Enhanced Training Solutions - ETS 360

Please take a few minutes to read this story about Martial Arts in the PNW. There are many more names that could be added, numerous more stories as well. The original article is 22 pages long. It wouldn't fit here so this is the "social media" version.
If you have some stories to add, if you are named here and have corrections to make, please do so. I'd love this to become a living documentation of the world of Martial Arts in the PNW.
I am humbled to be surrounded by so many good and amazing people.
WATER, STEEL AND THE NORTHWEST
A Martial Arts Culture More Than Sixty Years in the Making
Yesterday morning I walked into a martial arts tournament in Bellevue expecting something much larger.
It wasn't.
But then I started watching.
Practitioners from the Shou-Yu Liang Wushu Taiji Qigong Institute in British Columbia performed Chen and Yang Taijiquan, short forms and sword with remarkable technical depth. I watched Sh*to-ryu karate practitioners demonstrate a completely different kind of mastery—precise, disciplined and deeply rooted in their tradition.
I've spent more than forty years in martial arts, yet these people had developed abilities I don't possess and probably never will. They had simply traveled farther down different paths.
And I found myself wondering:
How much martial arts history is actually sitting around me?
As it turns out, an extraordinary amount.
The Pacific Northwest has quietly developed one of the most interesting martial arts cultures in North America.
Bruce Lee arrived in Seattle in 1959, still a young martial artist. He studied here, taught here, attended the University of Washington and developed some of the ideas that would eventually influence martial artists around the world.
Around him gathered people including Jesse Glover, Taky Kimura, James DeMile and Ed Hart. Glover, Lee's first Seattle student, eventually developed Non-Classical Gung Fu.
It would be wrong to suggest Bruce Lee created the Northwest's martial culture. Japanese, Okinawan, Korean, Chinese and Filipino traditions all developed their own histories here.
But there's something fitting about one of history's greatest advocates for martial exploration developing in a region that would become unusually comfortable with people crossing stylistic boundaries.
Traditional karate was establishing deep roots as well. Julius Thiry founded the Washington Karate Association in Seattle in 1966.
The Northwest also developed a significant tournament culture through people such as Steve Armstrong and later Dan “Super Dan” Anderson, who competed throughout the region and nationally.
Korean martial arts became part of that landscape too. Mike Shintaku opened the Seattle Tang Soo Do Association in 1978 and spent decades teaching and competing. Mike and David Carman would later help continue that open-tournament tradition through Tacoma's City of Destiny Classic.
Then came another enormous influence: the Filipino martial arts.
Professor Remy Presas, founder of Modern Arnis, traveled throughout the United States teaching and repeatedly visited the Northwest. Dan Anderson eventually trained with Presas and later described him as the teacher who helped transform him from primarily a sport-karate competitor into a more complete martial artist.
The fighter hadn't rejected karate.
He had expanded the questions he could answer.
And perhaps nothing represents that Northwest philosophy better than **Water and Steel**.
Created by Kelly Worden, Water and Steel became a gathering where practitioners from different backgrounds could spend days exchanging ideas—Filipino martial arts, Jeet Kune Do concepts, karate, grappling, sambo, weapons, combatives, defensive tactics and more.
James Keating, Ted Lucaylucay, Leonard Trigg, Burton Richardson, Michael Janich and many others passed through over the decades.
In 2026, Water and Steel marked its 45th year.
Forty-five years of martial artists gathering in Washington simply to train, experiment and exchange knowledge.
And that's when this history started becoming personal for me.
I didn't grow up in the Pacific Northwest. By the time I moved here, my own martial journey had already lasted decades through martial arts, law enforcement, security, defensive tactics, fi****ms instruction and personal protection.
When I arrived, I knew very few people in the Northwest martial community.
But I knew, Mike Shintaku.
Shortly after arriving, I visited Mike's school. I took a class. Afterward we went out for a drink and talked martial arts.
At the time, Mike was simply another experienced martial artist I knew.
Only much later did I appreciate that the man whose school I'd casually walked into had already been part of Northwest martial arts since the 1970s.
Mike was one of my first doorways into a community I didn't yet understand.
Then the other names started becoming people.
Several years ago I attended Water and Steel and met, Tim Gustavson, one of Dan Anderson's top competition students and also a practitioner of Modern Arnis.
We started working together.
Tim looked at me and said:
“Oh, somebody who actually knows what he's doing.”
Longtime martial artists understand that statement. It isn't about belts. You recognize experience through timing, structure, balance, pressure and movement.
Tim and I connected. Eventually I spent a weekend at his home. We trained, exchanged ideas and went into the woods and played with sticks.
No tournament. No certificate. No argument about whose system was superior.
Just two longtime martial artists exchanging knowledge.
Later, I interviewed for a position with Security Services Northwest. Doug Tangen was on the interview board.
Water and Steel came up.
Kelly Worden's name came up.
Other familiar names followed.
We discovered a common language.
At work he became Doug One and I became Doug Two.
My own Northwest path continued through Duvall Martial Arts, Eastside Combatives, teaching at Seattle Shaolin Kungfu Academy, and eventually the work I do today through Warrior Path and ETS360.
And somewhere along the way, without really recognizing it, I had become part of the culture I was researching.
Not one of its legendary figures.
One of the thousands.
Because that's the real Pacific Northwest martial-arts story.
It's not ultimately about ten famous people.
It's about thousands of people who walked into dojos, competed in tournaments, attended seminars, became teachers, police officers, coaches and parents, crossed the Canadian border to train, and passed what they learned to someone else.
There is no single Pacific Northwest martial art.
No headquarters.
No founder.
No flag.
There is karate, Tang Soo Do, Chinese martial arts, Filipino martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, Taijiquan, Jeet Kune Do, Modern Arnis, grappling, combatives, defensive tactics and modern combat sports.
Some preserved tradition.
Others deliberately broke from it.
The connective tissue wasn't agreement. It was exchange.
Which brings me back to that little tournament in Bellevue.
Watching those practitioners made me realize something else.
Not everything in martial arts has to “work in the UFC.”
An elite MMA fighter placed into a high-level Chen Taijiquan forms competition would probably perform terribly. That doesn't mean MMA doesn't work.
It means that wasn't the question being asked.
Martial arts can be about combat, self-defense, sport, health, culture, historical preservation, professional application, personal development, artistic expression and community.
A serious martial artist should be capable of recognizing excellence even when it occurs in a discipline he doesn't practice.
Perhaps especially then.
Yesterday I went to a relatively small martial arts tournament.
Instead, I stumbled into more than sixty years of Pacific Northwest martial history—and realized that, somewhere along the way, I had walked into the story myself.
My place in that history is small.
I find that comforting rather than disappointing.
Because none of us owns this.
Not the champion.
Not the grandmaster.
Not the person with fifty years of experience.
Certainly not me.
We borrow the tradition.
We receive knowledge from people who came before us. We test some of it. Preserve some. Change some. Discard some. And, if we're fortunate, pass something useful to another person.
That person changes it again.
That's how a living martial culture survives.
I arrived somewhere in the middle of the story. I'll leave somewhere in the middle of it too.
And somewhere years from now, one of the students being taught in a Northwest dojo today will meet another martial artist.
They'll compare backgrounds.
A familiar instructor's name will come up.
One of them will smile.
Then they'll start training.
And the story will continue.

