Our Team

Paul McCarthy, Founder & Head Instructor

Los Angeles, California

Paul ‘The British Ninja’ McCarthy is a movement practitioner who specializes in martial arts. Over the past 25 years and holds instructor credentials in Kali, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Savate, Muay Thai & Jeet Kune Do. Paul is passionate about making martial arts accessible to everyone as a route to both mental and physical wellness. He has been the Director of the Martial Arts Program at UCLA since 2009, has a background in sports coaching and customized movement consulting, and holds a Master’s degree in Applied Sports Science.

Dr. Olav Krigolson, Neuroscience Advisor

Victoria, British Columbia

Dr. Krigolson is a neuroscientist at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. His research interests span; decision-making, learning, statistics, game theory, electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, & mobile neuroscience technologies.

Javier Corral, Apprentice Instructor (Level 3)

Burgos, Spain

Javier combines his work as a health psychologist with his doctoral research in clinical psychology, and his work as a martial arts instructor, training, learning, and teaching different styles such as Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Krav Maga, SAMI Combat Systems, and Historical European Martial Arts.

Kyle Espiritu, Apprentice Instructor (Level 3)

Los Angeles, California

Kyle started his martial arts journey 12 years ago, and has been a fanatic ever since, training in different styles such as Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai, Wing Chun, and Kali. His interest in Cognitive Kali started while at UCLA where he joined a neurology-focused research team that studied the connection between teaching styles and learning output. With experiences in neurological studies and martial arts, joining the Cognitive Kali team was a perfect blend of his two backgrounds.

Greg Hainer, Apprentice Instructor (Level 3)

Los Angeles, California

Greg began his training at an early age studying Tae Kwon Do. Later in life he rediscovered his passion martial arts through the philosophies of Bruce Lee in particular. He regularly trains in and holds ranks across a multitude of disciplines such as Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, Kali, Savate, Kickboxing, Shooto, MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, and Silat.

Jamie McGowan, Apprentice Instructor (Level 3)

Eastbourne, United Kingdom

Jamie has trained and competed in Filipino Martial Arts since 2017 and a background in JiuJitsu, Wing Chun, Epee & Longsword Fencing. He has a keen interest in the cognitive sciences and the effects of movement on our mental and physical states. Working in technology, he has helped deliver colleague Wellbeing and Mindfulness programs within two large organizations.

Randy Brilz, Apprentice Instructor (Level 2)

Edmonton, Alberta

Randy has a background in dentistry and specializes in periodontics, he also has a post-graduate certificate in pain management from the University of Alberta. His martial arts background includes recent training in Pekiti Tirsia Kali & he has black belts in Shotokan and Shito Ryu Karate. Randy is currently available for private lessons in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) area and can be contacted using the contact form on this website.

Michele Salvatori, Apprentice Instructor (Level 2)

Marche, Italy

Michele’s martial arts journey began in Filipino Kali, in the Inosanto blended system. He soon added the practice of Silat, and began practicing in the style of Serak. He found Cognitive Kali doing research for one his thesis, while he was studying for the qualification as a teacher who specializes in students with special needs. He wanted to deal with the use of Martial Arts in the school curriculum to help them.

Diane Simmons, Apprentice Instructor (Level 2)

Houston, Texas

Diane is a functional fitness and well-being instructor at Paradigm Development Center, which is a school for youth with learning differences in Houston, Texas. She focuses on individuals on the Autism Spectrum and helping seniors in fall prevention.

Youssef Aref, Apprentice Instructor (Level 1)

Rancho Cucamonga, California

Youssef Aref has been involved in the science of the human body and martial arts for more than half of his life. He has been training in wrestling for 14 years as well as training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA. He is currently pursuing his MD at the California University of Science and Medicine where he has continued to teach martial arts in self-defense classes for his colleagues in healthcare.

Joe Matibag, Apprentice Instructor (Level 1)

San Diego, California

Joe has over 20 years of martial arts experience. Building on youth experiences with Kenpo, Tang So Do and Kajukenbo, Joe now focuses on Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Muay Thai. Joe looks forward to working with older adults that are looking for a
new and fun way to remain active and is also a proud UCLA Bruin!

Glenn Swindlehurst, Apprentice Instructor (Level 1)

San Diego, California

Glenn is currently a university lecturer in initial teacher training in the UK, specializing in Physical Education. He has been studying martial arts for over 30 years and holds instructor qualifications in Filipino Martial arts (FMA/Kali), Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do (JKD) and Japanese Ju-Jitsu.