About Techniques at Block Island Martial Arts
Taekwondo:
Taekwondo is derived from the Korean words "tae," meaning kick, "kwon," meaning a punch or other blow with the hand or fist, and "do," which is a way or method of operation. Taekwondo is best recognized by its dynamic high-speed kicking. Both a traditional martial art and an Olympic sport, lessons will have facets of both.
Jujitsu:
From the Japanese for "the gentle art," Jujistu makes use of few or no weapons and instead employs holds, throws, chokes, and pressure-point manipulation to subdue an opponent. There are many styles of Jujitsu, with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu currently being best known, thanks to MMA and UFC. Jiava-Ryu Jujitsu is a style that focuses on total body control with few strikes other than as distractions. Finger, wrist, and shoulder locks, changing angles, maximum use of body weight, Judo throws and transitional flow are all key elements.
Kenpo:
This is a broad term that covers a range of karate systems. East coast Kenpo has been heavily influenced by Professors Nick Cerio and Rocky Di Rico by emphasizing strong stances, kicks, and strikes with elements of several other martial arts/fighting systems.
About Your Instructor
Philip “Flip” Porter
Flip’s lifetime journey in martial arts began back in 1980, when he went to the Lawrenceville School and missed the soccer tryouts. Because he liked Chuck Norris movies, when he saw they had a Tang Soo Do club with testing by Grandmaster J.C. Shin, he joined. He became a black belt candidate by his senior year, but graduated before he could take the test. At Vanderbilt University, Flip briefly studied Taekwondo under Master T.W. Haw, but was soon absorbed in university life and once again his black belt slipped away.
After graduating from Vanderbilt and living overseas for a time, however, Flip settled in Massachusetts and resumed his training in earnest under Grandmaster Hyong-Koo Cho (Niger Olympic coach). During the next 25 years (in addition to working and raising children), he continued Taekwondo and also studied Kenpo, Jujitsu and Judo.
Flip has been working with celebrities most of his professional life—in high school as security guard/chauffeur at the PNC Arts Center (then known as the Garden State Arts Center) in New Jersey, in college with Vanderbilt Concerts, and he retired in 2020 after 30 years as Vice President in charge of the college division at a global lecture agency. Frequent visitors over the past thirty years, Flip, his wife and grown children have moved to Block Island year-round.
Credentials:
• Taekwondo: Kukkiwon certified International Master 4th Dan black belt (with a working knowledge of ITF tuls) under Master W.S. Yang (Korea’s Finest TKD, Natick, MA); 1st–3rd Dan black belts under Grandmaster Hyong-Koo Cho (Newton, MA).
• Kenpo Karate: 1st Dan black belt under Grandmaster Michael Woods (Next Generation Martial Arts, Holliston, MA)
• Jiava-Ryu Jujitsu: 1st Dan black belt under Professor Steve Jiava (8th degree Castoldi’s Jujitsu/5th degree Small Circle Jujitsu)
• Judo: 2nd brown belt under Noel Layman (was affiliated with Newton, MA Judo club)
• ACTION-certified personal trainer AFAA-certified Kickboxing: Skills and Drills
• Current CPR and first aid certifications
