Skip Taylor`s first martial arts experience was at Karate Center in Minneapolis Under Tae Kwon Do master Jun S. Hyon in 1974. Shortly after he began classes he moved to New York. In 1984 he moved to Taipei, Taiwan where his martial arts journey began in earnest. He studied Chinese Qi Gong under master Tu King-shen, and Tae Kwon Do under 4th (later 5th) degree black belt Yen Yi-long, and 6th degree black belt and international tournament judge Shi Jia-ming. He holds a Tae Kwon Do black belt. In his second year in Taiwan he met Shaolin Emporer`s Long Fist master Liu Ke-huai, and had five years of semiprivate training with him. He still sometimes returns to Taipei for classes with master Liu, and was there as recently as spring of this year. He moved back to the U.S. in 1992 and shortly thereafter began Aikido studies with New York Aikikai. His main teachers were masters Ted Wolf and Woodstock Aikikai master Harvey Konigsberg, and he also had seminars with Chief Instructor Yoshimitsu Yamada. In 1998 Skip moved to Japan under the JET program. While living in Taipei he became aware of Ninpo Taijutsu in Japan, and became interested in finding out more. He was fortunate to have chosen the same prefecture, and the same area, as the school headquarters of Dr. Maasaki Hatsumi. Aside from continuing Aikido, in which he is working on his second degree black belt, he also holds a second degree black belt from the Bujinkan Ninpo Taijutsu organization. He is also working on his second degree black belt in Ryukyu Kobudo under Akamine Hiroshi Sensei, and began studies in Filipino Kali about four years ago. He has consistently attended annual training sessions at the Kokusai Budo Daigako or International Martial Arts University in Chiba Prefecture, where he and Tim Jurgens met in 1998. Skip is very active in martial arts activities in Japan and globally. He was twice named the competitor with the best spirit in the Tokyo area Sanda Taikai, an open full contact sparring event that matches different styles in various matches with assorted rules favoring stand up and grappling. He has also traveled to the Ukraine in support of a Ryukyu Kobudo Seminar and World Tournament where he assisted and competed. In his spare time-when there is any-he is also a singer/songwriter/guitarist, and enjoys confirming alcohol content for assorted beverage manufacturers.
