My name is Mattias Persson and I am 39 years old. My journey in the Martial Arts started as a 6 year old, with wrestling (Greco-Roman style), something I kept doing for 4 years. After that I started training Judo for approximately 3 years, in which I was eventually graded a Blue belt. After that I started trying out different styles, such as karate, boxing, Tae Kwon Do, and some other arts until I came in contact with a club that trained Wing Chun and JKD. I knew right from the start that this was what I wanted to do.
I stayed with that club for four years and trained privately several times a week. 1994 I started my own little group for private training and have, since then, kept my own school and still have a few of the pupils from back then as students today.
I have never stopped trying out other systems, though, so I have trained Wing Tsun for a couple of years, and in addition tried different Kali/Escrima styles, such as Garimot arnis, Lameco eskrima and kali/silat.
Since -04 I have started to research some different styles of Silat, such as Pentjak Silat and Kuntao silat, but I have also trained jfjkd under Tim Tackett and have his permission to share what I know. I am no instructor in that system yet, only a guide, so to speak.
Between 2004-2007 I trained intensely with Tom Sotis of Amok Combatives and I have been regional leader under him in that system. I was in charge of touring and instructing and have held several camps and workshops around Scandinavia. I have also assisted Sotis at larger international gatherings and was awarded the rank of Expert in Amok. Sotis have been my largest source of inspiration to combatives and I count him as the person that have taught me the most about combat. I value my time with him as the most instructive in my life so far.
Besides knife, I have studied both flexible weapons, unarmed combat and I have also trained stick under him.
Since 2007 I have started to train pencak silat whit Ingmund Forberg, who have trained styles such as Mande muda and Baring sakti but also trains Bahalana eskrima along with some other systems. I visit and train with him several times per year and he is my mentor when it comes to pencak silat.
We are also continually trying out new systems in my group so our koncept keeps evolving all the time, to provide the most effective self protection.