Shifu Franco Rivas Plata was always fascinated with martial arts, its philosophy, mental discipline, culture, and of course (from watching a lot of martial arts movies) the fighting. At an early age he trained in Karate with his cousin, but after an accident his cousin had, Franco had to stop going. However, at the age of 13 he found Kung Fu USA in Lake Park, and after his first class he was so unbelievably sore the next day he couldn’t even move his body. He was hooked! From that day on he continued training in 8 Step, and over the years began getting stronger both mentally and physically. Finally in 2013, after many years of hard work and practice he passed the national test to become a certified teacher.
Shifu Franco’s goal now is to give the gift of martial arts that helped him become who he is to students who want to better themselves, whether by getting in good physical shape, mental firmness, or combative skills. He also plans to compete in Sanshou (Chinese kickboxing)/Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing) to test his skills in a competitive raw environment, to enhance his experience as a martial artist, and to push pass his physical and mental limits.