Joe Hyams – Martial Arts Pioneer & Author of “Zen In The Martial Arts”
“Mark has put together a system that’s incredible and he is probably the best martial artist I have ever seen; certainly the best I’ve ever studied with.”
Joe Hyams
World War II Combat Veteran
Martial Arts Pioneer
Author of Zen In The Martial Arts
Former Private Student of Ed Parker, Bong Soo Han and Bruce Lee
Joe trained with Mark from 1987 until his passing in 2008
Eskrima Grandmaster Crispulo “Ising” Atillo
“My best student is here in the USA. He is Mark Mikita. I taught him already the deadly style of Philippine martial arts stick fighting. All my secrets, I taught him, and I have already awarded him as Master and Grandmaster. He's the best!” [sic]
Crispulo "Ising" Atillo
Grandmaster of the Atillo Balintawak Eskrima System
Renowned Stick Fighter
Fought and won the last legally sanctioned death match in the Philippines, 1983
Dan Inosanto – Training Partner of Bruce Lee
“I’ve known Mark Mikita for 20 years and he really is an extraordinary martial artist.”
Dan Inosanto
Training Partner of Bruce Lee
Burton Richardson – Jeet Kune Do Unlimited
“Some people become outstanding martial artists because they were born with a talent for the fighting arts. Some people excel because they have a passion for the arts, while others make great achievements through a tireless work ethic.
It is exceedingly rare to find a person who embodies all three of these traits, as does my martial arts brother, Mark Mikita.
Mark’s physical and intellectual talent alone would’ve taken him to the top, but his extraordinary skill and understanding come from that rare mix of talent, passion and massive amounts of training. If you have the chance to train with him, do it.
He has a brilliant mind, a critical eye and an honest tongue, not to mention an amazing breadth of knowledge, and the prowess to go with it.
Touch hands with him and you will be inspired, as was I, to be your best.”
Burton Richardson
Jeet Kune Do Unlimited
Longtime Private Student and Training Partner of Mark Mikita
Sam Sheridan – Author of “A Fighter’s Heart” and “The Fighter’s Mind”
Mark Mikita is the real deal. I've spent the last ten years interviewing and training with World Champion boxers and UFC fighters, so believe me when I tell you that Mark is the real deal; he understands, into his bones, what he is teaching.
Through a lifetime of intelligent, driven, directed study, Mark mastered his subject. Mastery not just in the physical sense, but also in terms of essence, understanding, truth.
Training under Mark reminds me of reading Bobby Fischer's chess games, there is elegance and economy, but most of all, I am reminded continuously of the essentials – the bloody heart – of what we are about as fighters and students of self-defense.
Sam Sheridan
Author of A Fighter's Heart and The Fighter's Mind
Fencing Master Ed Richards
“Mark Mikita is the most outstanding student I have ever taught. His incessant and surprisingly insightful questions have forced me to delve deeper than ever before into my understanding of the techniques and tactics of fencing. He is a remarkable teacher and his school is for intelligent people.”
Fencing Master Ed Richards
1964 Olympian / 2-Time National Champion / World Masters Champion
Roy Petersen – Combat Veteran & Founder of Recon Security
“I started as a student with Mark Mikita in '86. I'd already had Golden Gloves boxing, full-contact Kung Fu and Aikido down well enough that, at that time, I was a bodyguard in Hollywood for several film stars (including Steven Seagal). Coming from Chicago, the psychological aspect was deeply ingrained early on... Mark carved it deeper. The mental is way more important than the rest and Mark taught me how to test myself in reality to gauge my progress. Knife fighting, improvised field-expedient weapons, sentry neutralization, close-quarter termination – Mark fine-tuned my personal style (dealing death in the dark using senses most folks don't even know they have) with his multi-dimensional approach to training one on one.
In '92, I moved into his school for a six-week intensive, some days training 8-10 hours straight, to prepare myself for the following next ten years of deep cover work in Latin America. Thanks to Mark's uncensored, mission-specialized training, I survived two lethal knife contests while there... the other fellows didn't.
I started out as a Nam Marine grunt, then went Force Recon as a team leader in the badlands of Khe Son, Con Tien, the DMZ and the A Shua Valley. Later, I joined Army Special Forces Airborne, then contracted out to some Italian and Chinese groups finally landing in Hollywood. Next was twelve years south of the border... no Miranda Rights read to the bad boys.
