwon-Do Verein in Mühlacker (zwischen Stuttgart und Karlsruhe). Parallel zum T.S.D.-Training beschäftigt Florian sich mit Grappling, insb. mit dem Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

I began my self-defense training in mid-2007 personally training with Michael. I was originally searching for the most effective self-defense program to learn how best to protect my family. Finding my new passion and realizing the benefits of the training, I set a goal to become a Full-Instructor under Michael. I continue my personal development and martial arts training in TSD within the JKD framework, and now offer training to interested students. I’ve worked and lived in Germany for more than 8 years, working professionally in corporate finance for some of the most respected companies in the world. I am American and speak English and German. If you are interested in training with me please contact him by email.