Sifu/Guro Raymond Crow started studying Tae Kwon Do and Judo at 16 years old, and soon discovered Wing Chun. He trained in the art for a few years during the '70s, until he became aware of Bruce Lee's art and discovered that Wing Chun was the main body of Jeet Kune Do (JKD).
Bruce Lee had already passed away by this time, but Raymond got in touch with his successor, Sifu/Guro Dan Inosanto, and managed to start training with him in 1979. Raymond Crow began his training with private lessons under Guro Dan and group classes. For a few years, he went back and forth from Dallas to LA. He felt very lucky to train with Guro Inosanto and just be able to say he knows him. He is the only Texan who trained at the Torrance School on Normandie Street.
He also studied Jeet Kune Do Grappling under another one of SiJo Bruce Lee's students, Sifu Larry Hartsell, who made him an Instructor in his art.
In 1985, Raymond got his instructor credentials from Sifu/Guro Dan Inosanto. Raymond Crow was his first representative for Texas.
He also pursued his training under Surachai "Chai" Sirisute, the founder of in Thai Boxing (Muay Thai) and became an Instructor.
Over the years, while teaching at different schools and his own, he attended seminars under different instructors including Dan Inosanto, Larry Hartsell, Francis Fong, Chai Sirisute, Sifu/Guro Richard Bustillo (Guro Inosanto and Guro Bustillo were partners at the Torrance school, when Sifu Crow trained there in the 70's).
Sifu/Guro Crow pioneered another art in 2004, when he brought Pentjak Silat Serak and Pentjak Silat Soempat to North Texas. Guru Victor de Thouars had trained under his brother Pendekar Paul de Thouars in the art of Serak and was certified by him. Guru Victor de Thouars granted Raymond Crow permission to teach the arts.
He recently began his training with Guro Lindsey Largusa (son of Guro Ben Largusa, original heir of the Villabrille system). And pick up training with Sifu/Guro Bustillo (IMB Academy) again since he trained with him and with Sifu Inosanto at the Torrance school from the late 70's.
Sifu/Guro Crow received his Apprentice Instructor rank from Sifu/Guro Bustillo in June 2008.
HIS MARTIAL ARTS TEACHING
Sifu/Guro Raymond Crow introduced JKD, Filipino Kali and Thai Boxing in Texas in 1979, though he had been teaching out of his back yard since the mid-70's.
He started hosting seminars with Sifu/Guro Dan Inosanto, Sifu Larry Hartsell, Sifu Francis Fong, and Ajarn Chai Sirisute in the early 80's. Until then, these arts were out of reach for Bruce Lee/Thai Boxing buffs, and fairly unknown in the area.
In 1984, he opened the "Wing Chun Academy" on Tucker Street in Dallas, TX, and taught all arts that he trained in, until 1989 at that location (see Photo Gallery, Archives).
In 1988, he became the Martial Arts Director at the "Racquet Ball Resort International" clubs. After a few years he resigned, but kept teaching part-time while pursuing other interests.
In this new millennium, he opened a new martial arts school in Carrollton, Crow�s Martial Arts Academy, where he passes on his vast knowledge.
His teaching goal is to show the application of the arts by teaching drills and flow and let the students keep and apply what's useful to them. Nothing thrills him more (besides the fact that students are actually practicing at home) than when a student actually understands the concept of the "echo" (as SiJo Bruce Lee described it) by adapting each response to the training partner's moves.
You will learn practical self-defense by becoming fit and developing awareness and sensitivity.
ACHIEVEMENTS
In 2006, he was inducted in the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame!
Sifu/Guro was also inducted in the Battle of Atlanta Hall of Fame in 2008.
Sensi Joe Corley is the founder of the Battle of Atlanta Hall of Fame. Check the link of http://www.battleofatlanta.com/officials.htm to see Sifu/Guro Inducted Hall of Fame page.
Sifu/Guro/Kru Raymond Crow is now the State of Texas Director for the Alliance, which is the body for the U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame, U.S. National Martial Arts Team, International Board of Rank Review, and all Alliance Yearly Summer Camps. Sifu Crow is named Texas State Director will play an important part of projects of the Alliance 2008.
He has taught more Instructors than anyone in this area since 1979, when he started training personally with Guro Dan Inosanto.
He has trained approximately 5,000 people in the Metroplex including Law Enforcement Personnel, and a member of the District Attorney's office; he also helped train the Dallas Cowboys.
He introduced and taught Kali and some JKD concepts to Joe Purcell and Joseph Cowels in the early 80's. Not the Jun Fan though, since Sifu Cowels and Joe Purcell were already practicing Jun Fan: Sifu Cowels was a student of Sijo Bruce Lee from Seattle, Sifu Cowels also taught Sifu Crow some principles of the Seattle Jun Fan material. Sifu Crow met Gary Dill around 1985 thru a student of Dill's and the student became one of Sifu Crow's, and Sifu Crow introduced and taught a little Chi Sao and Jeet Kune Do basic material to Gary Dill which he had no knowledge of them then, Gary was not one of Bruce Lee's Students but James Lee's student. He trained with Sifu James Lee for about nine months only. Sifu Crow was inducted into the USA Hall of Fame in 2006. The fact that he also is a Instructor under Sifu Inosanto, Sifu Bustillo and Sifu Hartsell, that is three of Sijo Bruce Lee students.
The list of his past and current students speaks for itself:
Tony Fararro (original senior student and only Full Instructor - Retired)
Ronald Nance (current senior student and Associate Instructor)
Sam Nouanesengsy and Sonny Dao - Inactive Associate Instructors 1st Level)
Willie Wilson (inactive Instructor - now teaching at his own school)
Eric Talbot (one of the original backyard students - Apprentice Instructor)
Bill Sosa (Kali training)
Rick and John Sosa (Thai Boxing and Kali training for a few months)
Rick Fowler (Kali)
Tom Pierson (Kali)
Jason Webster (trained at Tucker school)
Valentine Espiricuete (about a year)- Discharged
Ron Penny (ex-city marshal)
Jon Rister (inactive Basic only-Instructor)- Dishonorably Discharged
Wylie Mitchell - Dishonorably Discharged
Lance Fleming (trained for a month)
Eric Mattingly and his staff (inactive Assistant Instructor in Kali)
Craig "Bubba" Norton - Instructor at Central Texas Academy of Martial Arts in the Austin Area (Wing Chun, Kali and martial arts applications to football) Discharged
Chris Adamson - Inactive Student
Bruce Jenkins, Moroland Martial Arts - No longer training in Filipino Kali (beginner rank level 1) and Pentjak Silat Serak (no level) - Drop Student - Discharged
Shane Brasher - currently inactive (beginner rank level 1 in Wing Chun - also level 1 in Jun Fan/JKD Concepts)
Jim Harrelston - old Tucker school student -
John Dawson - training in Kali (Phase II rank - intermediate - level 5) - dropped
Chris Mancill - currently training in Kali (Phase II rank - intermediate - level 5)
Some old students that claim to be first generation students under Guro Inosanto, Sifu Hartsell, and others, were actually students under me first.
Other old students were discharged due to dishonest or dishonorable behavior. We do verify credentials that the students have. We have had problems in the past with that. We had a student that we had to discharge due to two forge Inosanto seminar certificates on his website from the normal 10 hours to 91 and 70. He denied doing them. The bottom line is we do not do business or associate with individuals or organizations who exhibit dishonest, or unethical behavior. People that has a discharge by there name, it was due for dishonest or dishonorable behavior.