I've just returned from two contracts in Iraq, the last one in the Battle of Fallujah.
What's my point? If you ever dream of being as serious as me... Mark is the man to train you. I bet my life on him and I have now for 20+ years!”
Roy Petersen
Highly Decorated Vietnam Combat Veteran
Founder & CEO of Recon Security Consultants
Laurent Delsol – Senior Student
“Mark Mikita has dedicated his life to investigating and developing his own unique interpretation of the martial arts. The curriculum in his school is seemingly limitless, until Mark ties the sea of techniques back to a handful of fundamental principles that make up the essence of the art. Through the understanding of these principles, Mark shows how to transform the techniques into trusted weapons rather than memorized, disconnected movements with an emphasis on athleticism. I’ve been training in the martial arts since 1977, in different styles in various countries. Since 1995, I’ve made Mark’s school my home base. Always encouraging his students to expand their horizons, I’ve trained with a number of other teachers during that time, only to find that Mark had already absorbed their methods and was teaching them to me all along. His eclectic approach and his dogged insistence on personally researching the art to make it your own make the Mikita School of Martial Art a truly great place to train and grow as a martial artist. He has my utmost respect and devotion.”
Laurent Delsol
Finance Executive, Sony Pictures
2nd Degree Black Belt, Tae Kwon Do
Top Student at the Mikita School of Martial Art - 17 Year Student of Mark Mikita
Laurent has the distinction of being the first person ever to be awarded a Black Belt by Mark Mikita, and he currently holds a 4th Degree.
Den Bradshaw – Marketing Consultant
"As a long-time practitioner of the Martial Arts, friends often ask me who I think is the “best” martial artist I’ve ever seen…
For me there is no hesitation.
There isn’t a superlative strong enough to describe Mark Mikita as a Martial Artist.
Mark is singular in both the breadth and depth of his knowledge. He’s dedicated his life to the pursuit of real-world knowledge and skill in scores of vastly different martial arts. And he doesn’t study anything half-assed… Mark dedicates himself with the laser-like focus and tenacity of a wolverine with a fresh kill.
I would like to say that Mark has forgotten more martial arts techniques in 30 years than anyone I know has learned… But the truth is that man never forgets a thing. He is a walking encyclopedia of martial arts.
But, like a true practitioner, Mark’s knowledge has been gathered and honed toward a purpose. He keeps only the most effective aspects, principles and techniques from each art he studies, and has fused them into a supremely adaptable and effective system.
Some can teach but can not do… Some can do, but can not teach. Mark Mikita is not only the best, scariest, most bad-ass martial artist I’ve ever seen…
He is also a phenomenal instructor.
Mark can see the art through his students’ eyes, and is able to deconstruct complicated techniques in ways that even a beginner can understand and apply immediately.
Whether you are new to Martial Arts, or are already a veteran instructor, if you want to get your fighting skills to the next level, and work with the very best, Mark Mikita is your man."
Den Bradshaw
Marketing Consultant
Owner, Marketing Magnet
15 Year Student of Mark Mikita
Free Carradine – Son of David Carradine
David Carradine was my father. Kwai Chang Caine, Grasshopper, Snatch the pebble from my hand... along with Bruce Lee, my dad's iconic characterization of the deadly yet peace loving Shaolin priest wandering the Old West in the original Kung Fu television series sparked the Kung Fu craze and inspired a generation.
Like so many others back then, I too set out to find a masterful teacher who fully embodied that warrior-sage ideal, at least as much as any fallible, non-fiction human being could... but who would've ever thought that I would actually find one, in LA no less?
His name is Mark Mikita... and now you have found him too.
Free Carradine
16 year student of Mark Mikita
Son of David Carradine & Barbara Hershey
Ian Armstrong MD – Neurosurgeon
“After many years of doing sport martial arts, I started training with Mark Mikita in 2001 and was immediately put to work retooling the way I thought about personal combat and self-defense.
As a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, I have been both a student and a teacher of science and medicine for most of my life and I can honestly say that Mark is one of the finest teachers I have ever worked with, in any arena.
He is a veritable lexicon of martial arts knowledge with an understanding of history, anatomy, biomechanics and human nature that truly sets him apart. In fact, Mark’s knowledge of functional medical anatomy surpasses that of most of my medical colleagues.
