About Hertao

Hertao is not a style made of fixed techniques and training methods. It's a fluid system based on principles, with self defense ability as the primary goal of training. The principles include training with uncooperative partners, focusing on footwork and dynamic motion instead of static stances, attacking and intercepting rather than countering, using distance and position combined with various tactics to maximize your options while minimizing your opponent's options, and always being open to ideas, training methods, and strategies from all styles.

When I decided to create Hertao in 1996, I had no access to the information currently available on the internet, or the large book stores that are around today, with hundreds of books on martial arts...much less Amazon.com. I created it as a solution to real self defense issues in New Orleans (where I grew up and spent most of my life), which I felt no other single style completely provided. I still feel that way today.

There is a loose curriculum in Hertao, based on many years of experimenting, training, and teaching. The purpose of the curriculum is simply to provide an effective route to skills in stand up, clinch, ground, unarmed, and armed fighting. The word fighting is problematic though, as Hertao training is far more concerned with serious, violent, chaotic assaults instead of ritual male stupidity or one-on-one fights that are completely avoidable. Hertao is focused on real self defense, and the curriculum reflects that. But the curriculum is not fixed. It can be changed whenever and wherever it should.

The purpose of this site is to provide a resource for anyone interested in learning self defense. The techniques, training methods, and strategies are the result of many years of teaching, sparring, and testing.