Bram Frank

Bram Frank was born year of the COBRA: the Water Snake, hour of the Snake, 07-19-53. The Snake is a sign of the artist and the seeker. Bram is both. His father introduced him to Chinese and Japanese brush painting. This introduction paved the way to Oriental arts. Bram constantly asked to study the fighting arts. In 1965 for his birthday his mother bought him a book, with a woven bamboo cover, "KARATE the Art of the Empty Hand" by Hidetaka Nishiyama. The die was cast and in 1966 Bram turned towards the martial arts especially those of China. Wing Chun & Hung Gar kung fu became his passion. As time went on other martial arts became part of Bram*s life.

In 1980, he found the instructor who has influenced him until today. Professor Remy Presas was like the old statement: "wait and when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." Professor Presas says that Modern Arnis is the art within your art and Modern Arnis opened the doors. Connections became clear and Wing Chun blended with American Karate and Arnis led the way. Bram has stayed with Arnis and related arts and has grown into the Filipino way. Over the years many instructors have made an impact on Bram*s martial arts career. For 33 years Bram has learned and taught martial arts, something he will continue far into the future. With Professor Presas unexpected death in Sept of 2001, Bram, along with the other first generation students, accepted the responsibility of securing the future of Modern Arnis.

Bram has produced martial arts training videos of which PALADIN PRESS has stated will set the standard for instructional tapes particularly those on using edged weapons. He is working on a major book on Conceptual MODERN ARNIS and one on Edged Weapons for PALADIN as well as accompanying videos.

Bram's latest achievement has been the designing of what has been called the most innovative tactical folder in the last 50 years by the knife world. SPYDERCO KNIVES calls the new knife a "watershed event." What Bram has designed and patented is the first kinetic opening tactical knife; a knife meant to be used closed and within the flow of combat actually uses the opponent's energy to open the blade. In a closed position, this knife can do all Kyushu Jitsu pressure point techniques, Small circle JuJitsu controlling techniques, Wing Chun trapping and Filipino limb destructions. To accompany the knife Bram has designed the worlds first functional trainer DRONE and another version as a Close Range Medium Impact Tool. The knife and its variations are Bram's way of giving back to the Martial Arts, which have given his life so much.

Bram has been inducted into several Martial Arts Halls of Fame including Grandmaster Sanchez's World Head of Sokeship Council Hall of Fame. There are three "Hall of Fame" inductions that have great meaning to Bram. His induction into the 1998 KARATE VOICE Florida Hall of Fame for the "Silver Lifetime Achievement Award" for recognition of his years in the arts, the other induction is for "Weapons Instructor of the Year 1998" by Grandmaster Sanchez. And his September 2000 induction in the Sokeship Council Hall of Fame for "Most Innovative Martial Arts Weapon of the Millennium: the GUNTING and Master Instructor of the Most Innovative Martial Arts weapon!"

Born: July 19, 1953 YEAR of SNAKE - Water Cobra

Founder & Director : Common Sense Self Defense /Street Combat Tactical Systems
Grandmaster: Common Sense Self Defense /Street Combat Martial Blade Craft GUNTING

• Recognized by World Head of Family Sokeship Council August 31, 2003
• First modern Self Defense-Tactical Martial Art system in WHFSC Grandmaster Council
• Grandmaster Bram Frank of CSSD/SC- Common Sense Self Defense Tactical Systems Systems: Combat Arnis, Conceptual Modern Arnis, Martial Blade Craft, Gunting: Non Lethal –Lethal SDR
• Modular Concepts Methodology Training
• 37 years studying & teaching martial arts : Contemporary Knife Craft, Combat Arnis, Filipino Martial Art, Modern Arnis, JKD, Wing Chun, Dillman Kyushu Jitsu, American Karate-TKD, & Small Circle JuJitsu and other related martial arts. Ongoing study.
• 5th Dan Arnis Maharlikha- Datu Shishir Inocalla- Arnis Maharlikha Martial Arts Federation of the Philippines
• Master Level Instructor
• 3rd Dan 1st generation personal student of MODERN ARNIS founder Professor Remy Presas (deceased)
• Level 4- Advanced Senior Instructor Board of Directors: International Modern Arnis
• Senior Master Instructor – Modern Arnis 80 Professor Dan Anderson
• Senior Master Instructor- Board of Directors Independent International Modern Arnis-2003
• 7th Dan Lakan Pito –International Shool of Arnis-Eskrima- Katibayan
  2005 - Punong Guro Hummerstone
• 5th Dan ArKido- personal student of Grandmaster Neal Hummerstone- 2003
• 3rd Dan Dennis Survival Ju Jitsu- Master Hanover -Israel
• Tactical Knife Master Instructor Dennis Survival
• 3Rd Dan Conceptual Hapkido-Grandmaster Neal Hummerstone
• 3rd Dan Shuri -Gojo Ryu: Shihan Larry Pizzi & Glenn Mehlman 6th Dan
• 2nd Dan American Karate-TKD
• Senior Instructor
• Director & Founder of SPYDERCO MBC- Martial Blade Craft Program
• Police Tactical Knife Instructor –ASLET International Police Asociation
• Police Tactical Kubaton-Short staff Instructor-ASLET International Police Association
• PFS-Knife Instructor- Paul Vunak-Progressive Fighting Systems 2000
• Expert Class #1 Congress of American Knife Fighters- Director Hock Hochhie
• Basic Instructor Traditional Wing Chun –Wing Chun
• RIDDLER OF STEEL & Guest Instructor
• MENSAN : member of MENSA: The high IQ society since 1984
• Inventor / designer of the KINETIC SERIES of tactical folding knives:
• The ESCALATOR by REKAT
• The GUNTING, DRONE & the CRMIPT by SPYDERCO
• Inventor of Abaniko Series fixed Blade: Abaniko 5-7, Lapu lapu 5-7, Guru 8 & Bolo

