Geoff Willcher Martial Arts Resume

Geoff Willcher 615 Iris St. Altamonte Springs, FL. 32714 gwbando@msn.com

Geoff Willcher is a senior instructor in the American Bando Association’s Bando System, trained under the Father of American Bando, Dr. U Maung Gyi, and other senior instructors including Masahito Nishida, Paul Kwan, Jon Collins and Bob Maxwell. Geoff started training in 1964, reached 1^st level in , has been ABA President and currently serves at the ABA Director of Weapon Systems. Geoff has trained many of the ABA’s senior instructors and masters of various disciplines in Bando.

Highlights

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  Chief Instructor of GA State University Bando Karate Continuing Education class
  
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  Leader and Trainer of the Georgia Black Panther Kukri Drill team
  
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  Instructor of Woman’s Self-Defense classes
  
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  Instructor of Bando Karate for GA. State Univ. Physical Education Dept.
  
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  Special Training for Military, Security and Healthcare Professionals
  
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  Demonstrated Bando and Self-Defense on major Atlanta TV channels
  
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  Published articles on the Tiger System and Strategy in Martial Arts in Inside Kung-Fu magazine
  
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  Chairman and Director of Forms for the American Bando Association
  
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  Psychology Doctoral Dissertation on: Movement Errors in Karate Sparring as a Function of Stress and Skill
  

Personal student of Dr. U Maung Gyi since 1964. Started with Dr. Gyi at American University in 1964. Promoted to First Level Black Belt in 1968. Continuous training in many personal and small group training sessions. Participated in clinics on: Animal Style, Masters Weapons, Wizard system, Combat Dagger and other areas .

Chief Instructor of the Georgia State University Bando Karate class (running since 1972). Proposed class concept to administration. Developed and taught the program of instruction. Graduated over 15 black belts. Trained over 1000 students. Operated the class within the Recreation Dept., Continuing Education Dept. and Physical Education Dept.

President and Director of Forms for the American Bando Association. Prepared written descriptions and photographs of basic Bando forms. Distributed these to the ABA as draft official descriptions. Learned several forms from Dr. Gyi and introduced these to the association. These include the Hidden Draw short stick, Wizard short stick, Eagle form, Footsoldier and Horseman staff form.

Planned, produced and ran the first Bando tournament in America in a “Decathalon” format with nine separate events. Over 150 competitors competed in many events offered for the first time in any Bando competitve setting: short stick sparring, dagger sparring, combat archery.

Planned and produced a series of Bando summer camps with invited instructors. Conducted or supervised instruction in knife throwing, kukri, Bando basics, combat archery and other areas. Advertised the camp, coordinated with facility owners, organized food service, cleaned, repaired and prepared facilities, built training equipment.

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  Promotion to the Seventh Level Black Belt from the American Bando Association (May, 1996).
  
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  Prepared draft competitive rules for sparring, forms and target events in empty hand, short stick, dagger (rubber), archery, and knife throwing.
  
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  Produced the 1985 Bando National Tournament in Atlanta. The only Bando tournament to feature competition in nine separate events: empty hand, dagger and short stick sparring, basic and animal style forms, stick and edge weapon forms, archery, knife throwing and breaking.
  
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  Led the team which wrote the American Bando Association constitution and By-laws, and achieved non-profit corporate status for the ABA.
  
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  Initiated the development of an annual Bando Kick Boxing national tournament while President of the ABA.
  
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  Taught the longest running continuing education class at GSU: Bando Karate, before turning it over to my students where it continues to this day. (1973 to 2004).
  
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  Started, led and trained the Georgia Black Panther Kukri Drill team. Performed precision kukri drills to honor veterans of the China-Burma-India Theater of WWII, Rangers and Merrill’s Marauders.
  