Doug is super knowledgeable and has a vast experience in various martial arts and real time altercation handling skills. If you have never taken such classes, you will be able to gain lots of valuable skills and techniques for real life situations. If you have some martial arts experience, you will be able to make them more applicable and gain great insides into the motion mechanics. Highly recommend to everyone!

Thank you for the recommendation P.

Warrior Path is expanding to TWO nights a week!

Beginning September 15th, Warrior Path classes will be;
Monday at 7:00 PM
Thursday at 7:00 PM

Adding a second weekly class gives students more opportunity to train consistently, reinforce what they’ve learned, and build skills through repetition and regular practice.

Martial arts and practical self defense aren’t learned in a single class. Skills develop over time—learning the movement, practicing it, applying it, and then coming back to refine it. Training twice a week helps keep those skills fresh and allows us to build from one class to the next.

Whether you’re already training with us or have been thinking about giving Warrior Path a try, this is a great time to get involved.

Our next class is this Thursday at 7:00 PM.
Two nights. More training. Better skills.
Warrior Path – Modern Combatives
Prepare • Protect • Perform
www.ets360.org

Some pics from last night's WARRIOR PATH Class. Defend against hand strikes, get knocked down, fight to get back up, get knocked down again, get back up.

Working against 3 different strikes then transitioning through 3 different levels to get back to your feet. Staying on the ground in a self defense situation is not a good option.

