PROFESSOR DARRYL JONES
Darryl Jones has been a student of martial arts for 39 years. Being raised in an urban environment created a respect and understanding of street survival skills at an early age. Although his name was not well known in the martial arts sports world, he was well known for his years of self-saving success during “Street Competitions.”
Mr. Jones began his martial arts career in Los Angeles during 1972 while attending high school with some of the veteran BKF fighters. After growing frustration from being the demonstration model for testing new techniques, Mr. Jones finally joined his schoolmates at the BKF 103rd Street school, one of the first commercial structures to actually house the BKF. While training at this location under the instruction of Sijo Steve “Sanders” Muhammad (American Kenpo), Donnie Williams (Taekwondo), Ron Chapel (American Kenpo), Cliff Stewart (LA Kilat Pukulan Pencak Silat) and Jerry Smith (Five-Level Method/Shorin-Ju Kenpo), Mr. Jones also received additional mentoring from such notables as Ernest Russell, Sam Pace, Frank “Nitty” Wilson, Lenny Ferguson, Gary Goodman, Richard Heath and Carl Scott to name a few. During this time, Mr. Jones was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time and shared several frames with the aforementioned in the movie "Enter the Dragon" as an extra (shown working out in the 103rd Street school).
Although over the years Mr. Jones has been exposed to training from various masters and Grandmasters such as Mitsu Yamashita (Aikido), Bob Koga (Koga Jutsu), Tak Kubota (Taiho jutsu/Gosoku-ryu), Chris Bolen (Wing Chun) and Antwione Alferos (Filipino Blade Fighting/Qi-gong/Iron Palm), Sijo Muhammad was his exclusive mentor. The advantage Mr. Jones gained being a part of the BKF during the early '70s was that most of the fighters at the 103rd Street Dojo, primarily a Kenpo school, had come from various martial arts disciplines such as Shotokan, Tae kwon do, Kung Fu, Hapkido, etc. This, along with the teachings of Sijo Muhammad, exposed these warriors to an abundance of weaponry.
Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Jones worked as a bouncer at night clubs in Westwood and downtown Los Angeles, as well as a short but profitable stint bounty hunting. Mr. Jones eventually went to work in the aerospace industry while pursuing a college degree in criminal justice.
Mr. Jones accomplished one of his many goals, that being hired by a Southern California law enforcement agency and serving 24 years before honorably retiring. Mr. Jones worked in various assignments including the investigations bureau as the Senior Detective in his Robbery-Homicide unit. During his employment with this agency, Mr. Jones had the opportunity to work with, and sometimes for while on loan, numerous local, state, federal and international law enforcement agencies while assigned to various details. Mr. Jones has received numerous awards and letters of recognition for his sustained superior performance in these assignments.
Mr. Jones has worked with the presidential security detail during two of presidential visits to the Los Angeles County area and has provided executive protection for entertainers, professional athletes as well as high-level American and foreign executives. Mr. Jones is presently active in coordinating and working with off-duty and retired law enforcement teams that provide security assistance for the entertainment industry.
Mr. Jones has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia where he spent time at a Japanese Buddhist temple receiving an overview of Zen from the resident monks.
At present, Mr. Jones remains active as advisor to Wu Shur Shin Chun Fa, Whipping Willow Association, Youth ‘N’ Motion and one of the senior instructors at the Academy of Martial Arts in Los Angeles.
His goal is to solicit the assistance, especially from those senior to him, with reviving the philosophies, tradition, pride, skills, dedication and goals into modern-day martial arts. Mr. Jones believes that this will also promote the development of positive personal character and self-esteem. To accomplish this, he insists on the physical, spiritual and moral commitment.
