Hi, I am Shihan Jack Raderchak and I am the oldest here at the School of the Tiger. In fact, my journey began back in 1969 serving in the US Marine Corps, in Okinawa, while working on missions between Okinawa and Vietnam.
One evening, while performing my duties as sergeant of the guard, I ended up confronting another Marine who didn't recognize me as a Sergeant. That Marine approached me doing a form or kata. I immediately drew my 45 and ordered him to halt and he complied. That was my first encounter with someone formally trained in the Martial Arts which up to that point was new to me. I asked him where he was taking lessons and that was the beginning of my carrier in the Martial Arts I started taking Shorin-Ryu lessons there in Okinawa.
After being rotated back to the USA, I couldn't find any class other than Shotokan. So I studied Shotokan for about a year until I was discharged and moved to the San Francisco Bay area to go to college and continued to train in Shotokan. Eventually I transfer to San Jose State University to Major in Business.
In 1984 my family and I moved to Elk Grove and I began training with Fred Buck which was then Buck’s School of the Tiger Kung Fu Karate. Training in Hun Gar Kung Fu and Kyokushin Karate and teaching at various locations, primarily with Elk Grove Parks and Recreation. In 1992 I started training in Aki Jujitsu with Professor Duke Moore, and continued lessons from Duke Moore until his death in 2003 and with Buck’s School of the Tiger until the dojo moved to Arizona in 2004. Also in 1992 I opened my own dojo (School of the Tiger) teaching Kyokushin Karate and later Aiki Jujitsu. In 1995 I obtained the teaching rank of 2nd Dan in the ATAMA (American Teachers Association of the Martial Arts).
I currently hold the ranks of;
4th Dan AKKO (American Kyokushin Karate Organization) March 2002
2nd Dan AJA (Aiki-Jujitsu of America) Sept. 2003
2nd Dan ATAMA (American Teachers Association of the Martial Arts) April 1995