Progressive Fighting - Maryland

Sigung Paul Vunak

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Sigung Paul Vunak is known to America's Special Operations, intelligence, and law enforcement communities as one of the most knowledgable and dangerous men in the field of unarmed combat.  He began his martial arts training as a child, studying martial arts such as Hung Gar, Taekwondo, and Kenpo.  At a young age, he was accepted into Guru Dan Inosanto's famous Kali Academy.  Thus began Sigung Vunak's quest for knowledge through practical fighting arts. 

Sigung Vunak immersed himself in Guro Inosanto's lessons and practices, eventually becoming an instructor, assisting Guro Inosanto in teaching classes, seminars, and demonstrations.  During this time, Sigung Vunak began to lead the spearhead of martial arts exploration, including the opening of the first Savate school in the United States.
Sigung Vunak's focus on training was always on the rigid rod of reality that is the violent encounters of bar and street fights, assaults, and combat.  Sigung's goal was always the development of essential self-preservation skills.  Those students at the Kali Academy and in the Jeet Kune Do community looking for such a focus began to follow Sigung Vunak's approach, and with Guru Inosanto's guidance, Sigung Vunak set up his organization, today known as Progressive Fighting Systems.
Unlike many other martial arts instructors in the early 1980s, Sigung Vunak from the start advocated on developing fighting skills by sparring in all ranges.  In contrast to large gyms, belt factories, and McDojos which viewed students as a means to make a profit, Sigung Vunak advocated personal training, either individually or in small, private groups.  Despite of this low-key method, Sigung Vunak's reputation as a hands-on teacher with easily applicable fighting skills began to spread.  This brought him to the attention of the US Naval Special Warfare Group.
Sigung Vunak was approached by SEAL Team Six (now known as DEVGRU) to develop a hand to hand and edged weapons combatives program and training system.  He moved to Virginia under contract to the unit and trained with them, developing what is today known as the Rapid Assault Tactics program and the Edged Weapons program.  Since then, numerous other military units have adopted Sigung's training programs.  He has also trained the CIA, FBI, numerous SWAT teams, and police departments.
Since then, Sigung Vunak has been consistently considered one of the top names for realistic combat training.  He is regarded as a pioneer in this field, in Jeet Kune Do training, and in martial arts in general.  Sigung Vunak has been ahead of the curve for his entire career, advocating Muay Thai training in an era when most American martial artists were not kicking below the waist.  He trained with the Gracies in Brazilian Jujutsu before their name became known in American martial arts circles, long before the first Ultimate Fighting Championship.
After decades of training military units in brutal, deadly hand to hand combat tactics, Sigung Vunak's life goal is the development of the Adapt for Life program, which takes his decades of experience in finding efficient ways to move the human body, and turns this knowledge from developing deadly fighting skills toward helping developmentally disabled children develop physically to the best of their abilities and encouraging them in their mental and spiritual development.