TESTIMONIALS

---

“I’ve been to a lot of different dojo’s and training facilities with instructors claiming to teach effective techniques, but not delivering the goods. Richard Raciti of ‘The Edge: Ultimate Martial Arts’ DELIVERS. He has a great facility and puts his students to the test. Whether you are training for competition or want to learn effective self defense techniques… ‘The Edge’ is where you want to be!

UFC Hall of Famer
Dan "The Beast" Severn

---

Testimonial from America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert

I have had the honor and privilege of knowing Rich Raciti for the past 20 years and it is with great pleasure that I offer this personal testimonial. Over those years I have witnessed first hand Rich’s skills in the ring as a tournament champion and could not help to admire his proficiency with his hands and feet. Rich set forth to enhance his self defense skills to the point where he is now used as a ‘tactics instructor’ for close-combat courses held for law enforcement and military specialists only. At these courses which I am present as an instructor, Rich is spotlighted as the entire package. Simply put - a guy that has all the necessary defense skills, whether it be stand-up or on the ground. I find it refreshing and admirable to see how a world champion in fighting honed his skills to realistic street self defense all stemming from his passion and desire to give his students the best that he can. Though I might be biased in regards to Rich’s skills and teaching ability, all one has to do is take a class with Mr. Raciti and you will learn that my favorable comments are nothing more than plain, truthful, fact!

Tom Patire

America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert

TV and Radio Personality

---

Master Richard Raciti is a martial artist in the truest sense of the word. Rather than take the tired, traditional route, regurgitating the same techniques over and over again and effectively becoming a “martial mimic”, Master Raciti has, after decades of experience, blended the best techniques from a variety of disciplines to create his own unique and truly effective styles of martial arts. As creator of the Sil Jun Do and Sil Jun Hapkido systems, his creativity and innovation, as well as his no-nonsense approach to teaching and training, have made Richard Raciti one of the areas’ most sought after instructors.

I have had the privilege to train under Master Raciti for approximately seven years and had the honor of working for him as an assistant instructor for a number of those years. I can say with no hesitation that it would have been impossible for me to achieve all that I have in my martial arts training without the benefit of the experience and expertise that he shares with his dedicated students. If you are looking to start your martial arts training, look no further. If you are already a martial arts student and wish to take your training to the next level, do yourself a favor… and take it to The EDGE.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Moran

Senior Instructor

ELITE Martial Arts Academy

---

I have been studying martial arts for many years. Throughout these years, I have had many qualified instructors. When I started classes at the Edge, I was instantly impressed by the high caliber of the students and the instructors.

Master Raciti, the founder of the Edge, has the unique ability to strengthen your weaknesses and fine tune your strengths. All this is done after a few classes. You just keep getting better while learning from the best.

Marc Frank

---

4/1/2022

Sir,

I ended up weighing in at 185 even though the whole week I was under. So that was bad, but I ended up getting a goo matchup. The guy I fought was a little bigger than me; 2, maybe 3 inches taller and more built than me. It was also his first fight. And he was training at ______ even though I didn't reallly recognize him. Knowing that, I took into account what you said about how he would most likely try to clinch me and what I was seeing all day from the fights before me. Pretty much everyone had close to a face frame type of defense and my opponent wasn't really any different. I saw him warmup for a couple minutes before the fight and I know I probably shouldn't have taken that as proof positive that his kicks were horrendous and his hands weren't in the right place, but I did. So I took a quick couple of mental notes, figured he couldn't have hurt me with his legs and just focused on his hands. So going into the fight I figured I had better technique, better headgear (my own), and WAY better training.

I got to my corner and ______ and another even said if I wanted J and Steve in my corner I could, but I told them that they were just there to watch. The corner said in the beginning to jab-cut kick and go for low-then high kicks. I just shook my head in agreement. We touched gloves and that was it. I figured I had to be first to get my jab in there. To tell you the truth, I don't remember more than half the fight. I think for most of it I had tunnel vision and the other half I was actually reading what he was doing and trying to mess with his head and counterattack. I just remember right off the bat, I could see his face, so I went in with my jabs and crosses. I didn't work the body in the first round at all, because truthfully, I kept nailing him in the head with my punches. And then he clinched me. I knew it was going to happen and it was still tough to avoid/counter. The first couple of times he clinched after I rattled his head, my headgear felt like it was choking me a bit and I didn't want to waste too much energy fighting back since he wasnt doing much. He threw maybe a couple of knees and would stand there and the whole time I would be shoving my glove in his face. It was a pummel-type clinch, I say type because all he really did was land on me after my punches and squeezed my upper body into his chest. In the latter rounds I started digging punches into his kidneys in the clinch while moving him backwards and he wised up and threw me down. Finally, at the in the last round, I made sure that when we clinched and I hit him and felt that he was going to throw me, that he would fall with me and when we landed I would be on top with my forearm in his throat and my knee on his stomach. I could hear the "ugh" just come right out of him when we fell like that.

