Francis Fong Instructor Association

Sifu Dr. Dani Talamantez has been studying martial arts since 1993. While attending chiropractic college in Dallas, Texas, one day he thought he would try out a very small little "hole in the wall" barber shop that was actually inside the college. While getting his haircut, he noticed all the martial arts certification plaques and awards that were on the wall. The barbers name was Ray Medina. He mentioned to Ray that he had been researching and attending classes in JKD. Ray asked him to show him some of what he had learned. Then Ray said he would give a little demo...which turned into a two hour eye opening lesson. Sifu Dani learned more in that short time then in 6 months of training at a local JKD school in Dallas. Everything seemed crisper, cleaner and definitely more realistic. It turns out that ray had studied under Paul Vunak, Raymond Crow, Larry Hartsell and was a certified instructor under Guru Dan Inosanto in JunFan/JKD concepts and Kali. Sifu Dani started learning privately from Ray before and after his chiropractic classes and sometimes in-between classes he would pop into the barber shop for some impromptu training. During one of their sessions Ray was speaking of people he considered to be legendary and that if Sifu Dani ever had a chance, he should try and seek them out. He spoke of a man that had the fastest hands he had ever seen, could trap like Bruce and even beyond, and could also do amazing things like stand with his back one inch from the wall and not even multiple large men could push him into the wall. Not even if he was standing on ONE foot...even on his tippy toes. Of course Sifu Dani had his doubts and reservations about what he was told. That kinda stuff was simply unheard of!!! That choice meeting with the barber and that one specific conversation in particular would change Sifu Dani's life forever. Sifu Dani would continue training on and off w Ray until he graduated inDecember 1996. A few years later, after moving his family to South Texas and getting his chiropractic profession established, it was time for him to get back into the arts. He heard of a seminar in LA where Guru Dan inosanto, John Jaques Machado, Arjarn Chai and Sifu Francis Fong would all be instructing. (The Legends Camp). It was at that seminar that Sifu Dani first met Sifu Fong. He was everything Ray had built him up to be...amazingly fast with otherworldly trapping skills and an uncanny understanding of energy and how to use it. Sifu Dani was able to spend some time visiting w SifuFong and inquired about private lessons. The first private lesson was set up in Atlanta at Sifu Fongs academy. That was the start of a great relationship....he realized just how absolutely priceless one on one lessons were. At seminars or even in a regular class setting, most of the time the instructor demos and the students work w eachother never really truly feeling the proper position, structure and most importantly.....the correct utilization of energy. This was essential to truly understand what was being taught or rather passed on. After that first private lesson, Sifu Dani told SifuFong that if he would accept him as a lifelong private student, he would fly Sifu Fong to his home in Texas for private lessons for as long as Sifu Fong would be teaching. To this day, 14 years later, Sifu Dani continues to fly in Sifu Fong for his personal one on one training. He has logged close to 300 hours of personal one on one training with Sifu Fong as well as he continues to attend Sifu Fongs tri-annual instructors only camps. Sifu Dani has also attented and assisted Sifu Fong in seminars in Los Angeles (at the very academy where they first met), presented a workshop at Sifu Fongs academy in Atlanta, and even assisted Sifu Fong at a seminar in Melbourne Australia. He currently teaches a small group of students at his clinic in McAllen, TX in the evenings.