Dr Jason Armstrong has worked at Corporate CEO levels in Japan, the USA and Australia. He lived with a karate master in Japan and holds a 5th degree black belt after studying the art for more than 20 years. He was educated to Ph.D. level in the USA and his career has spanned the biotech and software industries. Companies he has worked for include multinationals like AMGEN, Mitsubishi Pharmaceutical, Zymark (Caliper), and CM Capital – a Venture Capital firm. His focus has been on the application of Karate & Zen into life & business through employing their philosophies and strategies (Zen, Tao de Ching and The Art of War). More martial arts biographic detail below . . .
Dr. Armstrong has trained for more than 20 years including extensive time in Japan between 1995 and 2002.
His Japan time included living with a Japanese Master between 1997 and 2001. Sensei Jason’s martial arts training began with Judo in 1983 and he swicthed to Renbukan karate in 1984. He spent 17 years as an active member of Shito-Ryu Renbukan, including 6 years as a regular student in the Japan Renbukan dojo system. Concurrently in the 1990s Sensei Jason had an association with Sensei Young of Shotokan and, despite his core in Shito-ryu, spent a good deal of time cross training in Shotokan and Goju dojos. In 2001 he adopted an affiliation which spans the 3 major karate styles, and includes instructors from Shotokan, Shito-ryu and Okinawan Karate.
Following time in rural Japan from 1995 to 2001, Jason moved to Tokyo in 2001. There he spent some time in Shotokan and Kyokushin Dojos. While in Tokyo Jason also taught some of his core style (Shito-Ryu Karate). His current rank (5th Dan) was issued through a combined grading panel system of Shito-Ryu and Shotokan.
Sensei Jason has had a good deal of exposure to various 8th degree Shotokan, Shito-ryu and Goju Sensei through actively traveling the world and training within famous dojos in Japan, Okinawa, and Hong Kong.
Karate Grading Experience
During the 1990s Sensei Jason combined with 2 other Sensei in California, Sensei John Bartholomay (6th Dan Shito-Ryu) and Sensei Victor Young (6th Dan Shotokan), to form a local grading panel for California. Sensei John reports into Sensei Mabuni (8th Dan, son of Kenwa Mabuni) in Osaka, and Sensei Victor has an alliance with Seto Sensei (Shotokan) in Tokyo. That panel has been responsible for grading some of Sensei Jason’s black belt students. Other students have traveled to Japan and graded with Jason’s Japanese instructors.
Extensive Experience Teaching Karate
In the early 1990s Sensei Jason ran a karate club at Kansas State University, USA. In 1994 he founded a second club in California in 1994 which still continues today. In Australia, where Sensei Jason has 2 dojos, he has had some interactions with Sensei Patrick McCarthy (8th Dan). For example, in 2003 & 2004 McCarthy Sensei involved himself on the grading panel of Jason’s dojo contributing his valuable experience. Sensei Jason regularly visits his dojos in California.
