Began karate training in Shorin-Ryu (Matsubayashi Ryu) at the age of 7 with his father. His father focused on basics and board breaking. At the age of 15, he found a Shorin-Ryu (Kobayashi Ryu) Dojo in Torrance, CA and began training with his second father, Richard Rabago, along famous students such as David Loo and Butch Togisala.