I began training in martial arts in 1991 with Larry Zahand in Akron, OH. He taught Don Madden’s Seiei Kan Jujutsu and I competed heavily in the American Karate & Jujutsu Union (AKJU) throughout my youth.

In 1999 I received my shodan and in 2001 my nidan, as I continued my competitve career with the Amateur Athletic Union.

In 2005 I left my hometown for college and began exploring other systems. My primary focus remained karate and I became the president and one of the instructors of the ISKF club at Ohio State.

I also practiced Wing Chun, Kun Lbokator, Kyokushin, MMA quite seriously while enjoying the chance to play with many other systems, from Judo to Historical European Martial Arts to Wushu.

In 2016 I began teaching as a profession as Rotnem Martial Arts, LLC. The website for RMA was never well-developed, but you can see its various components via the links in the menu.