Biography

Sifu Jose's martial arts' background is quite diverse. He began as a student of Shotokan at the age of 10 under the instruction of Reno Romales in The Bronx, New York . Mr. Romales taught Shotokan free of charge from the gym of a local public school. Jose continued his training until the age of 15; this is when he was diagnosed with a life long illness known as Factor II Deficiency. This an inherited form of hemophilia, the disorder that prevents blood from clotting. Therefore a simple injury could prove life threatening for Jose. At the age of 24 Jose decided that he would not allow Hemophilia to affect his quality of life. He returned to his martial arts training. A Shotokan school that had recently opened in his neighborhood, welcomed Jose with open arms and he eagerly began extensive training. One year later he began to compete in local and citywide tournaments. He won numerous awards and within two years won the New York State Championship for his age group. Ironically he won the gold metal in the sparring competition. From that day never looked back at a life without martial arts. 

In March of 2000, after a major interstate move to Pennsylvania, Jose began training in the Korean style of Tae Kwon Do and studied steadily for almost 2 years. This is where he began his internship as a Junior Instructor. That is until he attended a Kung-Fu class with Sifu Jamal El, that transformed his entire outlook of Martial Arts. Jose began a physical, spiritual and most importantly a mental transformation into the traditional world of Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu. He feels that Kung- Fu is the foundation for a balanced, peaceful and healthy life. 

Jose believes that one can ever master marital arts, the learning never ends and training takes more than one lifetime. He tells his students every chance he gets that they are special because they know Kung Fu and therefore can do something most people can't. His motto is "never say you can't-you can if you really want to."

References and Peer Reviews

http://www.hacacares.org/pdf_docs/newsletters/news-haca-200504.pdf

http://www.hemophiliaz.org/default.asp?pageId=28&parentId=24


Sifu Knight volunteers one week of his vacation time each year to teach kids Kung Fu. However, these are no ordinary kids, they are all either afflicted with Hemophilia and/or HIV. Many of these children have contacted the HIV virus through tainted blood transfusions and plasma infusions they endure daily. Hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that does not allow the blood to clot. A simple cut can be life threatening.

Jose travels from Pennsylvania to Arizona each year to Camp Honor, a camping program that began in 1994 by The Hemophilia Association. This program was started to provide life skills to children with bleeding disorders a much needed break from the strains of this chronic illness. It's a chance for those robbed of their childhood to gain back some much needed fun.

Hemophiliacs are warned to stay away from any physical activity which can cause injuries, especially those that can cause bleeding. Coach Jose has put together a special non-contact Kung Fu program so that these kids can safely participate without the worries of hurting themselves. Jose has Thrombophilia, an extremely rare form of Hemophilia, but that didn't stop him from training in many forms of martial arts.