Grandmaster Peralta
In 1959, while stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California, Richard Peralta's neighbor, Mr. Don Nahoolewa, introduced him to Aleju Reyes. Thus began Mr. Peralta's commitment to the art of Kajukembo. Over four decades later, Mr. Peralta's commitment to the art remains strong, as does his friendship with Mr. Nahoolewa.
During his 26-year military career, Mr. Peralta successfully completed two tours in Vietnam and was stationed at various bases throughout the Far East. During these overseas tours, Mr. Peralta sought out martial artists of various styles from Shotokan karateka in Okinawa to Kung Fu practitioners in Hong Kong to Muai Thai boxers in Thailand. Mr. Peralta considers himself fortunate to have had these exchanges, as the experiences would influence his outlook on life and his practice of Kajukembo.
Mr. Peralta is the founder and Chairman of the Kajukembo Self Defense System (KSDS). His principal pupil, Sigung Agustin Lopez Campos, 7th Degree Black Belt, heads the KSDS branch in Madrid, Spain. It is under the KSDS banner that Mr. Peralta has developed an expression of Kajukembo that embraces the traditional techniques as taught by Al Reyes while encompassing Mr. Peralta's philosophy on effective self-defense.
Over the last several years, Mr. Peralta has dedicated himself to advancing his art further. In the tradition of the Black Belt society, Mr. Peralta entered a stage of semi-seclusion. Selecting a handful of dedicated black belts, he advanced the system by probing for weaknesses, increasing the difficulty of the threat, and incorporating advanced philosophical concepts into the techniques.
At the urging of his good friend, Mr. Don Nahoolewa, Founder and Chairman of the American Kajukembo Association (AKA), Mr. Peralta has affiliated his KSDS with the AKA. The goal of these gentlemen is two fold, 1) to standardize basic Kajukembo techniques across all affiliated schools and thereby restore the Kajukembo tradition, and 2) advance the system through communication and collaboration.
