KOMBATAN MASTER AND ORIGINAL ARJUKEN INSTRUCTOR GRADUATE JOSE G. PAMAN
A native of Manila, Jose G. Paman hails from a long line of martial arts advocates. He learned fundamental combative techniques at an early age from his father Jose, a boxer; his maternal uncle Nestor Goyena, the 1959 Philippine judo champion; and cousins Florencio and Manuel Goyena who practiced karate. Paman joined Great Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas’ Arjuken Karate Association to study Modern Arnis (later called Kombatan) and Shotokan karate in 1971. As a brown belt holder, Paman was later accepted into the Tong Hong Eastern Athletic Association, a school led by Master Co Chi Po of the Kong Han line of Ngo Cho kung-fu. He began a competitive career in local and regional Philippine tournaments and became a member of the victorious University of Santo Tomas Team that captured top honors at both the First and the Second Intercollegiate Karate and Arnis Tournaments held in Manila in 1975 and 1976.
As the holder of black belt instructor degrees in arnis and karate, Paman relocated to California with his family in the late 1970s and continued to participate in fighting and forms divisions in open karate tournaments. He was regionally rated by the California Karate League and captured a runner-up spot in the 1979 California State Karate Championships. Paman trained with exponents of different fighting methods, eventually earning a black belt in Goshin jitsu under Master Rod Goodwin. He was also involved in kickboxing competition as a fighter and, later, as coach, cornerman, judge and referee.
Paman formed the first California chapter of the IPMAF in 1983 and became actively involved in instruction and in presenting martial arts demonstrations at local and regional functions, including the Festival of the Arts, the Asian Pacific Islander Week, and the Philippine National Day Celebration. Along with Rod Goodwin, Paman also co-taught a self-defense class at McClellan Air Force Base in North Highlands, California for a number of years.
A prolific writer, Paman has published more than 100 martial arts articles, having written for most of the major magazine titles including Inside Kung-Fu, Martial Arts Masters, Black Belt, Filipino Martial Arts and Karate Illustrated. His works have featured kempo headmaster Bruce Juchnik, Brazilian jiu jitsu pioneer Carley Gracie, and kung-fu fighting champion Tayari Casel in cover articles. Inside Kung-Fu magazine awarded him its prestigious Writer of the Year award in 2007.
Paman has written five full-length books: the Arjuken Martial Arts Club Basic Training Manual (1982), Comprehensive Self-Defense (with Rod Goodwin, 1993), Jujitsu Strangles and Strangle Counters (with Rod Goodwin, 1994), Arnis Self-Defense (Random House, 2007) and Ngo Cho: Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor Kung-Fu (Unique Publications, 2007). His writing also appeared in The Best of CFW Martial Arts 2000 and The Ultimate Martial Arts Q&A Book.
Paman is a sought-after lecturer and has presented clinics on writing for publication to groups ranging from grade school and high school students as well as to private entities and professional organizations. He works full-time in Sacramento for a government agency that investigates identity theft and license fraud cases. He also serves as a state-certified expert interpreter, translator and examiner in the Filipino language.