As a teacher, he goes to great lengths to custom-design a curriculum to suit the needs of the individual student. For example, as a neurosurgeon, it’s very important to me to keep my hands, my fine motor skills and my cognitive abilities intact. Mark not only puts me completely at ease with regard to those concerns in training but also teaches me how to protect those assets in actual combat without suffering a deficit in my ability to put serious hurt on anyone who would do me or my family harm.
Mark teaches everything from vicious bare-knuckle boxing spiked with elbows to the eye sockets, head butts and guillotine chokes to jungle warfare with fire-hardened sticks and big, sharp knives, yet he doesn’t attract Neanderthals looking to earn street cred through assault and battery, as one might expect. He is a thinking man’s martial arts teacher with a rare and refreshing penchant for honor and integrity.
He turns away more students than he accepts and the ones he accepts invariably end up training with him for years, if not decades, and that says a lot more than my words here can convey.
I feel privileged to be his student and I am pleased to call him my friend.”
Ian Armstrong MD
Neurosurgeon
Founder & Medical Director of the Southern California Spine Institute
Former Chief of Neurosurgery, Century City Hospital, Los Angeles
10 Year Student of Mark Mikita
James Bamford – President Stunts Canada
"In my opinion, Mark Mikita is the foremost instructor of non-sport, practical, effective Martial Arts in North America today."
James "Bam-Bam" Bamford
President - Stunts Canada
Guy Grundy – Professional Body Builder
“As a professional athlete, I’ve worked with many top-level trainers and coaches but no one holds a candle to Mark Mikita. He has the ability to clearly explain techniques and core principles so that any person at any level learns and learns fast. And I am a prime example. Unable to read or write until I was 14, I was rightfully labeled a slow learner and believed it all my life. However, within just two weeks of beginning my training with Mark, his approach completely changed the way I see myself.
To illustrate the kind of man he is; most trainers and coaches demand to be addressed by certain titles. When I respectfully asked Mark what he’d like me to call him once I became a student, he looked me in the eye, smiled and said, “How ‘bout you just call me Mark?” He went on to explain his heartfelt belief that every person we meet is inevitably superior to us in some way and should be treated as such.
Mark’s style of teaching is riveting and you really have to stay on your toes, intellectually as well as physically, to keep up with him yet, I’ve never known a teacher to be so friendly and easygoing with his students. He has a great way of providing all the benefits of a classical student-teacher relationship without setting himself apart. Putting it another way, he earns his students’ respect by giving them his and, in so doing, he has helped me to become not only a better fighter but also a better man. There is no higher compliment I can pay him.”
Guy Grundy
Professional Bodybuilder
Blake Van Noy – Black Belt Shotokan Karate
“My instructor, Mark Mikita, approaches life with a rare depth of thought that is immediately apparent to all who know him. This depth of thought is evident in his martial arts training, his teaching methodology, and in his admirable and extraordinary devotion to healthy living. As a teacher, he displays unflagging creativity and keen insight into how to best help each of his students achieve their potential. As a martial artist, his skills are absolutely phenomenal, on a level totally unparalleled in my experience. Mark is far and away the most terrifying martial artist and the best teacher I have ever known, and I am deeply grateful to be his student.”
Blake Van Noy
Shotokan Karate Black Belt
Michael Sanders – Former Competitive Gymnast
“Back when I was in college, before I met Mark Mikita, I thought I knew a lot about the martial arts, and what I loved about martial arts. After meeting Mark in the summer of 1988, though, I was no longer quite sure I was pursuing martial arts with the right goals in mind.
Nothing has opened my eyes more than training with Mark. Besides the very practical, realistic physical training, I’ve come away with a much more discerning mind. In a very real sense, Mark taught me how to teach myself, not just in the martial arts, but also in my everyday approach to the world. Whereas many teachers will lead you by the nose, Mark's approach is to develop students who can problem solve on their own.
You can't possibly prepare for every conceivable variable that may occur in your life (or in combat); but if you can think on your feet, adapt and flow with each unique situation and not be hamstrung by the rigidity of pre-rehearsed tactics and techniques that might not apply or fit perfectly for the circumstance you find yourself in, then you should be able to "make it up" as it happens, in dealing with the problem. In a world where you typically find teachers jealously guarding their students, Mark encouraged me to go out and train with a variety of people and learn from a variety of teachers, outside of his school.
