DAVE CARNELL

Dave Carnell began his training in the martial arts at an early age. The inspiration for his pursuit, like most people, took its direction because of the movies and television shows of that time. This was where he took his first glimpse of the impressive and infamous Bruce Lee .

Dave's foundations were becoming firmly fixed as he dappled with various systems trying to find what suited him best. From Judo, in the beginning, to his first serious training at the local Lau Gar school of Kung Fu, his passion was shaping itself. Training at this school lasted about twelve months until he met a teacher that introduced him to Chi-San-Tao, which was a blend of many arts including Wing Chun. He knew that this was the same art where Bruce Lee himself gained his foundation, so he made the next step and explored deeper. His teacher also happened to be in contact with James Demile, a member of Bruce's Seattle Gung Fu school, so this connection was taking him that little closer to realising and achieving his dream.

With his interest in Wing Chun growing, Dave decided that it was this system that he would like to delve deeper into. He met many people during this period and was eventually introduced to Samuel Kwok, a Wing Chun sifu living in the North of England with whom he trained privately for some time. Sifu Kwok introduced Dave to his own teacher, Ip Chun, the oldest son of Yip man (Bruce's original Wing Chun teacher).

In 1984, while training with various Wing Chun sifu's, Dave wanted to expand his knowledge as far as the martial arts were concerned. He noticed that each sifu that he trained with had their own views as to the way they wanted things to work. Each teacher had their own individual interpretations of the art so he wanted to find out more about this idea of individual perspectives. Dave found out during this time that Dan Inosanto was coming to England to give a seminar and he decided to go to it with the view of exploring and experiencing another angle. This was to be an major turning point for Dave; he was, “blown away!" as he states in his own words. On this seminar, Dave had his eyes opened by the speed, skill and sophistication of, not only Dan, but his two young assistants at the time, Chris Kent and Cass Magda. Dave describes them and the feeling they instilled in a 1992 interview in Martial Arts Illustrated conducted by Andrew Staton; “These guys were so laid back, so cool. This was what I had been searching for.”

After this proverbial "bomb" was dropped, not only did Dave continue to go to all of Dan lnosanto's seminars, but everyone that came over: Larry Hartsell, Chris Kent, Cass Magda, Richard Bustillo, Ted Wong and Tim Tackett to name but a few. This continued until Dave himself was inviting them over to conduct seminars for him. After a couple of years of training in this way, Dave was invited over to the states where he was to continue his training on a private basis with Cass Magda. It was from his study and hard work there, that he became authorised to teach. He is now honoured to be a Senior Supervising Instructor of the Magda Institute, one of only three in Europe and one of only a handful of people that are authorised to teach the arts of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Kali /Escrima and Pentjak Silat. Dave is deeply respectful of his teacher Cass Magda, and he continues to draw on him for his Inspiration. Dave is a man that does not believe that the pursuit of knowledge ever stops, and as such has continued to train closely with Cass Magda. Sifu Cass comes to England at least twice a year, and Dave travels to the Magda Institute frequently to see and train with his sifu. He has also travelled all over the world to gain that deeper understanding in not only JKD, but Silat and Kali too.

With such knowledgeable and inspirational people behind him, it is not surprising that Dave is now a big name in his own right. He is the director of the Impact Martial Arts Academy which he established well over two decades ago, and is now a well sought after Instructor on the seminar circuit where he teaches on a regular basis throughout the country and even recently became the first person to take Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do into Poland. With headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent, the legacy which he shares with his students is now expanding with satellite schools across the country. Dave now runs a comprehensive instructor training Program which allows a privileged few to represent his name and that of the Magda Institute. Dave also writes extensively showing that he not only possesses the physical attributes of perfectly executed technique, but also that he has some of the deepest technical and philosophical understanding of the arts that he teaches. With published articles in Martial Arts Illustrated; he was the former JKD editor of the same magazine; and three books behind him, Dave is now preparing for even bigger things for the future in his usual relaxed, casual and humble way.

Always the student, Dave also holds a Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which was given to him by his teacher Carlos Lemos Jr. Dave Carnell now trains his BJJ under Professor Lucio 'Lagarto' Rodrigues and is part of the Lagarto Team.

Now the laid-back coolness that he found in the young Magda and Kent floods from him. It shows a man that has a deep, skillful and limitless understanding of what he does and he never ceases to impress even his oldest students. He is at ease and confident with his knowledge and the way that he teaches, yet forever lives his life with the attitude that there is always much more to see and to learn. With Cass Magda and Lagarto as his guides Dave continues to grow. And, in turn, guides his own students. His greatest asset is his deep seated desire to pass on and share what he has learnt; to show the world the beauty of JKD, BJJ and South-east Asian martial arts.