Progressive Fighting Systems

Lawrence Garcia began studying martial arts at the age of 9 years old in the art of Tang Soo Do (Korean hard style). Garcia holds a Third Degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do, earned at the Santa Clara Indian Reservation. The training consisted of hard-core calisthenics and many martial art tournaments throughout the 1980’s, and culminated in Garcia qualifying for the Junior Olympics.  During this time he also earned a Brown belt level in KaJu Kenpo. In the early 1990’s, Garcia studied and taught Tae Kwon Do (Korean hard style) and full-contact kickboxing in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Besler’s Tae Kwon Do. He holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.  In the late 1990’s, Garcia studied Gaidojutsu (street kickboxing and submission wrestling) at Greg Jackson's Mixed Martial Arts (MMA): the world's premiere fight team and academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also trained in Derobio Escrima (Filipino Martial Arts), Judo, and traditional weapons with Greg Jackson’s senior student Steve Schrenkel. Garcia still studies mixed martial arts with Joey Villasenor, a professional MMA fighter at Jackson’s. After also training in boxing, Judo, wrestling, and Filipino weapons fighting, he wanted to find the most effective street fighting techniques available. This led him to Paul Vunak: a student of Guro Dan Inosanto and one of his top instructors for over 30 years. Guro Inosanto was Bruce Lee's protégé, training partner, and best friend. Vunak was one of the first people to train Gracie Jiu Jitsu in America, a proud student of Rorion, Royce, Royler, and Rickson Gracie, as well as a trainer of US NAVY Team Seal Team 6. Currently, Garcia is a Senior Training Officer in Paul Vunak’s Progressive Fighting Systems (PFS) Contemporary Jeet Kune Do (CJKD), a system that is taught to US Military, FBI, DEA and police departments. He is the only certified PFS instructor in the state of New Mexico and is certified under Vunak as a Military Edge Weapons Instructor (Filipino Martial Arts) and an advanced hand-to-hand Combat instructor (weapons, stick and knife, and Kina Mutai, the Filipino art of biting and eye gouging). He has attended many specialized seminars by Vunak and an invitation-only Military, Law Enforcement, Contractor (MALC) training held at US Army Camp Atterbury in Indiana at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he assisted Senior Training Officer Mauri Pierce in instructing the hand-to-hand combat program. In the early 2000’s, Garcia started his own school for adults and children, “Garcia Martial Arts Institute,” teaching mixed martial arts techniques forged from over 20 years of experience. Today, Garcia teaches CJKD at his own school;Progressive Fighting Systems of New Mexico,where he holds defensive tactics seminars (e.g., Military Edge Weapons, Women’s Self Defense, Advanced Hand-to-Hand Combat etc.), as well as weekly classes and private lessons for teenagers and adults. What drew Lawrence to become a member of JKD is Paul Vunak quote: “give back.” “… members will be helping me fulfill my spiritual destiny by teaching a disabled child.” They are the true warriors! (NOTE: Contact Lawrence for private lessons)