About Grand Master Steve Combs

   For several months I trained with Bruce Lee of Jeet Kune Do and he taught me the theroy behind his famous Intercepting Fist. I was really into fighting at this time and after my encounter with Chuck I wanted to learn some of the hand techniques Bruce had developed. He was a very demanding teacher, a perfectionist who allowed no margin for error. Bruce was very cocky, but then he was good enough to back up his demeanor.
    Bruce was on a different level than the other martial artist I'd studied under at that time. He was cutting a new boundaries and it was truly amazing to have personally witnessed even a small part of that martial art evolution. I can remember a game Bruce taught me, we would stand in a side horse position facing each other. I would have my left hand up in front of my face to block and Bruce would put his left hand on his left knee, the object was to block his strike to my temple from that position, all I had to do is move my hand or head a couple of inches. I was never able to block that lightening fast strike. I never saw anyone move with such speed.
    After my short stay with Bruce in San Francisco, I studied with Ed Parker every other day for four months at his Chinese Kempo Karate School in Los Angeles California. This was the time that Ed was trying to promote more interest in his style and was putting together a training package for martial artist interested in learning and becoming Black Belts for him. It was a very good idea and I took full advantage of it for a short amount of time.
    At the same time I was training with Ed Parker I also started training with Philip Scornia the Master of  Zendoru Karate for four months. I worked out with Philip at his school in Redondo Beach California on the days I wasn't at Kempo training. Philip was  another demanding instructor and gave me new insights on ways of incorporating traditional and western styles of teaching. Zendoru was a base from the teachings of Zen, and incorporated traditional Japanese martial arts with the western concepts of karate.
    A close and personal friend, Steve Fisher, a seventh degree Black Belt and highly regarded in the martial arts community has over 100 first place trophies as a professional fighter. Steve among his other accomplishments is the personal trainer for Robin Shou who played Lu Kan in Mortal Combat 1 & 2. Steve was an instructor whom I spent a lot of time with; I can remember when he opened his first school in Hawthorne California. We would work out off and on for several years until I moved away in 1973. But every time I would come back to Los Angeles I would get together with him and train in his style of Shoenru. Along with Steve, I trained with his instructor Mike Stone and Master Tadashi Yamashita for six months. To this day Steve and I remain good close friends.