My name is Kevin Goat and although that’s a sweet last name, it didn’t always have the meaning it has today. That, combined with some disciplinary issues as a young boy is what got me into martial arts. I was hooked immediately and so began the journey that has led me to where I am today.  I trained Tae-kwon-do, Karate, Kickboxing, Kungfu and thought I was a badass. Joined the military and realized damn quick that martial arts can help you in an altercation for sure, but the fight in the dog is just as important. I remember thinking to myself "what if I tailored my training to have both." The seed was planted. 

So I started studying more martial arts looking for the one martial art that had the optimal balance of both. Shaolin Kungfu, Filipino Martial Arts, Qi Gong, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Wing Chun all became the focus of my training. I was going to any and every weekend seminar I could just to trial other styles. Eventually, I realized I needed to leave North America to see what Martial Arts was like in other countries with different laws and regulations. 

Then one day on a plane ride home the light bulb went off. It had nothing to do with the martial art but more so the instructor. I was so grateful to train under such great teachers in my younger days, especially after seeing some of the things that were being taught in the world of martial arts. So I started my journey of self-discovery and so began the spiritual aspect of mastering my own being, both physically and mentally. 

Second light bulb goes off. This time coming back from Hong Kong after an intensive 200+ hours of training in a short month. Stop teaching techniques and start teaching concepts. So I wrote these concepts down, labeling things much more simple than the complexity of other martial art systems. I started seeing things as linear and circular. I started breaking down my own habits and getting rid of the movements that I deemed unessential. I started pressure testing EVERYTHING to the extent my body wasn’t keeping up anymore. Every time I was injured, it gave me time to think and dissect my training and gave me time to write and discuss with martial arts colleagues the failings of traditional mindsets in the community. 

Turns out I had created my own system. I wanted it to be practical, fun, fitness-based, safe, and most importantly simple. What I was teaching had to be able to work for every type of body out there, big or small it had to work or I didn’t teach it. So this Self Defense Program was born. All the spiritual lessons my previous teachers were trying to teach me were starting to make sense. I am forever grateful for the lessons I have learned, I am honored and humbled that Budo Brothers has given me this opportunity to share my experiences with the world. If we can help make this world a safer place, then I can Rest In Peace when that day finds me. Until then, I will always be a student at heart and have so much more to learn from this crazy world we call home. 

- Sifu Kevin Goat