Ever the student of the art himself, Mark seeks to develop his students not to become blind followers, but to be unique interpreters of the art, from whom he himself can learn. He demonstrates perfectly the paradox of selfishness and altruism, for it is for selfish reasons that he wants his students to reach their full potential. He wants martial artists willing to explore the art alongside him; training partners who can push his own understanding and skills through the prism of martial art. And in turn, it is absolutely altruistic, the time he invests and the sacrifices he personally makes on behalf of each and everyone of his students. Mark strips away the false securities and pretentious "moral trappings" that hamper other arts and other schools, as well as the baggage of much of the rituals and politics instructors and organizations inevitably weigh their students down with. By not taking a pacifist's approach to martial arts, preaching fanciful utopian notions of non-violence, Mark prepares his students to "face the beast" and honestly explore what it means to engage in unmitigated acts of violence to protect their life or the life of another. It is a much more adult approach; one that develops maturity and realism in how one deals with conflict and conflict resolution.”
Michael Sanders
Former UCLA Gymnast
20 Year Student of Mark Mikita
Wes Lin – LAPD Officer
“What Mark Mikita teaches is the boiled down essence of martial arts. It is the tool that you reach for when push-comes-to-shove and you have to protect, defend or attack. Mark's art is not about learning defensive tactics by rote, but about creating and problem solving on the spot. The core of my training (and what has probably increased my survivability rate in the field) is what Mark has taught me, and what he teaches works. Training with Mark has enabled me to survive many violent confrontations with minimal injuries. I have learned to address my fears, which allows me to operate at full capacity with undivided attention to the problem at hand. Just as importantly, I have also obtained the technical skills necessary to solve a violent confrontation whether it’s with verbal skills, my fists or the tools of my trade.”
Wes Lin
LAPD Officer
Ritchie Yip – InFighting Athletic Training
“In the world of Martial Arts, I’ve never met anyone who rivals Mark Mikita's talent, skill and ability to teach. There are few people for whom I have more respect and admiration. It is my honor to be his student.”
Ritchie Yip
Head Instructor, InFighting Athletic Training Systems, Vancouver, BC
13 Year Student of Mark Mikita
Frank Widder – Leo Protection Services
“When someone asks me what “style” I study at the Mikita School of Martial Arts, I happily reply: “I don’t know.” What I do know is that, for the past six years, I’ve been studying with one of the best martial arts teachers in North America, Mark Mikita. In Mark’s school, students connect to all aspects of fighting in a fully supportive way. There is no one style because lessons are fluid instead of static, realistic instead of staged. Mark offers an endlessly challenging, intelligent approach that engages me physically, mentally and strategically. The more Mark teaches, the more I appreciate just how much there is to learn and how vast his command of martial arts really is. Mark’s training and mindset have given me an entirely different perspective on what martial arts is all about. Back in my late 20s, I competed as a saber fencer for many years, and even practiced and competed in kendo for a time. If I only knew then what I’ve learned from Mark, it would have made a huge difference. For anyone considering “self-defense” or “traditional” martial arts schools, there is no better choice if you’re serious about learning.”
Frank Widder
Leo Protection Services
(Providing Live Screening Anti-Piracy Protection for the film industry)
Barrett Carrere – 2nd Degree Black Belt, Hapkido
“Mark Mikita is the antidote to one of the biggest dilemmas facing martial arts today: unqualified instructors teaching students demilitarized techniques in a factory–like environment using canned instructional approaches. I shudder when I see these programs or cardio kickboxing classes taught at the gym, knowing that their students' confidence is both false and dangerous. I've studied Hapkido with Grand Master Bong Soo Han for fifteen years, and sought Mark out to learn Filipino knife and stick fighting. Initially I thought my training with Mark would be a minor supplement to my training in Hapkido. However, I was soon captivated by Mark's enthusiasm and instructional approach, as well as the devastatingly effective nature of what he had to offer. Blending science with intuition, Mark presents an environment where students can test the boundaries of their abilities to deal with real-world conflict in the safety of a small class with highly focused and vigilant instruction. With Mark, you will develop more than just confidence, you will developed prowess.”
Barrett Carrere
2nd Degree Black Belt, Hapkido
Loki Jorgenson – Dog Brother / Maelstrom Martial Arts
“As far as I'm concerned, Mark is one of the legends of modern Filipino martial arts.”
Loki Jorgenson
Dog Brother
Head Instructor, Maelstrom Martial Arts, Vancouver, BC
Damon Wayans Jr. – Comedian
"Mark Mikita is THE BEST MARTIAL ARTS TEACHER EVER!"
Damon Wayans Jr.
Comedian