Learn more about our weekly classes at www.ets360.org/warrior-path

Here is article #4 in our series on the 5 A's. Awareness, Assessment, Avoidance and now Action.
Action: When It Is Time to Act
Personal protection begins long before anything becomes physical.
You become aware of your environment.
You assess something that has caught your attention.
You look for opportunities to avoid the situation.
You communicate, create distance, change direction, leave the area, or seek assistance.
But sometimes those options don't work.
Sometimes the situation continues to develop despite everything you've done to prevent it.
At that point, you have reached **Action**.
Action Begins With a Decision
Action does not necessarily mean fighting.
Action means making a conscious decision about what needs to happen next and committing to it.
You may need to run.
You may need to call 911.
You may need to move another person to safety.
You may need to lock a door, create a barrier, or move behind cover.
You may need to clearly tell someone to stop, stay back, or leave you alone.
And sometimes, when there are no reasonable alternatives left, you may need to physically defend yourself.
The important part is making the decision and acting on it.
Indecision costs time.
And during a dangerous situation, time matters.
Create Time and Distance
Whenever possible, your first action should improve your position.
Move.
Create distance.
Put something between yourself and the threat.
Move toward an exit.
Move toward other people.
Get behind a locked door.
Get into your vehicle and leave if you can safely do so.
Distance gives you time.
Barriers create obstacles.
Time gives you options.
The more options you have, the less likely you are to need physical force.
Set Clear Boundaries
Sometimes action means communicating very clearly.
"Stop."
"Stay back."
"Don't come any closer."
"Leave me alone."
Your voice should be clear, confident, and appropriate to the situation.
Your hands can come up into a natural protective position while you continue creating distance.
This allows you to communicate while also preparing yourself if the situation suddenly becomes physical.
You are still attempting to prevent violence.
But you are also preparing for the possibility that prevention may fail.
Recognize When the Situation Has Changed
There is a point where communication and avoidance may no longer be appropriate.
Someone grabs you.
Someone attacks you.
Someone produces a weapon.
Someone prevents you from leaving.
Someone attacks another person who cannot protect themselves.
At that point, the situation has changed.
You are no longer trying to determine whether there is a threat.
You are responding to one.
If You Must Act, Act Decisively
Physical self-defense should always be a last resort.
But last resort does not mean hesitation.
If you reasonably believe physical action is necessary to protect yourself or another person from harm, your response needs to be decisive and appropriate to the threat.
Move.
Protect yourself.
Create an opportunity to escape.
Use the amount of force reasonably necessary to stop the immediate danger.
Then disengage as soon as it is safe to do so.
The objective is not punishment.
The objective is not revenge.
The objective is not winning a fight.
The objective is stopping the threat and getting to safety.
Know When to Stop
Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to act.
Once the immediate danger has ended, your priorities change.
Create distance.
Move to safety.
Call 911 when appropriate.
Request medical assistance if needed.
Be aware of additional threats.
Do not continue a confrontation simply because you're angry, frightened, or emotionally overwhelmed.
Your actions should always have a purpose.
Once that purpose has been accomplished, stop.
Action Is More Than Physical Skill
This is why personal protection cannot simply be a collection of fighting techniques.
Good physical skills matter.
But they exist inside a much larger decision-making process.
Awareness identified the problem.
Assessment helped you understand it.
Avoidance gave you opportunities to prevent it.
Communication may have helped you resolve it.
Action is what happens when a decision finally has to be made.
Sometimes the best action is leaving.
Sometimes it's calling for help.
Sometimes it's protecting another person.
And sometimes it's physically defending yourself.
The skill is knowing which action the situation requires.
Your Prime Directive
Everything comes back to one objective:
Go home safe.
Physically.
Mentally.
Emotionally.
Financially.
Legally.
You don't need to prove anything.
You don't need to win an argument.
You don't need to punish anyone.
You need to make the decisions that give you the best opportunity to go home safe at the end of the day.
When action becomes necessary, act for that reason and that reason alone.
Your Prime Directive: Go Home Safe.
www.ets360.org
[email protected]
Prepare • Protect • Perform

THE NAME IS NEW. THE TRAINING ISN'T.

For decades, I've trained and taught martial arts, self-defense, personal protection, and defensive skills.

WARRIOR PATH brings that experience together into a practical training program for teens and adults right here on the Eastside.

This isn't about collecting belts or memorizing techniques just because they've always been done that way.

It's about learning skills that work.

🥊 How to strike effectively
🥋 How to move, control distance, and escape
⚔️ How to understand and deal with weapons
👊 How to function at close range and on the ground
👀 How to recognize trouble early enough to avoid it
🧠 How to stay calm, think, and act when things go wrong

You don't need previous martial arts experience. You don't need to be young, exceptionally fit, or naturally athletic.

You start where you are.

Our instructors guide you along your own Warrior Path, building your skills and capabilities through realistic, hands-on training.

September enrollment is now open for teens and adults.

If you've been thinking about learning how to protect yourself—or getting back into training—this is a great time to start.

WARRIOR PATH
Prepare • Protect • Perform

Enhanced Training Solutions 360
Redmond / Eastside
www.ets.org/warrior-path

Awareness, Assessment, Avoidance.
The 3 A's of Self defense.
Avoidance: The Smartest Fight Is the One You Never Have
One of the biggest misconceptions about personal protection is that strength wins.
It doesn't.
The greatest victory is avoiding the confrontation altogether.
Avoidance isn't weakness. It isn't fear. It isn't backing down.
It is making a smart decision before a situation becomes dangerous.
Awareness Creates Options
Avoidance begins with situational awareness.
If you never recognize a developing problem, you'll never have the opportunity to avoid it.
Notice what's happening around you.
Recognize when someone's behavior changes.
Pay attention to your intuition.
The earlier you recognize a potential problem, the more choices you have.
Time creates options.
Assessment Guides Your Decision
Once your awareness tells you something deserves attention, assess the situation.
Is this simply an argument between other people?
Is someone becoming aggressive?
Has someone focused their attention on you?
Are they closing distance?
Are they intoxicated?
Are they trying to provoke a confrontation?
Not every situation requires the same response.
The better your assessment, the better your decision.
Leave Before You Have To
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting until they're certain there's a problem.
By then, they may have already lost the advantage.
If something doesn't feel right, leave.
Walk away.
Drive away.
Cross the street.
Take a different route.
Return another day.
There is no prize for staying.
Move Toward Safety
When leaving, don't simply create distance.
Move toward safety.
Walk into a busy, well-lit business.
Go inside a 24-hour gas station or convenience store.
Enter a restaurant or coffee shop.
Ask an employee for assistance.
Stay where other people are present.
If you believe you're in immediate danger, call 911 and clearly explain what is happening and where you are.
Distance and witnesses are powerful deterrents.
Don't Let Your Ego Make Decisions
Many confrontations happen because neither person wants to back down.
Someone makes a rude comment.
Someone bumps into another person.
Someone cuts another driver off.
Someone wants the last word.
None of those things are worth getting injured—or worse.
Sometimes the smartest response is simply:
"I'm not looking for any problems."
"Have a good night."
"My mistake."
Or even buying the other person a drink if that ends the confrontation.
The goal isn't to win the argument.
The goal is to go home safely.
De-escalation Is Strength
Confidence doesn't always mean standing your ground.
Sometimes confidence means staying calm while everyone else is losing control.
Speak respectfully.
Keep your voice calm.
Don't insult.
Don't threaten.
Don't challenge.
Give the other person an opportunity to save face and walk away.
Most people don't actually want a fight.
They want the conflict to end without feeling embarrassed.
Every Situation Is Different
There is no single answer that fits every encounter.
Sometimes walking away is enough.
Sometimes creating distance is enough.
Sometimes calling for help is the right decision.
Sometimes you may have no choice but to defend yourself.
But if avoidance is still possible, it is almost always the safest option.
Going Home Safe Is the Goal
Personal protection isn't about proving how tough you are.
It isn't about winning arguments or dominating confrontations.
It's about making smart decisions that keep you, your family, and the people around you safe.
Because every confrontation you successfully avoid is one you never have to survive.
The best self-defense technique is often the one you never have to use.
For more information on our programs and how we can help you Think Safe and Be Safe please visit us at www.ets360.org
, See less

Active Shooter Response: The Decisions That Save Lives

No one expects to be caught in an active shooter incident.

But if it happens, the decisions you make during the first few seconds may determine whether you survive.

This is where situational awareness becomes more than a concept. It becomes a lifesaving skill.

It Starts Before the Shooting

The best active shooter response begins before the first shot is ever fired.

As part of your normal 360° situational awareness, get into the habit of asking yourself:

Where are the exits?
Which one is closest?
Which one is the least obvious?
What would I do if I had to leave right now?
What has changed?
What doesn't belong?

These questions take only seconds to answer, but they give you options if an emergency suddenly unfolds.

Don't Automatically Follow the Crowd

One of the biggest mistakes people make during emergencies is assuming the crowd knows where it's going.

Usually, it doesn't.

Crowds often move toward the entrance they used to come in, even when a closer or safer exit exists. People become trapped in bottlenecks, hallways, dead ends, or against locked doors.

During several mass casualty incidents, victims became trapped simply because everyone moved in the same direction.

Think for yourself.

If a safer escape route exists, take it.

Your goal is not to stay with the crowd.

Your goal is to survive.

Move Away from the Threat

Current law enforcement guidance still prioritizes one option above all others.

If you can safely escape, leave immediately.

Don't stop to collect belongings.

Don't stop to record video.

Don't wait for confirmation.

Seconds matter.

Know where the danger is, and move away from the threat as quickly as possible. If you must pass through exposed areas, use available cover whenever possible, and understand the difference between cover and concealment.

Cover vs. Concealment

One important concept to understand is the difference between cover and concealment.

Cover is something that may actually stop or significantly slow bullets, such as a concrete wall, large structural column, the engine block of a vehicle, or substantial brick construction.

Concealment, on the other hand, simply hides you from view. Bushes, drywall, office partitions, curtains, and most furniture may prevent the attacker from seeing you, but they offer little or no ballistic protection.

Both have value. Concealment can keep you from being detected, while cover can protect you if shots are fired. Knowing the difference allows you to make better decisions under stress and choose the safest available option.

If You Can't Escape

If escape isn't possible, hide where the attacker cannot easily see or reach you.

Lock and barricade doors if possible.

Silence your phone.

Stay quiet.

Keep looking for opportunities to escape if conditions change.

Sometimes survival depends on remaining completely unnoticed. History has shown that victims who successfully concealed themselves have survived attacks because the shooter simply never found them.

Fight Only If You Have No Other Choice

If you are cornered and your life is in immediate danger, your objective changes.

Fight with total commitment.

Use surprise.

Work with others if possible.

Use improvised weapons.

At that point, you are no longer trying to "win."

You are trying to create enough disruption to stop the attack and survive. Physical resistance should always be the last resort, only when escape and hiding are no longer possible.

Think Beyond the Shooter

When the shooting stops, the emergency isn't over.

Call 911 as soon as you're safe.

Follow law enforcement instructions.

Keep your hands visible.

If someone has severe bleeding and the scene is safe, simple actions such as direct pressure or the proper use of a tourniquet can save a life before emergency medical personnel arrive.

The Bottom Line

Most active shooter incidents are over within minutes.

Police are coming, but your first responder is you.

That's why situational awareness, threat assessment, and decision-making are so important.

Know your exits.

Pay attention to your surroundings.

Think independently.

Don't simply follow the crowd.

The best fight is the one you avoid. But if violence finds you, having a plan may be the difference between becoming a victim and going home safely.

Enhanced Training Solutions 360
Prepare. Protect. Perform.

www.ets360.org
505-913-0199
[email protected]

When people appreciate our hard work and gain benefit from our services, it is all worth it. Here are a few of our recent testimonials. They are from students, peers, mothers and clients. This is what makes it all valuable.
Teaching people to Think Safe and Be Safe in our crazy world out there.

TS, Florida
If you're serious about improving your understanding of martial arts—not just collecting techniques—it's worth taking a look at what Doug has built.
In an industry where there is no shortage of opinions, Doug consistently stands out as one of the most thoughtful, analytical, and intelligent martial artists I know. His work reflects years of careful study, testing, and refinement, and it shows in the quality of his instruction.
Doug's new website brings together a collection of exceptionally well-designed programs that are practical, systematic, and built to develop genuine understanding rather than superficial skill. Whether you're an instructor, experienced practitioner, or simply someone who values intelligent training, you'll find a great deal of substance there.
Doug, congratulations on the launch. I wish you every success and look forward to seeing even more people benefit from the work you've put into creating such an outstanding resource.

S, Seattle
I've trained martial arts under Doug's instruction for many years, and plan on training as often and as long as I can. Solid recommendation from me to learn martial arts. Thank you.

AS, Seattle
Doug is a highly effective instructor. I have been training with him regularly for a long time and learned both practical techniques as well as overall mindset for solving problems beyond self defense. Doug’s experience in martial arts combined with his clever approaches to nuanced problem resolution have proven to be high leverage in meetings, negotiations, and other business situations.

AF, Seattle
They really liked the class. When they got home they demonstrated some of the defensive moves and shared some excellent awareness tips I had not considered. They said you were patient and that the activities were engaging and fun. Both felt it was time well spent gaining valuable knowledge.

Thank you for your patience in getting this set up and for working with me! I am truly thankful for this experience for my kids.