KoDenKan Institute

child. Sifu Le learned DanZanRyu Jujitsu under Professor Musselman, and subsequently succeeded him as head instructor at the KoDenKan Institute. Sifu Le also teaches his own mixed martial arts system, Ten Chi Do, which is based on his knowledge of multiple systems. Sifu Le has learned several styles of gung fu, including Tay Son Bach Hac Quyen, and for 12 years he studied under David Louie in Yau Kung Moon Gung Fu, Wing Chun Gung Fu, and White Crane. He learned Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, and Kali under Sifu Bob Reish, Judo with Rushi Nishikawa, Geron BaHaLa Na Escrima with Dr. James Tobias, Tai Kwon Do under Tony Bueno, YoShinKan Aikido from Christopher Reye, Shorinji Karate with Sam Chin, Mande Muda Silat under Pak Herman Suwanda, and Pekiti Tirsia Kali under Guro Loki Jorgensen. He has also studied Vo Tu Do, Yang style Tai Chi Chuan and Pencak Silat. Classes

Kali, also known as Escrima or Arnis, is a blade-based Filipino Martial Art, with a wide range of training methods. Highly respected as a very practical self-defense system, Kali is practiced worldwide by civilians, law enforcement personnel and special forces. The class comprises warm-up drills; foot-work practice; practice striking at various angles, using various weapons, such as sticks and blades, as well as empty hands. It also includes building skills such as trapping, joint locks, throws, grappling, sparring with weapons and defense against weapons. Wednesdays and Fridays, 6:30 -- 8:30 pm



Silat is a fighting art practiced in literally hundreds of styles throughout Southeast Asia. All Silat styles focus on balance and coordination exercises, empty-hand or weapons forms (“jurus”), blocks, strikes, kicks, joint-locks, traps, and throws, as well as ground work. This class comprises warm-up drills and the practice of skills listed above. Particular attention is paid to direct entries off attacks, and defense empty-hand and weapons-based attacks, using either empty hands or weapons. Wednesdays and Fridays, 4:30 -- 6:30 pm


Dan Zan Ryu (DZR) Jujitsu is a well-known and widely practiced Jujitsu system founded in Hawaii by Master Henry Okazaki. The individual arts of DZR jujitsu were selected by Master Okazaki from a number of Japanese narrowly-focused jujitsu styles. Its arts span the range from kicking and striking to grappling and ground work. The arts involve combinations of joint locks, constrictions (e.g. chokes), and throws, as well as kicks and strikes. DZR jujitsu can be practiced by students of all ages and levels of fitness. Jujitsu class starts with warm up drills, coordination and balance exercises and rolls and falls, and then proceeds to the systematic practice of individual arts. You will learn blocks, strikes, kicks, weapons defense with weapons or empty hand, traps, locks, throws. This class may also involve sparring practice (known as “Randori”), for those who wish to participate. Initially you will be taught the classical, or standard, forms of each art, and then, when those have been mastered, you will learn many variations, based on Sifu Le’s vast experience. Mondays and Thursdays, 4:30 -- 6:30 pm





JKD / Muay Thai / Grappling
In this class we practice three fighting arts, described below. Jun Fan Kung Fu, which some people also call Jeet Kune Do (JKD), is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by Bruce Lee (Jun Fan is his given name in Chinese) with direct, straightforward movements. Its practitioners believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of different 'tools' for different situations. These situations are broken down into ranges (kicking, punching, trapping and grappling), with techniques flowing seamlessly between them. It is referred to as a "style without style" or "the art of fighting without fighting," as said by Bruce Lee himself. Unlike more traditional martial arts, Jun Fun Kung Fu is not fixed or patterned. It is also a philosophy with guiding thoughts. It incorporates the concept of interception, or attacking your opponent while he is about to attack – that’s what Jeet Kun Do is about. Muay Thai is referred to as the “Art of Eight Limbs” because it makes use of hand punches, elbow strikes, foot kicks and knee strikes. It is a hard hitting system by using the whole body to strike. Both JKD and Muai Thai practice involve warm-ups, stretching, balance and coordination exercises, followed by basic to advanced combinations practice, and one-on-one attack/defense drills, as well as full-power drills on pads. At the end of the class there may be sparring for those who wish to participate. Grappling is a close-range fighting, which can be standing up or on the ground. It is the art of trapping and off-balancing your opponent for a better position and then using that superior position to either throw, or joint-lock, or choke, or otherwise render the opponent harmless. Mondays and Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm


Tai Chi

Tai Chi Chuan is an ancient Chinese fighting art. It can be translated as ”Supreme Ultimate Fist.” Tai Chi is practiced by some for its defense training, by others for its health benefits, and by still other for combination of both. In our Tai Chi class we practice it with martial applications in mind, while health benefits accrue along the way. Every movement in a form has specific martial purpose / applications and we learn what they are. We never do any movement only for the sake of movement. We usually start with Zhan Zhuang standing-post exercise, a warm-up called Chan Si Gung (translated as “silk reeling”) exercise to awaken the 13 major joints and activate the acupoints in the body. We then proceed to Chi Gong “life energy cultivation. Next we practice a form selected from the following: Yang 24, 108, Chen Lao Jia (old form) or Xin Jia (new form). We finish with two-person “push-hands” or applications practice. Sundays, 7:00 – 9:00 am

Ten Chi Do
TenChiDo is a blend of the most effective techniques selected from a number of arts, including:

* Weapons-based arts, such as kali/silat/eskrima (Filipino martial art), combat styles of muai-thai (Thailand martial art), Japanese sword, and several styles of tai-chi (Chinese);

* Percussion (i.e. striking) and trapping arts, such as kick-boxing, western boxing, tae-quan-do (Korean), JKD (Bruce Lee's system), and various forms of Vietnamese and Chinese kung-fu, such as white crane, tai-chi, ba-gua, wing chun, and several others;

* Throwing, grappling arts and joint-lock arts, such as freestyle wrestling, judo, ju-jitsu, aikido and harimau (Indonesian art)

Ten Chi Do Philosophy

Common threads, not distinctions. While many people debate endlessly the differences among various martial arts and which one is better, Ten Chi Do instead seeks to identify the commonalities and overarching principles that apply to all martial arts. The truth is, it's not the martial art -- it's the artist. Any martial art can be effective in its intended range when practiced by an accomplished practitioner. Sifu Hung Le takes the holistic attitude that any particular martial art is like a slope of a tall mountain. Many different paths (i.e. styles) can lead one to the top, but there is only one top. And at the top, all martial arts look the same. In training, regardless of the particular technique, the emphasis is on balance and posture, ability to off-balance the opponent; controlling the range; controlling the centerline; timing; and the use of one's entire body. Students also study how to "issue" power; transitions from one technique to another, as well as the art of distracting an opponent in order to "enter," so that a particular technique can be executed and objective accomplished. The school welcomes both experienced practitioners and beginners, of all ages and physical abilities. The school's students range from children to those over 60. Each student is taught at the level that is appropriate for him or her, and each student progresses at his or her own rate. There is no rivalry; students understand that accomplishments, as in any complex skill set, are a function of their own efforts, practice and abilities. Beginners typically start by learning various types of percussion arts (i.e. striking and kicking), as these tend to be the fastest to learn. As students gain proficiency, they are introduced to arts that typically take longer to master, such as throwing and grappling. It is relatively easy to make a substantial progress up one of the slopes of the big mountain. But to get to the top is an adventure of a lifetime -- and an extremely engaging lifelong pursuit. Sundays, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon