Session Leaders
The people guiding the work on the mat.
The people guiding the work on the mat.
Each session leader at The Lyceum brings a unique history, perspective, and way of working. Together they help shape a culture built on curiosity, craft, and care.
We call them session leaders because leadership here is shared. No one claims mastery, only passion - passion for the arts, passion for sharing, and passion for growth.
We do not think of our training sessions as traditional classes. Each day sets a theme or intention and adapts to the individuals present, their questions, capacity, and direction of exploration. Dialogue matters as much as drills. Technique lives alongside inquiry. Every meeting becomes a collaborative space where practice can grow into something personal and meaningful.
This is the spirit of The Lyceum: learning that is collaborative, thoughtful, and built to grow together.
Jim is a founder and primary organizer of The Lyceum and all of it's subsidiaries. His work lives at the meeting point of martial arts, movement science, and long term personal practice. His training spans Filipino Martial Arts, Jeet Kune Do concepts, Muay Thai, Savate, Wing Chun, and Tai Chi. Through their study Jim seeks exploration on how each one reveals something about structure, timing, rhythm, and presence.
His approach is shaped by years of coaching across disciplines such as: martial arts, music, climbing, strength and conditioning, endurance sports, yoga, and meditation. These experiences give him a clear sense of how people learn, adapt, and express themselves through movement. Strength work, mobility training, endurance methods, and recovery practices add a practical foundation that helps him support a wide range of bodies and goals.
Climbing informs much of his perspective on balance, tension management, spatial awareness, and calm problem solving. Music influences his understanding of rhythm, sequencing, improvisation, and the idea of practice as a lifelong craft. Together, these disciplines help shape the thoughtful, steady tone of The Lyceum.
Jim also studies the science of human performance, drawing from various philosophies on strength work, energy system development, and mobility. These tools help him translate traditional martial concepts into language the body understands such as biomechanics, leverage, adaptation, and long term durability.
Sessions with Jim are conversational and adaptive. They often begin with questions, move into drills or technical exploration, and settle into flow or reflection. He creates an environment where individuals can explore, adjust, and participate in shaping the training as it unfolds.
He sees himself as a passionate practitioner who enjoys learning alongside others and helping people build practices that support the life they are living. His presence brings steadiness and a sense of inquiry that encourages participants to work with honesty and curiosity.
For Jim, The Lyceum is a study community: a place to understand oneself through movement, cultivate resilience and clarity, and support one another in the shared pursuit of meaningful, long term practice.
If you would like to explore training with Jim or see whether his approach fits what you are looking for, reach out and mention his name in your message.Nick is a founding member of both MKG Milwaukee and The Lyceum. His background spans more than two decades of striking, coaching, and long term practice within the MKG blend. He has trained extensively in Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Jeet Kune Do concepts, and integrated striking systems, with a focus on practical mechanics and efficient, adaptable movement.
Over years of steady study, Nick has developed a rare ability to see the details that often go unnoticed. Small shifts in posture, angle, timing, or rhythm can transform a technique entirely, and he has a gift for helping people find those adjustments in a way that feels accessible and repeatable. His eye for structure and clarity is one of the anchors of The Lyceum’s training culture.
Nick leads with clarity, steady communication, and a grounded presence. He believes confidence comes from honest work and meaningful repetition rather than shortcuts. His coaching emphasizes learning that makes sense in the body, breaking down complex ideas into steps that feel logical, adaptable, and sustainable over time.
He works equally well with beginners who want a strong foundation and experienced practitioners looking to refine their timing, expression, and efficiency. His approach supports both precision and exploration, encouraging people to understand movement from the inside out.
Sessions with Nick feel technical and engaged, but never rushed or rigid. He guides participants through clear progressions of drills and concepts, always returning to fundamentals with respect and curiosity. His long view of training shapes the atmosphere he helps cultivate at The Lyceum: one of patience, thoughtful effort, and sustainable practice.
Within the community, Nick provides a steady, dependable anchor. He bridges the MKG method with the broader Lyceum philosophy, showing how structure and creativity can support one another. His presence brings precision, balance, and care to the room, helping others develop practices that can grow with them for years.
If you are interested in sharpening striking fundamentals or working within the MKG framework, send a note and ask about training with Nick.
Ben is a founding member of Milwaukee Savate Club and the Lyceum. His work lives at the meeting point of martial arts, performance, and personal expression. His background includes traditional Chinese martial arts, Savate, and training within the MKG blend, giving him a foundation that is both technical and creative. He approaches practice with the belief that movement should feel powerful, expressive, and unmistakably human.
Ben is a world champion in forms performance through the USKSF circuit, recognized for his precision, endruance, and ability to bring routines to life. What drives him, however, is not competition itself but the deeper challenge of making forms meaningful. He studies the lineage, intention, and storytelling inside traditional routines and explores how they can evolve without losing their heart. His work blends history with imagination in a way that invites others to see forms as expressive, living practices rather than rigid sequences.
Savate adds another dimension to his movement vocabulary. Its elegant lines, creative rhythm, and practical mechanics appeal to his interest in both artistry and function. Ben enjoys examining how Savate’s fluid structure can inform striking, performance work, and the development of a personal style.
Ben brings a mix of playfulness, curiosity, and high energy into every session. He focuses on helping individuals build confidence through strong structure, intentional mechanics, and mindful repetition. His coaching emphasizes how technique supports expression and how posture, timing, and alignment allow someone to move in a way that feels powerful, grounded, and authentic.
He is also expanding his understanding of strength and conditioning with a particular interest in helping performers stay strong, mobile, and resilient. Whether someone’s craft is film, theater, dance, martial arts performance, or forms competition, Ben is drawn to the question of how to keep the body capable of expressing what the mind imagines.
Ben brings humor, warmth, and enthusiasm into training. His sessions often blend technical drills, thoughtful conditioning, and movement experiments designed to help participants feel both grounded and expressive. His natural excitement lightens the room and helps balance the philosophical depth of some sessions and the technical precision of others.
Ben trains collaboratively with Jim and Nick as part of his ongoing development within the MKG blend. He contributes a refreshing presence to The Lyceum, reminding the group that discipline and joy are partners in practice, and that exploration is most powerful when it is both curious and wholehearted.
If you feel drawn to performance oriented work, forms, Savate, or a more playful training energy, reach out and ask about working with Ben.