Dan Popp

Dan is a 7th degree black belt in Order of Isshin-Ryu karate, a 4th degree black belt in Kendo, and a 2nd degree black belt in Presas Arnis. He began his study of Isshin Ryu Karate in 1982 under his father, Frank Popp, and progressed to the rank of Go-Dan or fifth degree black belt. During this same period of time, Dan also studied Modern Arnis, a martial art founded by Remy Presas in the Philippines which consists of stick fighting, knife techniques, joint locks and takedowns.

In 1990, Dan began his study of Kendo under Duk Yeong Kim, eventually progressing to the rank of Yon-dan or fourth degree black belt. Mr. Kim also provided Dan instruction in the art of Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) concurrently with his Kendo training.

Dan joined the Order of Isshin Ryu in 1996 under the instruction of Toby Cooling. He also opened his first dojo or school at that time, being accepted into the Order of Isshin Ryu as a Ni-dan or second degree black belt. Currently holding the rank of Nana-dan or seventh degree black belt, Dan was named the 2008 Male Instructor of the Year by the International Isshinryu Hall of Fame. In July 2013, he was officially inducted as a member of the International Isshinryu Hall of Fame in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

On a trip to visit Master Cooling in Nevada in 2009, Dan met and trained with Modern Arnis and Kombatan instructor, Rick Manglinong. Dan continues to train with Rick whenever possible.

In 2010, Dan also began training in the traditional Japanese art of Shindo Muso-Ryu Jodo with Andy Rodriquez Sensei, from Newark, DE. Dan attends seminars in Jodo offered by Yoshihito Sakimukai Sensei, who heads the Chintokan in Jacksonville, FL.

Although Dan’s Kendo sensei, Duk Yeong Kim, passed away in 2007, Dan continues to train in Kendo with Sensei Kim’s top student, Dave Joyner, M.D. Dan also continues to practice Shodo to honor his teacher. Dan has twice held exhibitions at Mulberry Art Studios during Lancaster’s First Friday; in September 2009 and July 2010. The July 2010 exhibition titled “Shodo - The Floating Brush” was listed in Central PA magazine and Lancaster magazine. Dan has also exhibited in Harrisburg, PA at Gallery@Second in September 2012. Dan’s Shodo is found in many private collections in Canada, Australia, Puerto Rico, and across the U.S. in NV, MD, PA, NY, NJ, KY, AZ, TX, DE, NC and many other states.

Dan has also promoted two tournaments for the World Kumdo Association (Korean Kendo) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The 1st World Kumdo Association tournament held in 1998 and the 2nd U.S. Open Kumdo Championships held in 2001 where he received the Kumdo Ambassador Award.

He has authored two books about his former Kendo/Shodo instructor as the subject: The Floating Brush, Learning Japanese Calligraphy from a Kendo Master and Final Lessons, A Memoir. His most recent publication, Order of Isshin-Ryu - One Family, One Dojo, provides the history behind the formation of the Order of Isshin-Ryu founded by Grandmaster Toby Cooling in 1971.

Dan is currently working on two additional publications regarding Arnis, the national sport of the Philippines, and Chi-Ryu Jiujitsu, a modern system of martial arts with its primary emphasis on T'ai Chi.

A 1994 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a B.S. in Professional Accountancy, Dan was employed in 1999 by the National Credit Union Administration where he still serves as a federal examiner specializing in IT audits. Dan holds the following certifications from ISACA: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), and Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT).