Paul Vunak

PFS: Why the hectic schedule?

PV: Well, I was basically supporting myself from age 17 on through teaching. During the time I was training and teaching at the Kali Academy I also had a Savate school with Daniel Duby from 19801984. [Ed. note: This was the first Savate school in the United States.] I've never had a real J.O.B. Actually, that's not true...I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken for 3 12 days. I was the Extra Crispy Man!

PFS: How long did you keep up this training pace?

PV: Basically, until the Kali Academy closed down...so, from 1976 - 1984. I then continued to study with Dan at Culver City for the next two years. That's when I formed my own organization, Progressive Fighting Systems. However, I never stopped being Dan's student.

PFS: How did you go about setting up the organization?

PV: During the years I spent teaching under Dan, my private clientele had grown rather large. A lot of times, students would ask Dan for private instruction in certain specific areas, then he would direct them to the most appropriate instructors. For example, if someone wanted stick fighting, Dan would send him to Ted Lucay. For boxing, he would usually guide them to Richard Bustillo. For people interested in raw street fighting, Dan would send them my way. Consequently, PFS is comprised of people all over the world with the same bent- the pursuit of pure fighting and selfdefense. Paul Vunak instructing in Germany Paul instructing in Germany, early 1998.

PFS: How many people belong to the organization?

PV: We have over 300 instructors and over 4,000 students worldwide.

PFS: Do you own all 300 schools?

PV: No, I didn't learn anything from KFC, this is not a franchise! PFS is an organization of all friends, in which I get to be more of a guide than a boss. We really only have two basic goals:

1) Undying loyalty to Dan lnosanto.

2) To help keep Kali and Jeet Kune Do alive and growing in an ethical and responsible way.

PFS: Could you explain your ranking system?

PV: To understand our ranking system, you first need to understand the methodology of learning Jeet Kune Do. It has everything to do with the process, and little to do with the product! In other words, one becomes proficient in JKD through the process of self-discovery...and selfdiscovery is fueled by the process of teaching. This mentality started when Bruce Lee first came to America; he had his mother art of Wing Chun, but after discovering certain limitations he would essentially experiment on his students by teaching them. This gave him people to train with - absolutely crucial for him to develop! Dan lnosanto is the main link between us and Bruce's principles and concepts. After Bruce passed away Dan was left with the mantle of "Jeet Kune Do" on his shoulders. In order for him to continue the growth of the art, he opened up the Filipino Kali Academy. This school was like no other; we were basically a giant garage full of hard-core students. People would come from all over the world to view Bruce's art... professional boxers, Thai boxers, world-class Karate and Gung-fu men, and about every other style you can imagine. We had two words for anyone who came with a negative attitude: "Glove up!" I remember our school had a "bad rap." People would say, "They aren't martial artists, they're just interested in fighting." The floors had seen so much blood, we finally gave up and painted them red!