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Bios:
Debby Kirkman
- 5th Level Black Belt in Bando, with specialization in the Cobra system
- 3rd Level Black Sash and certified Instructor in the Bando Monk System
- Vice President of the American Bando Association
- Published contributor to Women in the Martial Arts, by Carol Wiley
“Bando is a life-long pursuit for me. The breadth of Bando constantly provides new challenges, and yet I often find new understandings when I concentrate on the basics. My goal in teaching is to honor and preserve the gifts that have been shared with me by so many great practitioners by passing them on through our club.”
Debby Kirkman has pursued her passion for the martial arts since she took her first class in college. Since that time, she has continuously trained in martial arts and self-defense, and is an active member of the American Bando Association (ABA). Her focus areas include free-fighting, the Bando Cobra fighting system, and the Bando Monk System. She is one of the highest-ranking women in the ABA, and is a senior instructor at the annual Women’s Camp, which is sponsored by the ABA to promote skills and camaraderie among women who train in Bando. She has also led the Bando Women’s Drill Team, performing for veterans, honored masters from other martial arts, and for Burma’s ambassador to the US. In addition to traditional Bando instruction, she conducts regular training in the Bando Monk System, which includes self-defense techniques, yoga practices, and internal energy awareness. Previously, she has taught classes in kickbox aerobics and self-defense.
Professionally, Debby practices systems engineering in the field of air transportation, and is a senior principal engineer at The MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit corporation formed in the public interest. A life-long resident of Virginia, she currently lives near Haymarket, Virginia.
Jim Sheeran
- 3rd Level Black Belt in Bando
- Training in Boar and Bull Systems
- Involved in Bando Police Program
- Experience as coach and competitor in kickboxing/full contact Bando Boxing
- Profession: Police Officer
I try to bring a reality check to training, drawing on my professional experience as a police officer to ensure that the training will serve students in the real deal just as well as it does in the training hall. Additionally, I’ve focused my training on thoroughly understanding the basics, and the principle that only through perfect practice can we achieve perfection. I constantly return to the earliest lessons my teacher, Joe Manley, taught me.
Tristan Kirkman
- 1st Level Black Belt in Bando
- Experience in kickboxing, free hand sparring
- Profession: College Student
Tristan Kirkman earned his First Level Black Belt in August, 2008. He has trained in some fashion for much of his life, since his mother, Debby, wouldn’t stand for him to “play” with toy swords unless he used proper technique! He became serious about his training in his teens, competing in the Bando National Kickboxing Tournament several times.