Is this guy legit?

[dykomobile]

I'm new to the forum and to martial arts, but i have been wanting to train for a long time. I met a guy who teaches Jeet Kune Do at my local gym. His name is Shadow Thundercloud, he said he was half native american. He seemed like a good guy. He had some crazy stories that were almost hard to believe. The trainers at the gym said he is legit. I was just wondering if anyone here has ever heard of him before.
thanks,
adam

[Tant01]

A lot of guys teach Jeet Kune Do. Some of them are seminar students some are certified instructors... Usually a search on the internet can give you some idea of the guy's experience. Where exactly is your "local" gym? I mean I can deduce he's in North America somewhere, eh?

Who was his instructor? You can narrow it down with a few details. Sadly some guys buy the DVD or video tape set and start calling themselves JKD men? I can't say I have heard of him but then I live in the sticks and don't really keep up on the art too much...

[dykomobile]

Haha yea i realize that was just a bit vague, but from the way the trainers were talking about this guy; i thought his name might have been recognized. I live in PA just outside philly. This guy said he was born on an indian reservation in i think south dakota and it sounded like he trained in LA or somewhere in California. One of the trainers at the gym who's mom is into martial arts said that his mom recognized the name and said he was trained by one of bruce lee's students. (i certainly question that, but the kid was adamant). This guy said he used to hang out with guns 'n roses and arnold shwarzeneggar (sp?). That made me skeptical (although he sounded genuine). He also said that he has trained two guys in Jeet Kune Do that now also teach it, which is impressive. He said he has taught navy seals and local police in the past, but i cant find anything on the guy on the web. Anyway, thanks for the reply,
Adam

[elitecombatives]

Don't believe the stories just yet.

Questions>>
(1) Have you seen him in action? watch his footwork? etc. He maybe good but regardless if he has no valid lineage and just a video instructor, then watch out because his stories would mean they are LIES and it would seem like his stories are used to build his fake credibility.
(2) Why don't he give you names of his instructor? 1st gen's are still alive and 2nd gen JKD instructors as well. You can call or email them for confirmation of their certifications in the JKD circles. Also, the webs is good for this. Do a search on his name. Believe me, if he is remotely connected somehow in the JKD circles, he may likely be found in the search. Remember, JKD is not that old and lineage should be easily traceable.

In any case, it don't matter.....if you trust the guy, go for it. Good luck. I just thought I put in my 2cents because with all the stories this guy seems to tell, he got no names for you to track credibility.

[Tant01]

Originally Posted by elitecombatives

Don't believe the stories just yet.

.... Remember, JKD is not that old and lineage should be easily traceable.

In any case, it don't matter.....if you trust the guy, go for it. Good luck. I just thought I put in my 2cents because with all the stories this guy seems to tell, he got no names for you to track credibility.

Good advice! I'm skeptical but then what do I know about JKD?

He might be the real deal but he also might be a shadow thundercloud? The name eludes to darkness and noise...

No offense intended.

[nutter]

I've never heard of this geezer mate. Hope that's helpful mate.

[Jones]

never heard off him. sorry

[PFSofPA]

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King!

[thescottishdude]

take him at face value based on how he trains and performs. you shouldn't really care abut his tall tales if he is a good teacher and knows how to fight.

[elitecombatives]

Originally Posted by thescottishdude

take him at face value based on how he trains and performs. you shouldn't really care abut his tall tales if he is a good teacher and knows how to fight.

Actually, this is not true in this case. It don't matter how good this guy is if he is telling TALL tales and lying. You don't want to associate yourself with a person that lies or tells grand stories (fake). This shows you that he may lack self esteem, lack history of true training, lack integrity, honesty and all else that makes a an individual a true TEACHER of the arts.

We still dont know much about this guy so this is not against him. This reponse is just a general thought in regards to the topic.

[Tant01]

Originally Posted by PFSofPA

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King!

Tell us oh wise sighted one... Is this Shadow Thundercloud a certified instructor (PFS perhaps) I can find nothing to verify his lineage under Vunak or others...???


Thanks kindly...

[PFSofPA]

No, he's not. He's been around for a while. With a name like that you have a tendency to remember him. He stuffs his card into ALL the martial arts books in Borders and Barnes & Noble. I've had a couple of his former students. He is what he is...a shadow in the thunderclouds!

[Tant01]

Originally Posted by PFSofPA

No, he's not. He's been around for a while. With a name like that you have a tendency to remember him. He stuffs his card into ALL the martial arts books in Borders and Barnes & Noble. I've had a couple of his former students. He is what he is...a shadow in the thunderclouds!

Well, there you go. Now we know the rest of the story.


Kinda figured...


Thanks again!

[PFSofPA]

So, Dykomobile. Now that you've gotten several responses, do you have any questions or thoughts?

[jkdcman]

All legit instructors should be able to produce some form of proof. In PFS you may not be on the website but there are certificates and more recently id cards. I even have my pic on Tom's page when you mouse over personal training. If he cannot produce proof of any kind Then he is a phoney. When I was in MS I dealt with a fraud named george. He claimed to be Voo certified, but his mechanics were horrible. His drills were different than the ones I knew and even different than Drew (the guy who introed me to JKD. He is a PV instructor.) He even screwed up the lingo. Guys that fake it leave a trail of evidence behind them. My best advice is call his supposed instructors and see if he is legit. I called voo on the one in MS and found out for sure that he was a phoney. People just try to ride the money train because a decent MA instructor in any art can turn on avg 50 gs a year. Unfortunately fake instructors make the most cash because they will invent anything to pull people in.