Dan Anderson

Dan Anderson’s martial arts began on his 14th birthday. He began under the tutelage of Loren Christensen in the Marshall Recreation Center in Vancouver, Washington. Dan achieved his 1st degree Black Belt on January 7, 1970 at the age of 17.

For the next 10 years Anderson committed himself to becoming a karate tournament champion, eventually becoming rated in the national top ten ratings 4 years in a row. He later went on to become a double gold medalist at the 1990 Goodwill Games and 2002 Funakoshi Karate Association World Champion in free-fighting.

He began his writing career in 1979 with the book American Freestyle Karate: A Guide To Sparring. This has been acclaimed as the first and most comprehensive book on the subject and is used as a required text book in many karate studios to this day. He has since authored and produced over 50 books and DVDs on karate and Filipino Martial Arts.

In 1980, Dan began training in the second martial art that would shape his research and career from that time forward, Modern Arnis. Since then Dan has been personally accepted as a student of Manong Ted Buot, a student Balintawak Eskrima’s founder, Anciong Bacon.

In 2006, Dan traveled to the Philippines to teach at both the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival and the 1st Remy A. Presas memorial Training Camp, one of a handful of westerners to teach at these events. It was during this trip where he became a founding member of the Worldwide Family of Modern Arnis. His branch of Modern Arnis, the MA80 System Arnis/Eskrima was also recognized by the International Modern Arnis Philippines as a valid branch of the Remy Presas’ art. In 2008, Dan Anderson received the Gat Andres Bonafacio award from the Philippine Classical Arnis society.

He is an acclaimed seminarian having taught widely across the United States and abroad. Among the countries he has taught in are Canada, the United Kingdom, The Philippines and Germany.

In 2016 & 2017 respectively, Dan Anderson received the highest ratings one can receive in karate: the Joe Lewis Eternal Warrior Award (2016) and promotion to 10th Dan (10th degree) Black Belt (2017). He also currently holds a 9th degree black belt in Modern Arnis.

Dan Anderson currently teaches karate and Filipino Martial Arts at Anderson Martial Arts in Gresham, Oregon.