After four decades of martial arts training, school co-founder Bill Hayes is proud to be the “old, wizened master” of Old School Kenpo, a successful and well established Karate studio.

Mr. Hayes’ martial arts career began in 1974 when he had the honor of training in the Shotokan system with the legendary Don DePree. In 1979, however, he began to feel that he needed more versatility than the Japanese style had to offer. He entered into “a quest…a crusade to find an art that offered the widest scope of movement…the most comprehensive focus on the ‘what ifs’ of street combat.”

“I sat through training sessions in virtually all of the major styles,” says Mr. Hayes.

“From Tae Kwon Do to Hapkido to Tang Soo Do. I tried observing other Japanese styles beyond Shotokan, and I looked into several Chinese arts. Finally, I discovered the Kenpo studio of Robert Perry in Garden Grove, California. Mr. Perry was one of Ed Parker’s direct students, and is mentioned in Mr. Parker’s book Infinite Insights Into Kenpo: Vol. 1. After one private intro lesson with Mr. Perry, I knew I had found a home.”

On April 19th, 1984, Bill was awarded the rank of Black Belt by Mr. Perry.

Since Mr. Perry’s retirement from teaching and his subsequent untimely death, Mr. Hayes has been privileged to train with Kenpoists like Bill Neff, Dr. Jerry Erickson, John Barnett, and John Sepulveda.