Edward Monaghan has been involved in the health/fitness and martial arts fields as a professional for over 35 years. He holds multiple degrees from the University of Kentucky and UCLA specializing in movement, theater, and eastern philosophy.
Ed has worked as a professional fight choreographer for 30 years for film and theater. He has trained a number of celebrities privately including, Val Kilmer, Chris O’Donnell, Randy Quaid, John Malkovitch, Alicia Silverstone, Julianne Moore, Mira Sorvino, Matt Sorum of Guns and Roses, John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, Dule Hill of The West Wing, Psych and Rachel Hunter, among others.A TA
Monaghan has served on the faculty at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television for over 28 years where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in applied movement, exercise science, eastern philosophy, and combat for stage and film.
Additionally, Monaghan belongs to the UCLA Mind/Body Faculty Committee and is certified as a mindfulness facilitator through UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. He is also certified as a Resilience Trainer from The Heart Math Institute. He has trained for over 45 years in multiple forms of mindfulness practice with luminaries in the fields of Zen, Vajrayana and Taoist contemplative traditions.
Monaghan is currently researching the effects of movement-based awareness training as a tool for the improvement of cognitive learning among clinically diagnosed ADHD and ADD children and adults. In addition, he is researching the effects of mindful awareness training on population segments diagnosed with addictive and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Sifu (teacher) Ed has studied Martial Arts for over 45 years in multiple fighting systems. He is an 8th degree black belt and additionally has been awarded 7 black belts/instructor’s certifications and is the founder of a mixed martial art blend system taught at Ekata Training Center (family-based mind/body training facility owned by Sifu Ed and his wife JoAnn in Valencia, CA) and affiliate schools.
His teaching philosophy integrates the more traditional aspects of mindfulness and self-regulation with western sports science combined with practical, no-nonsense self-defense to center the mind, body, and spirit. Sifu Ed holds a black belt or equivalent rank and instructor’s certification in Jeet Kune Do, Kung Fu, Savate, Muay Thai, JuJutsu, Kali, Qigong and Karate.
In Sijo (system founder) Bruce Lee’s Art, Jeet Kune Do - Sifu Ed is certified as “Senior Instructor” under Sifu Jerry Poteet - one of Bruce Lee’s original students and one of the world’s foremost authorities on Jeet Kune Do. He was blessed to train privately with Sifu Jerry for over 12 years. He also studied “Concepts JKD” at the world famous “Inosanto Academy” from 1985 to 1996.
He is also certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine as an Athletic Trainer. He was voted one of America’s Top 100 Trainers, and one of the top 5 trainers in Los Angeles by Men’s Journal magazine.
Sifu Ed is well recognized as an expert in Combative Arts and aided in training the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department regular duty deputies and SWAT teams in defense tactics. Ed also taught defensive tactics for and has been trained in special weapons and tactics by DEA Mobile Enforcement Team II.
In 2010 Ed was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame and voted “Martial Arts Leader of the Year”.