The name, "Anjing Gembala," translates as "sheepdog" and was inspired by the essay, "On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs" by Dave Grossman (author). In the essay sheepdogs protect the sheep from the wolves of society. "Protection of self and others" is integral to Guru Mike's mindset and he hopes to share that mindset with his students and provide them with tools to help them accomplish that goal. Guru Mike started training in martial arts in 1978 and trained in Tae Kwon Do as a child then in Okinawan Goju-Ryu. Since February 1995 he has been training in Sikal and heavily focused on the Filipino and Indonesian martial arts. He has a deep understanding of the realities of weapon usage and defense and he specializes in joint locks and balance disruption and has used his training in the "real world" to protect himself and others either as a "good samaritan" or while working as a security professional. Since February 1995 Guru Mike has been focused on close range combatives, especially Indonesian and Filipino martial arts.
While Sikal is his core, Guru Mike also draws from Shen Chuan, Cacoy Doce Pares and Kuntao Silat de Thouars. He is a student of Professor Joe R. Lansdale, founder of Shen Chuan (a system which focuses on self defense and specializes in fluid striking, balance disruption and joint locks). He is personally ranked in Cacoy Doce Pares by Grandmaster Cacoy Canete and studied with Willem "Uncle Bill" de Thouars, founder of Kuntao Silat de Thouars, for 8 years.
- Sikal — 2nd Level Instructor ( Guru Dua / Lakan Dalawa )
- Shen Chuan — 2nd Degree Black Belt and Certified Instructor
- Cacoy Doce Pares — 7th Degree Black Belt (Master)
- Doce Pares Hall of Fame - "Exemplary Dedication to Doce Pares" - 2008
- Doce Pares Hall of Fame - "Outstanding Law Enforcement Instructor" - 2010
- Anjing Gembala Pencak Silat — Developer/Founder
- Author of "A Pondering of Principles"
- Guru Mike has taught seminars, classes and private lessons in Denmark, UK, China, Philippines, Canada and all over the United States.