Orlando Bando School – 2011-present

Pacific Northwest Bando School – 1999 to 2011

Chief Instructor – Atlanta Bando Association – date to 1999

Chief Instructor – Georgia State Bando School – date to date

Co-Instructor -- Montgomery College Bando School – date to date

Co—instructor – Montgomery College Martial Arts Club – date to date

Roles in the American Bando Association

President – date to date

Director of ABA Weapons Systems – date to present

Director of Forms – date to date

Newsletter Editor – date to date

Founding member of ABA -- 1968

Geoff created, organized and trained the Georgia Black Panther Kukri Drill team. Team members included: Gary Layton, Dr. Karl Duff, Jude Willcher, Jim Whitcomb, Kathy Presley The team inspired drill teams created by Gary Layton and Dr. Karl Duff. Gary Layton has continued the team since Geoff left Georgia in . Under his leadership the team performed at:

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  Merrill’s Marauders reunion
  
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  CBI reunion
  
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  Performance at the 1986 nationals – Atlanta, GA
  
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  Performance at the #### national – Glastonbury, Conn
  
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  Performance at the ### nationals – Chillicothe, OH.
  
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  Performance at the ###,
  
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  Performance at the traveling Vietnam Veteran’s well in Atlanta, GA
  

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  Dagger Defense Multiple Style clinic – Redmond, WA
  
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  1986 Bando National in Atlanta, GA – the largest combined weapons tournament in Bando history: sword and dagger sparring, short stick sparring, knife throwing, archery, breaking, all weapons forms, empty hand forms and sparring.
  

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  Wauka Mountain Bando Camps – multiple events
  
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  Mount Yonah climbing training – multiple events
  
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  Lithia Springs Bando Camps – multiple events
  
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  North Georgia Dagger Training – multiple events
  
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  Montgomery College Intercollegiate Tournament (with Bob Maxwell)
  

Bando System Training includes:

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  Empty Hand:
  
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    2 count point, 4 count point, Z, advancing and retreating square, cross, T, Line, Monk (drill), line tension forms 1 and 2, square tension form, soft tension form, 9 count stationary tension form
    
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  Staff:
  
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    4 winds, 4 corners, staff exercise, foot soldier, pilgrim, dissident son, wizard staff, Mandalay middle staff
    
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  Short Stick:
  
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    Hidden Draw, Wizard Wand, military police baton, multiple stick
    
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  Cane:
  
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    Sacred Cane, Bando cane # 3, Layman’s cane
    
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  Animal systems:
  
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    Boar, Tiger, Spring cobra, Other cobra, Python, Tiger Breaking form
    
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  Sword:
  
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    Sword of Prince, Wizard Dha, Double Dha, Ro Ha Dha (spear)
    
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  Dagger: drills and functional training
  
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  Firearm: NRA certified rifle and shotgun instructor’s certification, pistol training, small and large bore pistols and air rifle.
  
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  Archery and Knife throwing
  
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  Slingshot, Blowgun
  

1964 -- Started Bando

1970 – promotion to 1^st level

Date – promotion to 2^nd level

Date – promotion to 3^rd level

Date – promotion to 4^th level

Date – promotion to 5^th level

Date – promotion to 6^th level

Date – promotion to 7^th level

Date – promotion to 8^th level

October, 2014 – promotion to 9^th level

Competition History

Geoff has a short competition history which includes:

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  All Star Karate Challenge – 3^rd Place – (Atlanta, GA) black belt empty hand forms – Executive Division
  
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  2^nd Isshinryu – Bando Tournament ,
  
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    1^st place black belt weapon forms
    
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    2^nd place black belt empty hand forms
    
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  1988 Bando Nationals – 3^rd place kukri drill team. Chillicothe, OH.
  
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  Bando Nationals 1979 – 1^st place (forms?)
  
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  Tri-State Karate Trials -- 1^st place Brown Belt Kata 1968
  
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  Tri-City Invitational – 2^nd place, 165 lb class. Washington, D.C. (weightlifting?)
  
