The Combat Arts of Inpakuto-Ryu and Hiryuu-Do were founded by Stephen M. Hull, Master of the Arts.
Mr. Hull has several different levels of expertise and mastery, as well as having participated in the Arts long enough to hold additional knowledge not expressly taught in each individual combat system that he has studied. The levels of expertise he has achieved are as follows:
•Nemuru Karate, Third Dan (Young Master Rank/Third Degree Black Belt)
•Ki-Do-Ryu Karate, First Dan (Black Belt)
•Judo, First Dan (Black Belt)
•Jujitsu, First Dan (Black Belt)
•Tae Kwon Do, Honorary Black Belt
In addition to the aforementioned certifications, Mr. Hull has also served his country in the U.S. Army, achieving distinction among his peers during his six year tour. Mr. Hull also possesses working knowledge in Brazilian Jujitsu, Aikido, Hapkido, Muay Thai, and American Boxing. In addition to these, he is an avid fitness enthusiast.
Mr. Hull first began study of the martial arts in the year 1989 under the tutelage of Masters Paul Munchbach and Joe Sagarese with the Nemuru system. With no talent, no coordination, and an exceptionally poor understanding of the material being presented to him, Mr. Hull sought to overcome these difficulties. It was difficult for him to perform, but he did persevere. The first show of results was when he was awarded his Eighth Kyu (Yellow Belt) after nearly two years of training. Mr. Hull felt that if he could bring himself up to this point, then it could be reasoned that he could accomplish absolutely anything. He continued his training, and by the time he was eighteen years old, he had achieve the rank of Third Kyu (Brown Belt) before leaving for the U.S. Army to serve his country.
While in the U.S. Army, Mr. Hull met a man in Copperas Cove, Texas, who identified himself as Grandmaster Harold Ford. Grandmaster Ford was in need of an assistant instructor at the time, and the Nemuru system of martial arts was not far removed from the Ki-Do-Ryu system which Grandmaster Ford had created. After a few months of teaching, learning, and very hard work, Mr. Hull was awarded his First Dan (Black Belt) in Ki-Do-Ryu in the year 2000, marking his first ever rank signifying expertise in the arts. In the gym where Grandmaster Ford and Mr. Hull trained was a boxing coach. Mr. Hull got to know the boxing coach, picked up a few pointers and learned the basics from him, and added a solid, if basic, boxing skill to his repertoire of combat arts. He has since proceeded with self study and practice to continue to further his experience and knowledge of boxing. At this point he began to attempt his dream of creating a combat art. He began with the idea of Hiryuu-Do, which roughly translates to “Way of the Divine Dragon”. After modifying some techniques, adding boxing, and developing patterns and katas, he postponed the idea for a later time, deciding he was not yet ready to create a system, figuring there was still too much to learn.
Upon his exit of active military status in 2001, Mr. Hull returned to his hometown, where he was accepted back by Master Munchbach (Master Sagarese had since retired), and simultaneously awarded his First Dan (Black Belt) in Nemuru, and began to assist in the instruction at the Galway Karate Club. Since then, he has obviously attained additional rank in the Nemuru system, and has been promoted to his Third Dan (Third Degree Black Belt – received 2008).
Also, Mr. Hull was soon to discover that the Nemuru system has a fair amount of Judo and Jujitsu used in it, unbeknownst to him previously. Master Munchbach had been given Third Dans (Third Degree Black Belts) in both of these systems, and after a year’s practice, Mr. Hull was subsequently awarded with his First Dans (Black Belts) in both of these systems in the year 2002.
Near the end of 2003, and nearing his tour of inactive service with the Army National Guard, Tae Kwon Do practitioner Dennis McCoy (whom he had met two years prior in his Army National Guard Company) awarded Mr. Hull with an Honorary Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. An Honorary Belt means that one has been appraised to have the skill, depth of character, and general knowledge to be a Black Belt in a given system, but has not put in the years of practice that is normally required. Mr. McCoy believed that Mr. Hull’s combat skill and strength of spirit were great enough to warrant the awarding of the ranking, and so it was done, bring Mr. Hull’s total Black Belt count to five.
Mr. Hull continued to teach and train with Master Munchbach for the next few years. However, he always felt unfulfilled, despite the fact that he adored his master and felt a kinship for the school that he had spent most of his life as a student of. However, he made the difficult decision to take approximately six months off, to do some soul searching. One night, after watching the UFC (which he had been a fan of since the early 90’s), he decided that it was time to take what he knew and develop a mixed martial arts system. He thought about what he knew, began self study of Brazilian Jujitsu and submission wrestling techniques, and create the IMPACT( acronym for Intelligent Martial Practice And Combat Training) School of Mixed Martial Arts combat system in 2007. He got his beginnings by starting out of a local church, where he improved his art and acquired a student base. In July of 2008, he rented out the current location on Rte 50 in Scotia, and renamed the system Inpakuto-Ryu, which roughly translates to “The Art of Impact”. Once he opened this new location, he immediately revisited the idea of Hiryuu-Do. He dropped the katas, patterns, and proper stances, added in some Muay Thai and boxing techniques to create an expressly combat driven system, as opposed to a traditional and artsy form of combat. He retains the name Inpakuto-Ryu as the name of his school since this was the program that got him started out, and is the most popular program he instructs.
Mr. Hull quickly added in a various other programs, being influenced by great trainers and athletes in recent years. Matt Furey, Eddie Baran, Tony Horton, and Billy Blanks were all inspiration for his various fitness courses. He takes his military knowledge and has created a Reality Martial Arts course designed for street survival, and has recently started offering weapons instruction. He continues to advance himself, and attempts to better himself, his arts, and his students to the best of his ability.
