Sensei Dave
In 1987, Sensei Dave began his study of Goju-ryu Karatedo at the Nibukan dojo in Vineland NJ under the direction of James Loretta and Charles Ferillo who taught Karatedo and Okinawan Kobudo. The study of Goju led him to seek out his teachers’ teacher Robert Taiani and Taiani Kancho’s teacher Sosui Ichikawa Sensei.
Only a few brief visits with Ichikawa Sensei were possible due to his untimely death in 2004, but in general Taiani Kancho remains the single greatest inspiration for his study of and training in Seito Gojuryu Karatedo and Budo. He began training Judo in 1989 and this eventually led to training in Aikido (the Vineland judo club and Vineland Aikikai shared the same mat space) which began in 1993 at the Vineland Aikikai under Sensei Pete Tamagni.
He was fortunate enough to train at the New York Aikikai for one year in 1997 where he met and trained under the many exceptional instructors that filled the roster at the time. Over the course of his study, he’s been blessed to come in contact with many great teachers, martial artists, and human beings. It is an honor and a privilege to pass on, to those who endeavor to persevere, in the memory of those who have shared this knowledge, the ways of Budo that have been handed down over the centuries
