Listed below are the meanings behind each area of my patch

A.R.T. Symbol - A.R.T. stands for Adrenaline Response Training.  This is the name I have given to the manner in which I teach self-defense.  The reason behind the blue flame is because of the properties of a real-life blue flame.  A blue flame is hotter and more efficient than a regular flame, just like my style of self-defense.

Isshin Ryu Karate Symbol - Isshin Ryu Karate is my mainline style of martial arts, that is why it is in the middle.  Everything else revolves around it or has evolved because of it.  The Kanji characters stand for "Isshin Ryu" or "One Heart Way".  The orange oval around the characters represents the vertical fist used in Isshin Ryu and is what sets it apart from most other forms of martial arts.

Creative/Control Cycle Symbol - This symbol is the core idea behind the reconstructive/destructive force of Kyusho-Jitsu, which is another style of martial arts that I currently study.

My Initials - My initials are just that, my initials.  They are at the bottom of the shield symbolizing I have only begun my training, while above me is a wealth of knowledge.

The Shield - The shield symbolizes pulling everything together, creating an impenetrable entity.  

The Red Dragon - First a brief history of dragons.

Among the oldest of mythological creatures, dragons appear in the traditions of virtually all peoples back to the beginning of time. Because of this widespread adoption, the dragon appears in numerous forms, and local traditions have been created around many of them, crediting this tribe of monsters with many attributes. In their earliest form, dragons were associated with the Great Mother, the water god and the warrior sun god. In these capacities they had the power to be both beneficent and destructive and were all-powerful creatures in the universe.

The dragon's form arose from his particular power of control over the waters of the earth and gave rise to many of the attributes singled out by different peoples as the whole myth developed. They were believed to live at the bottom of the sea, where they guarded vast treasure. Rain clouds and thunder and lightning were believed to be the dragon's breath, hence the fire-breathing monster. The significance of the dragon was its control over the destiny of mankind. As the myth developed in the western world, dragons came to represent the chaos of original matter with the result that with man's awakening conscience a struggle arose, and the created order constantly challenged the dragon's power. This type of dragon was considered by many to be the intermediate stage between a demon and the Devil and as such came into Christian belief. However, in the Eastern world the dragon adopted a rather different significance. He was essentially benevolent, son of heaven, and controlled the watery elements of the universe.

The reason for the color red is this color dragon is very greedy and aggressive. Of all the evil dragons, this sort is the worst. They are 48 feet in length and possess exceptional intelligence. The breath weapon of the red dragon is a cone of fire.  The greedy aspect of my red dragon does not represent greed as a negative.  Greed here represents the desire for continual learning.  The aggressive nature is the mind-set necessary to have when and only when the situation dictates.  Self-defense is serious and evil just like a red dragon.  Size and intelligence are another aspect of my self-defense training.  Size, not exclusively your physical size, but your confidence level.  You may be 5 foot 5 inches, but think you are 10 feet tall.  Intelligence is extremely important in self-defense.  You need to have the brains to know what to do and when to do it. 

The dragon also is holding onto the shield, uniting all my thoughts and ideas together as one.

Sensei Bryan Winkelman