• 2004 World Head of Soke Councilship Hall of Fame: International Grandmaster : Tactical Training
• 2004 Cosmopolitan Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Silver Lifetime Achievement Award : Tactical Combatives Instructor
• 2003 World Head of SOKE Councilship Hall of Fame: Teaching Excellence: Modular Training
• 2002 World Head of SOKE Councilship Hall of Fame: Martial Blade Craft: Master Instructor
• 2001 World Head of SOKE Councilship Hall of Fame: Knife Combatives: Master Instructor
• 2001 Cosmopolitan Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Master Instructor of Year: Martial Blade Craft
• 2000 World Head of SOKE Councilship Hall of Fame: Most Innovative Weaponry: Gunting
• 1999 World Head of SOKE Councilship Hall of Fame : Seminar Leader & Instructor
• Cosmopolitan Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Most Innovative Weapons Design & Instructor: GUNTING
• 1998 World Head of SOKE Councilship Hall of Fame 1st “Weapons Instructor of the Year”
• 1998 Karate Voice Martial Arts Hall of Fame “Silver Lifetime Achievement Award”
• 1998 Martial Arts Masters, Pioneers & Legends Hall Of Fame “ Master Instructor of the Year”
• 1997 WHSCMHF “Master Instructor of the Year”- Arnis
• 1997 Liaison RANDALL FIGHTING Knives
• 1996 Karate Voice FLORIDA Black Belt Hall of Fame “ Master Instructor of the Year”
• 1996 WHSCMHF “ Master Instructor of the Year”
• 1995 World Martial Arts Hall Of Fame “Instructor of the year Arnis”

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Chief instructor S2-CIS Knife Counter Knife 2003
• Instructor Israeli Anti Terror-IDF-ISA-knife Counter Knife 2003
• Chief Instructor @ FLECT TSA-FAM program-Gunting-CRMIPT
• 2002 VIDEO QUEST : Gunting Instructional Video Series
• Chief Instructor 2002 for Advanced Instructors @ FLETC-USBP Knife-Counter Knife & Impact tool
• 2002- Instructor ISA-IDF Knife Counter Knife
• Chief Instructor 2001 @ FLETC for the USBP-Knife /counter knife
• Chief Instructor 2001 @ ASLET National Conference Knife / Counter Knife
• Chief Instructor 2001 @ ISA Knife / counter knife seminars
• 26th SOF Convention 2000–Tactical Knife Instructor: Soldier of Fortune
• VIDEO QUEST Video Series on the GUNTING KNIFE: SPYDERCO
• 2001: Conceptual Modern Arnis: book to be published -manuscript done
• 2001: Conceptual Modern Arnis: two tape series
• 2000: Chief Instructor Knife-Edged Weapons: SPETZNAS- ROSS: Russian Martial Art. St. Petersburg RUSSIA.
• 1998-2004 Chief Instructor/ Director: COMMANDMENTS of STEEL: Knife Counter Knife Training Camp Israel
• First in series: MODERN KNIVES magazine: Masters of the BLADE: Bram Frank
• 1999 PALADIN PRESS video Martial Artist Knife Videos volume 1&2: The Leading Edge
• 1998 VIDEO QUEST video series Tactical Knife, Stick fighting & Knife fighting
• 1998 Chief Instructor : Ontario Knives & ICHF Edged Weapons Camp
• 1996 Instructor Edged Weapons SOF Convention : Soldier of Fortune
• 1996 Staff Instructor Edged Weapons AWSDA: American Woman’s Self Defense Association Convention
• CHIEF INSTRUCTOR & DIRECTOR of Training BLUNT & EDGED WEAPONS as Directed by Prof Remy Presas. as Modern Arnis representative to ICHF. ICHF-Camps 1994-95-96-97
• Featured in many publications worldwide: Newspapers, magazines; MARTIAL ARTS ILLUSTRATED, WORLD OF MARTIAL ARTS, FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS, TAE KWON DO & KOREAN COMBATIVE ARTS, COMBAT ARTS, TACTICAL KNIVES, KARATE VOICE Magazine, radio shows, and television