Cuong Nhu- the origin of my training

Over ten years ago I started my first official martial arts class as a student at NC State under Master Robert First & Elizabeth Roman in a martial arts style called Cuong Nhu.  Cuong Nhu is eclectic martial arts system that utilizes elements of Shotokan Karate, Wing Chun, Judo, Aikido, Tai Chi, Vovinam, and Boxing (hard and soft styles of martial arts).  I was always intimidated to start training martial arts, so getting me to actually try a class took about 6 months of persuasion from a friend that was in my major, on top of the 5-10 years of hesitation when I never took that first step.  Showing up to that class was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  There are two things that make Cuong Nhu an exceptional martial art.  Number one: its people.  Some of the best friendships and best people I have ever met were people I met through Cuong Nhu.  Secondly, it truly is a progressive and open-minded martial art.  The head of the style and high ranking instructors are open to change and improve their teaching methodologies and principles over time.  They WANT you to go out into the world to train in other systems, discover things they are unfamiliar with, and bring that knowledge back to the style for the greater good.  Their philosophy of growth and open-mindedness and the pursuit of continued evolution in training is what sparked my path for self-defense knowledge, leading me to discovering and training in the S.P.E.A.R. System several years later.  This pursuit of improvement is what today leads me to continuously experiment with new ideas as I integrate new concepts and evolve what and how I teach to make people safer. 

Train smart & stay safe,
Evan D. 
NOVA Self Defense
Owner/Lead coach
www.novaselfdefense.com

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