Sensei-Guro T. Kent Nelson

Sensei-GuroT. Kent Nelson has had a buring passion for the martial arts his entire life. He has been studying them for over 25 years. To him martial arts is not just something you do, it's a way of life.

Nelson has achieved many accomplishments over the years, with promises of more to come. He is the owner of K.S.K. Martial Arts in Lansing, MI. as well as founder of "CUTTING EDGE: Defensive Tactics Training" for law enforcement and security personal. He is the only civilian in the history of Michigan who has a curriculum endorsed by the Michigan Sheriff's Association. His DVDs have sold in 13 countries, he teaches public and private seminars to both civilians and police officers. He has been featured in the book "The Way to Black Belt", and he dedicates a large amount of time not only training with some of the best teachers in the world, but also making sure that each and every one of the students that train with him get the best possible instruction he can provide, and creating a close family-like environment among them.

Sensei-Guro T. Kent Nelson started his martial arts training in 1984, spending seven years studying the Korean Kicking art of Chang Moo Kwon TaeKwon-Do. After finding himself in a real-life self defense situation, Nelson decided to expand his base of knowledge by enrolling in a Japanese System based Dojo where he studied the arts of Iki-Shin-Do Karate (art of striking) , Jujitsu (art of joint locks and chokes), Kobudo (art of Okinawan weapons), and Iaido (art of the sword).

Nelson enjoyed the structure of the classes and high focus level of all the students very much. A lot of emphasis was placed on courtesy & self discipline, something he believes we are missing too much of in our world today. He feels that the hard nose traditional methods of training were extremely beneficial in his strong character development.

Nelson was amazed at the differences between the systems he studied, each with its own unique advantages and drawbacks. The main drawback being that the structure and mind set for each system was different, making it very difficult to switch from using one set of techniques to another without having to completely change your body structure, stance, and way of thinking.

To combat this problem, in 1992 he began to catalog the effective techniques in each system he studied, and threw out the ineffective or impractical. However he knew at this point all he had was a hodge-podge of unconnected material, so Nelson began to study and develop the transitions between the techniques. He looked for and developed the pathways that allowed one to freely flow from one form of defense into another.

Over the years of training, Nelson began to recognize the underlying principals of movement, leverage, and weight distribution that were universal in almost all martial arts. In the late 90's he began developing a curriculum to teach those guiding principals, and how to apply them in various situations and ranges. This made his material connected and interchangeable, instead of just a grab bag of different techniques.

He calls this curriculum he teaches Kai-Shin (style of an open mind & open heart). It is his goal to teach techniques which can apply in modern day society, while still teaching the character building skills of a traditional martial art.

On May 13, 1997, his curriculum of Kai-Shin became recognized and endorsed by the Unity Martial Arts Association and has been growing ever since.

As the years have passed, Sensei-Guro Nelson has engulfed himself in both traditional & modern martial arts such as Jeet Kune Do, Jun Fan, Silat, Muay Thai, Panantukan, Dumog, Shorin-Ryu, Tuite’ Jutsu,
Kyusho Jutsu, Suikendo, Boxing, Grappling & Ground-Fighting.

He also enjoys a very in depth study of the Filipino martial arts such as Kali, Escrima and Arnis

He has trained with such masters as Taika Seiyu Oyata (founder of Oyata Shin Shu Ho Ryu), and Filipino knife expert Dr. Gyi.

Sensei-Guro Nelson also continues to train with such living legends as Guro Dan Inosanto (Filipino and Chinese martial arts expert, and top student of the late Bruce Lee) and Sensei Tadashi Yamashita (founder of Suikendo), several times a year.

In addtion to his study of the fighting arts, Nelson also researches the defensive tactics of Police officers, soliders and those who are faced with the possibility of life and death situations every day. He does this by training with "Controlled F.O.R.C.E.", one of the best and most well respected companies specializing in training Law Enforcement and Military personnel on Survival Tactics & Anti-Terrorism methods. He currently holds a Level 1 & 2 instructor certification.

He also holds an instructorship under Paul Vunak, primary Hand-To-Hand combat instructor for the Navy Seals from 1987-1991. Vunak has also worked with the Department of Defense, the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Huston SWAT and the United States Marshalls.

Nelson is also a contributer to the newest book by martial arts authors L.A. Kane & Kris Wilder entitled "The Way To Black Belt"

It is because of his tireless pursuit in the arts that his curriculum of Kai-Shin is in a constant state of evolution and improvement. Sensei Nelson has an incredibly deep passion for the martial arts, and it is his goal to spread the positivity and benefits that he has received from them, to others.

Achievements & Ranking:

* Owner & Head Instructor of KSK Martial Arts:
School of Realistic Martial Arts

* Founder & Head Instructor of
CUTTING EDGE: Defensive Tactics Training for
Law Enforcement & Security Personnel

* Certified Instructor in Jun Fan Gung Fu & The Filipino Martial Arts
under Guro Dan Inosanto

* Certified Level 1 & 2 Instructor with Controlled F.O.R.C.E.
One of the most well respected organizations specializing in training
Law Enforcement, Military and Security personnel in survival / defensive tactics and
anti-terrorism methods. Including the FBI, U.S. Army and Marines.

* Certified Instructor in Jeet Kune Do, The Filipino Martial Arts,
and Edged Weapons Instructor under Sifu Paul Vunak
Primary Hand-To-Hand Combat instructor for the Navy SEALS 1987-1991. He has also worked with the Department of Defense, U.S. Marshalls, Marines, Army, Air Force, and mutiple police agencies across the United States.

* Certified R.A.T. (Rapid Assault Tactics) Instructor
Personally certified in the R.A.T. directly under the system's founder Paul Vunak. The R.A.T. was created as the primary hand to hand combat system for the U.S. Navy SEALS, and is still in use today by the military and marjor law enforcement agencies.

* Sensei-Guro T. Kent Nelson's Seminar Series DVDs
have sold in thirteen seperate countries

* Featured in the book “The Way to Black Belt” by five-time
martial arts authors L.A. Kane & Kris Wilder (2007)

* Has taught several public seminars on various aspects of the
martial arts in the Michigan area.

* Over 25 years total martial arts experience
in various styles and disciplines from cultures all over the world
including American, Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Okinawan, Japanese,
Chinese, Brazilian, and Korean.

* 16 Years continuous training in the “Filipino Martial Arts”

* 15 Years continuous training in “Suikendo”
Has been granted direct permission from Suikendo founder, Sensei Tadashi Yamashita, to teach the system in public seminars.

* Instructors License under the Unity Martial Arts Association

* 4th Degree black belt under the Unity Martial Arts Association

* 2nd Degree black belt in Shorinkan Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do

* 1st Degree Black Belt in Chang Moo Kwan TaeKwon-Do