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  Maryland Invitational –2^nd place, 148 lb class, (weightlifting)
  
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  Appreciation award for exhibiting in the 1981 Martial Arts Expo at Chattanooga, TN
  
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  Montgomery College Intercollegiate Tournament –
  
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    2^nd place brown belt sparring
    
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    2^nd place brown belt forms
    
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  Ki Whang Kim Karate tournament – 1^st place brown belt forms
  
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  Jhoon Rhee Karate tournament – Washington, D.C. participant – green belt division
  
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  Aaron Banks Open Karate Tournament – New York, participant – green belt division
  

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  General Systems Approach to the Definition of Hoplology (combative behavior) for Donn Draeger’s IHRC Book: Martial System Instructor’s handbook – in progress
  
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  Book: Introduction to Bando – in progress – pending photography and revision
  
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  Book: Staff Systems of Northern Burma – pending photography and revision
  
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  Research paper: Toward a concept for the science of hoplology for Donn Draeger: International Hoplology Research Center
  
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  Article: Toward a concept for the science of hoplology -- Hoplos
  
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  Article: Strategy in the Art of Combat – Inside Kung Fu
  
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  Article: Tiger of Bando – Inside Kung Fu -
  
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  Article: Unkind Cuts – Soldier of Fortune
  
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  Column: Way of the Warrior—23 Columns for Georgia State University Signal (school paper)
  
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  Bando Forms documented and distributed
  
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    Point, Z, Square, Cross, T, Line, Monk
    
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    Tiger, Eagle
    
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    4 winds, 4 corners, Footsoldier, Pilgrim Staff, Dissident son, Hidden Draw, Wizard Wand
    
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    Sword of Prince
    
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    Breaking Holds form
    

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  Manuals for Kukri and Staff
  

University Teaching Experience

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  Seattle University – Seattle, WA: User Interface Design
  
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  University of Washington – Bothell – Bothell, WA: Human Computer Interaction
  
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  Mercer University of Atlanta – Experimental Psychology, History of Psychology, Learning Psychology
  
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  Georgia State University – Atlanta, GA: Experimental Psychology, Intro to Psychology
  
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  Southern Polytechnic University – Marietta, GA. Taught Intro to Psychology
  
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  Brenau University – Athens, GA – Taught Educational Psychology
  
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  Hollins College – Roanoke, VA. Gave lectures on Developmental Psychology, and History and Systems of Psychology.
  

Doctorate in Cognitive Psychology -- Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. 1984. Dissertation was: “Frequency and Distribution of Kicking Errors in the Front Kick.”

Master of Arts in Psychology -- Hollins College in 1972.

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology -- University of Maryland at College Park in 1970.

Geoff completed the requirements for an AA degree at Montgomery College at the Takoma Park and Rockville campuses.

Geoff graduated from Northwood HS in 1968. He attended Bethesda Chevy Chase HS for one semester in 1964. ?

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  Hoplology – with Donn F. Draeger – anthropology of martial systems
  
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  Complexity Science
  
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  Biomechanics
  
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  Nutrition
  
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  Training
  
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  Psychology
  
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  Physical Fitness
  
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  Creative Writing
  

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  Remote Usability Engineer – IBM User Centered Design Services
  
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  Sr. Usability Engineer – Start Up Business Group – Microsoft
  
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  B2C Usability Engineer – AT&T
  
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  User Researcher II – Trust User Experience Group – Microsoft
  
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  User Researcher II – Microsoft Office – Visio
  
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  User Researcher II – Microsoft Office Business Applications / Performance Point
  
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  User Researcher – Microsoft CRM / Dynamics
  
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  User Researcher – Microsoft Expedia
  
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  Product Designer / User Researcher – Captura Travel and Expense Manementag
  
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  Product Designer / User Researcher -- Mapics
  
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  User Researcher – ALLTEL healthcare
  
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  User Researcher – Worldspan