Meet Your Potential Extended Family
_________________________________________________________
Hakim Isler (To Shin Do Head Instructor) is the founder of Elite Guard, LLC, a martial art, fitness and security training company. He has been involved in the martial arts for 24 years and the security field for 10 years. Hakim is a veteran of the Iraq war and an ex-member of the Army Special Operations community, where he received Arabic language training, survival training, evasion training, paratrooper training, etc. He holds a 3rd degree black belt (Sandan) in To-Shin Do (modern Ninjutsu), as taught by world-renowned author and Black Belt Hall of Fame member Stephen K. Hayes. Hakim is also a practitioner of American Jiu Jitsu, Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu and FCS Kali.
Hakim has served as a board member of Rape Crisis Volunteers of Cumberland County. He has served as a continuing education instructor of Defensive tactics and Fayetteville Technical Community College. He is an honors graduate and Certified Protection Specialist (Body Guard) through Executive Security International (ESI), where he completed over 600 study hours and practical training in principles of protection; human behavior; profiles of terrorism; counter surveillance and covert security; electronic security; bomb search and identification; etc. He is also a co-founder of Spirit Quest, a non-profit organization aimed at assisting at-risk youth.
Hakim is a published author of “I Choose to Act,” a women’s self-defense book, and the newly released “Battlefield Proximity Combat,” a book (and DVD) on military and special teams combat tactics and philosophy (scheduled for release internationally in 2010).
Additionally, Hakim has developed and instructed three curriculums: Assailant Countering Tactics (A.C.T.), a women’s self-defense system which he has taught at community colleges and Rape Crisis organizations; Battlefield Proximity Combat (B.P.C.), a military, and special teams combative system which he has taught to multiple military, special response teams, and emergency rescue teams; and Hands on Subject Strategies (H.O.S.S.), a law enforcement tactics course which he has taught to more than 400 law enforcement officers and Sheriff Deputies.
Hakim is a certified CrossFit Method and Battling Ropes instructor. He is also a NRA basic pistol and “Personal Protection in the Home” instructor. Hakim also appeared on the Discovery Channel’s “Unsolved History” television program featuring the ninja, in addition to several internationally distributed martial arts instructional videos.
________________________________________________________________
BJ Bradley (Gracie Barra Instructor) has been involved in the Martial Arts for 30 years. He has studied various Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Western Martial Arts. As a military brat he has had the opportunity to travel and experience many arts in their native country. He later joined the US Army and became a Modern Army Combatives Instructor. In 1999 he was given a chance to fight in his first Mixed Martial Arts match. Since then BJ has seen MMA as a proving ground to test the various skills he has learned over the years. He regularly competes in grappling and MMA matches but maintains self defense as his primary focus of training. He currently holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the Gracie Barra organization.
________________________________________________________________
Robert Albert a.k.a Bobby (To Shin Do Trainer) has been a student at the Elite Training Center for over two years. Along with working at the Dojo, he is currently an EMT with Cape Fear Valley, Cumberland County. His prior work experience ranges from being a support engineer for a large software company, an MLRS Crewmember in the US Army and fighting forest fires for the US Forest Service. Bobby has been married for 13 years and is a father of three, his youngest is also a student at the Elite Training. Center.___________________________________________________________
Bradley Eidschun (To Shin Do Coach) has been a member of the Elite Training Center for over a year and a half. He currently holds a To-Shin Do martial arts red belt. Currently he spends his time between Fayetteville and East Carolina University, where he is studying to earn a master’s degree in mathematics. The undergraduate degree he holds from UNC-Pembroke is in mathematics and computer science. Bradley is currently employed by ECU as a tutor for mathematics and he also does computer repair work when he has time.
________________________________________________________________
Tracy Morris (To Shin Do Coach) was born in Richmond, Virginia and grew up in a small rural county just outside of Richmond. After serving 22 years in the Army Medical Corp and retiring he became a Law Enforcement Officer employed with the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control System as an Investigator assigned to Cumberland County, NC. After spending several years in law enforcement Tracy decided to go back to college where he graduated with honors from Fayetteville State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Tracy is currently working as a Critical Care Nurse on a surgical/trauma unit where he enjoys interacting with his patients. Tracy has been studying To-Shin Do Ninjutsu for 2 years and is excited about one day reaching his goal of becoming a black belt.
_________________________________________________________________
Gregory Lagusis (To Shin Do Coach) has been honing his martial arts skills at the Elite Training Center for over the past 2 years. In addition to Ninjutsu Gregory has been training in both American Jiu Jitsu and Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu. Prior to the Elite Training Center, Gregory was a practitioner of boxing. Aside from the martial arts, Gregory is an honor roll student who enjoys golfing and basketball.
_______________________________________________________________
Hanzo is our resident Ninja K9. Originally rescued from a kill shelter when he was 2 months old, Hanzo became a member of the Elite Training Center Family at 4 months old. Soon after he started training as a protection dog, but eventually decided his personality was better served as a cuddly stress reliever at the Elite Training Center. He holds the school record for melting the most hearts with a look (one of the higher levels of Ninja Mastery).
