Sifu David Sidell

Sifu David Sidell holds a second degree black belt in HapKido Blend under Master Fariborz Azhakh, a brown belt in Isshinryu Karate under Shihan Jim Apelian, a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu JItsu under Jean Jacques Machado and a purple belt under Todd Nathanson. He has trained in kickboxing with such champions as Benny Urquidez and Peter Cunningham. David has studied many arts throughout his martial arts journey and brings his vast knowledge to the mats at The Way of No Way. In addition to being a skilled martial artist, David has worked in the motion picture industry, for companies such as Dreamworks SKG and Steven Speilberg's Amblin Entertainment, and as an assistant to Academy Award winning producer Branko Lustig. He was nominated for a Clio Award for directing a public service announcement for the homeless that was used on air by Comic Relief. David is also the owner of SilkSkin, Inc., established in 1985, and is a husband and father of two. He also coaches kids in baseball, softball, soccer, roller hockey, golf and tennis.

Instructor Won Suk Lee

Won is originally from South Korea and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Maestro Rey Diogo. Won is a BJJ Pan-Am competitor and Grappling X Champion. He has been training with Rey for more than 10 years, and will be also be instructing in our BJJ program.

Professor Rey Diogo

Ricardo Diogo, also known as Rey Diogo, was one of the first Carlson Gracie team representatives to come to the United States, where he established his own academy based on his master's teachings.

Ever since he landed in the U.S. in 1996, Rey Diogo quickly became one of the top Jiu Jitsu instructors in the country, forming several high level black belts.

His lineage is as follows: Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos Gracie, Carlson Gracie, Rey Diogo.

Rey received all his belts, including his black belt which he received in 1997, from Carlson Gracie. Carlson also gave Rey all of his black belt degrees, up to fifth degree in 2015. Rey is many times over a world champion:

# 2009 PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

# 2005 PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

# 2005 PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION OPEN DIVISION

# 1993 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP I – MIDDLE/HEAVYWEIGHT

# 1993 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP I – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# 1994 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP II – MIDDLE/HEAVYWEIGHT

# 1994 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP II – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# ROLLES GRACIE TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# NASTRA TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# NASTRA TOURNAMENT – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# IATE CLUBE JARDIM GUANABARA – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# RIO SPORT CENTER TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT

# RIO SPORT CENTER TOURNAMENT – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# RAUF TOURNAMENT – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# NAPOLEAO VELOSO TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# CARLOS ROLLYSON TOURNAMENT – MIDDLE/HEAVYWEIGHT

Ricardo Diogo, also known as Rey Diogo, was one of the first Carlson Gracie team representatives to come to the United States, where he established his own academy based on his master's teachings.

Ever since he landed in the U.S. in 1996, Rey Diogo quickly became one of the top Jiu Jitsu instructors in the country, forming several high level black belts.

His lineage is as follows: Mitsuyo Maeda, Carlos Gracie, Carlson Gracie, Rey Diogo.

Rey received all his belts, including his black belt which he received in 1997, from Carlson Gracie. Carlson also gave Rey all of his black belt degrees, up to fifth degree in 2015. Rey is many times over a world champion:

# 2009 PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

# 2005 PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

# 2005 PAN-AMERICAN CHAMPION OPEN DIVISION

# 1993 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP I – MIDDLE/HEAVYWEIGHT

# 1993 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP I – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# 1994 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP II – MIDDLE/HEAVYWEIGHT

# 1994 BRAZILIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP II – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# ROLLES GRACIE TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# NASTRA TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# NASTRA TOURNAMENT – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# IATE CLUBE JARDIM GUANABARA – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# RIO SPORT CENTER TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT

# RIO SPORT CENTER TOURNAMENT – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# RAUF TOURNAMENT – OPEN WEIGHT (ABSOLUTE) CHAMPION

# NAPOLEAO VELOSO TOURNAMENT – MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION

# CARLOS ROLLYSON TOURNAMENT – MIDDLE/HEAVYWEIGHT

Sifu Todd Bigelow

My life is more or less defined by passion. Passion for creating change with my photography, passion for my family and passion for my development in the martial arts.    

I am not any one of those, yet I’m all of them. They can’t really be separated as I see them as a whole being. Me. One identity comprised of various passions.

My photography, or to be more precise, my photojournalism, is a defining quality for me. I started at the bottom of the food chain with my career in the mid 1980’s and worked hard to earn my way toward the top. My long-term documentary project on immigration has been exhibited at the California Museum of Photography, at Visa Pour L’Image in Perpignan, France and at the International Photojournalism Festival in Gijon, Spain. Fourteen of the images reside in the permanent collection at the California Museum of Photography. Clients include Smithsonian magazine, Sports Illustrated, TIME, Newsweek, The NY Times Magazine, the Southern Poverty Law Center, NPR, Target Corporation and Costco Wholesale. I’m blessed and thankful to earn a living pursuing my passion.

With a loving and extremely supportive family, I’m able to pursue my passion for the martial arts. My wife, Judy, has been there from the beginning of all my passions and supported them 100%. Despite a relatively late start, I’ve been fortunate to train uninterrupted in a variety of disciplines. The training has evolved from a standardized curriculum in Hapkido to a more personalized, constantly evolving approach in the Filipino arts. I have experienced a tremendous mental transformation while training at the Inosanto Academy in Muay Thai, Silat, Kali, BJJ and JKD. The respect, humility and appreciation for the arts exhibited at IAMA, from Guro Dan Inosanto himself down through his staff of amazing instructors, has profoundly impacted my training.

I’m blessed to have received instructorships under Guro Dan Inosanto in Filipino Martial Arts as well as in Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu and Jeet Kune Do. I’m honored as well to have received instructorship under Ajarn Chai Sirisute in Muay Thai. Acknowledgment by my instructors is never taken lightly and fuels my passion to train, research and evolve while giving back to the community as a teacher.

Head Instructor Reza Moazezi

Coming Soon.