--- title: Professional Background --- [Skip to content](https://tomsotis.com/professional-background#main-content) [![2025-menu-dagger-logo-60](https://tomsotis.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2025-menu-dagger-logo-60.png?width=195&height=60&name=2025-menu-dagger-logo-60.png)](https://www.tomsotis.com/?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://tomsotis.com/tactical-landing) - Training Show submenu for Training - [AMOK!](https://tomsotis.com/amok) - [Edged Response](https://tomsotis.com/edged-response) - [Quietus](https://tomsotis.com/quietus) - [Get Involved](https://tomsotis.com/get-involved) - [Community](https://tomsotis.com/the-community) - [Trainer Program](https://tomsotis.com/trainer-program) - Resources Show submenu for Resources - [Videos](https://tomsotis.com/training-videos) - [Books](https://tomsotis.com/books) - [Gear](https://tomsotis.com/gear) - About Show submenu for About - [Tom Sotis](https://tomsotis.com/about-tom) - [Organizations Served](https://tomsotis.com/organizations-served) - [What is AMOK!](https://tomsotis.com/what-is-amok) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Home](https://tomsotis.com/tactical-landing) - Training Show submenu for Training - [AMOK!](https://tomsotis.com/amok) - [Edged Response](https://tomsotis.com/edged-response) - [Quietus](https://tomsotis.com/quietus) - [Get Involved](https://tomsotis.com/get-involved) - [Community](https://tomsotis.com/the-community) - [Trainer Program](https://tomsotis.com/trainer-program) - Resources Show submenu for Resources - [Videos](https://tomsotis.com/training-videos) - [Books](https://tomsotis.com/books) - [Gear](https://tomsotis.com/gear) - About Show submenu for About - [Tom Sotis](https://tomsotis.com/about-tom) - [Organizations Served](https://tomsotis.com/organizations-served) - [What is AMOK!](https://tomsotis.com/what-is-amok) ## Professional Background I began training in the martial arts in 1969 and have trained continuously ever since. During more than five decades of study, I have never taken an extended break from training. Martial arts and combatives have been a constant part of my life since childhood. Throughout much of my career I trained in multiple systems concurrently rather than studying one art, leaving it, and then beginning another. It was common for me to devote years of serious study to two or more disciplines at the same time while also competing, teaching, traveling, and conducting research. As a result, some instructor certifications and promotions appear relatively close together chronologically, but they represent years of overlapping study rather than rapid progression through unrelated systems. As one highly respected martial arts master once said, *"It's not how long you've been in it; it's how much you've been at it."* I have always believed that the quality, consistency, and intensity of training matter far more than simply counting the number of years that have passed. The timeline that follows represents documented milestones in a lifetime devoted to continuous training, teaching, and professional development. ## Professional Highlights - **Continuous** martial arts and combatives training for more than **55 years** - Trained extensively in multiple martial arts systems concurrently throughout much of that time - Founder of the **International Blade Fighters Guild** and **AMOK!** (1992) - Conducted over **1,500 seminars** - Taught in **25 countries** - Developed instructor certification programs used internationally - Author of more than 6**0 books** covering combatives, personal safety, methodology, history, philosophy, leadership, and human performance - Served military, law enforcement, government agencies, security professionals, and civilians throughout the world ## Martial Arts Background ### Early Training - Began martial arts training (**1969**) - First martial arts promotion (**1972**) ### Competition - Competed in 50+ sports competitions (**1970-1975**) - World Kickboxing Champion – World Professional Karate Organization, New York (**1980**) ### Documented Martial Arts Credentials - First Degree Black Belt – Nick Cerio's Kenpo (**1983**) - Second Degree Black Belt – International Kenpo Karate Association (**1983**) - Sifu of OoDer Kuntao (**1985**) - Guru of Kali-Silat (Filipino-Indonesian Martial Art) (**1994**) - Guru of Pekiti-Trankadas-Echikete (Stick and Aldabon Knife System) (**1996**) - Mata-as na Guro – Bacolod Negros Arnis-Kali Escrima Federation (**1996**) - Professor of Pekiti-Tirsia Daga (Filipino Knife System) (**1996**) - Professor of Dagaso-Tirsia Daga (Filipino Knife System) (**1996**) - Fifth Degree Black Belt – Kenpo-Kobudo Karate (**1999**) - Professor of Qol Demama Daga (Filipino Knife System) (**2001**) ### Philippine Training In 1996 I traveled to Negros Island in the Philippines where I trained with Filipino World War II veterans and senior instructors, further deepening my understanding of Filipino blade systems and the cultural traditions from which they evolved. ### Awards and Recognition Mandala Award – Philippine Grand Magisterium (**2000**) Master Instructor of the Year – United International Kung-Fu Hall of Fame (**2000**) Lifetime Achievement Award – Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame (**2001**) Order of Sikatuna – Philippine Presidential Command 2001 Presented with American Flag by US Armed Forces, Iraq 2008 & 2009 ## Professional Certifications and Affiliations Member, International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors Certified U.S. Concealed Carry Association Instructor Certified NRA Pistol Instructor Certified NRA Rifle Instructor Certified First Responder – CPR/AED Certified First Responder – Stop the Bleed Certified Motivation Profiler and Analyst Volunteer, Palm Beach Sheriff's Office Marine Unit NASBLA Boating Safety Certification (U.S. Coast Guard recognized) ## Additional Training and Expertise Throughout my career I have believed that becoming more capable means developing skills beyond martial arts alone. That philosophy has led me to pursue training in survival, emergency response, firearms instruction, security, and marine operations. ### Survival - Knife-only survival - Bushcraft - Primitive survival methods ### Security - Locksmith - Safe technician - Safe deposit and vault technician ### Aquatic Skills - Boating - Sailing - Canoeing - Rafting - Swimming ### Diving - Free diving and underwater hunting Nitrox diver Rescue diver   ## My Work Today While my professional roots are firmly grounded in traditional martial arts, my work today has evolved far beyond the pursuit of rank or style. My primary focus is researching and developing functional methodology—understanding how people learn, make decisions, adapt, perform under pressure, and solve real problems. That work has led to the development of AMOK!, Functional Methodology, Truly Safer, The Motive Coach, and other educational projects centered on improving human performance. I no longer measure progress by belts, titles, or organizational rank. I measure it by whether a method produces better decisions, better performance, and better outcomes. The martial arts gave me an extraordinary foundation for which I will always be grateful. The work I do today is my attempt to build upon that foundation through continual study, experimentation, and refinement. Learning never ends, and neither should the pursuit of becoming more capable. [facebook-f icon](https://www.facebook.com/tom.sotis) [linkedin-in icon](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-sotis/) [Follow us on Facebook](https://www.instagram.com/tomsotis/) --- [Privacy Policy & Terms and Conditions of Use](https://44656512.hs-sites.com/privacy-policy?hsLang=en) West Palm Beach, Florida Copyright © 2023  Tom Sotis LLC