I didn't get to establish my inside leg kick and I was still afraid to use my right leg for body or leg kicks, so I used my hands for most of the fight. I didn't get to work the counterpunch for the most part because I pretty came at him with my hands the whole fight. I got sloppy when we were in close a few times, throwing wide hooks trying to hit him in the ear and orbit. His head gear and his head were going all over the place and I wouldnt stop hitting unless the ref came over. Honestly, I think I could count the number of times I got punched that whole fight on 2 hands. I hit him with some head kicks, a couple of sidekicks, a few body shots, but for the most part it was straight punches to his head. At one point, I apparently kneed him in the groin in a corner, but I thought I hit him in the chest protector, but anyways, his hands went down to cover his groin and I just crossed him straight in the face and tried to get in more before the ref came in. The whole fight I heard the corner say jab-cut kick, but I was punching away so I only tried it a couple of times. And when I punched him, he moved straight back and his stance narrowed, so I couldn't really get the inside kick in there. All in all, it couldn't have gone much better for me unless I knocked him out, which believe me, I tried to do but the damn chest protector took away from my body shots and the guy could take a lot of shots. I had a good matchup, my punches and kicks were landing, _____ wasn't there and I made the kid bleed. I won by UD.

The __________ people loved the headkicks and the switchsteps and sidekicks I did. The said the technique looked good. But I mean thats comparing to that to what they had seen all day and what they learned in ______. Let's just say I took the compliments with a grain of salt. I was also told by the ref, who happened to be _______, had I listened to my corner more I would've come out with a knockout. I dunno, maybe, but for the most part I was listening for J and Steve the whole fight. I know I made mistakes and J and Steve pointed them out after the fight. And hopefully when the video gets posted on the internet, you can point out what I did wrong because I know it will be in my best interest.

Sorry for the long email but I wanted to say one last thing. I wanted to thank Kru Kubicki, Big and Little Dave, Mark, Greg, Rich, and everyone else in class that pushed me and helped me out before the fight. It meant alot. And most importantly, I wanted to thank you Sir, because God only knows what could've happened to me on Saturday if I didn't come back and train at home before the fight. The senses getting knocked back into me literally and the gameplan were huge. I would thank you in person, and talk about the fight but I'm heading back to school today. I'll try and stop by on Saturday before BJJ if I get back from ________ before then. I know I have much to work on, conditioning, losing weight, etc. So I will try my best not to get polluted again and stick with what I've learned at home. Thanks again.

Respectully,

Dave

---

Train with Champions, Train like Champions. At The Edge, through hard work and determination Master Raciti helps all his students become Champions. There is nothing like it. Master Raciti’s enthusiasm and knowledge of his craft will have you coming back for more. His ability to keep classes intense and enjoyable for all, from the most experienced Black Belt to the novice White Belt makes all his programs a success. His philosophy and style in the gym can be applied to all facets of life. Failure is never an option. Your kids will learn things you wish you knew at their age, and it’s never too late for you to start. Grab your gear and “Bring it to The Edge”, surround yourself with Champions.

G.D. 2006

---

I have learned so much from Master Raciti. I really enjoy his classes and he is always coming up with new techniques to practice. He is serious about what he does and he loves what he does, I truly admire him because of his dedication towards everything he does. I have realized that I could have stopped my training when my first instructor had left and Master Raciti took over. I am so happy I chose to stay because he changed The Edge into a fantastic academy.

Jordan S. USMC Serving in Afghanistan

---

I have been training at the Edge for 12 years now, and if there is one thing I've learned it is respect, discipline, and self control. All of these attributes were taught through Master Raciti's vigorous classes; not only are they physically demanding, but you must bring your top mental game to class with you as well.

Unlike most traditional Martial Arts academies, where they fight for points, competition, and spend their time learning forms and meditations, the Edge teaches you about real life altercations. It is a proven fact that 99% of all fights will end up on the ground. Master Raciti has taught me and my fellow classmates how to defend ourselves in such circumstances to the best of our ability. It is said that everyone has something called "fight or flight syndrome," this basically means that in a heated altercation you either stick around to fight or you run away. Master Raciti has taught us what to do in these situations, and I can assure you, most if not all of Master Raciti's students will stick around to fight because of their knowledge and confidence in the matter.

Training at the Edge has made me a better person as well as a performance athlete. Without the balance and flexibility I have acquired in class I would be no where in baseball because I am a pitcher and that is what pitching relies on. Training at the Edge has also made me quick and agile for a person of my weight and structure. I plan on pursuing weight lifting throughout my high school and college years, and without Master Racit's demand for flexibility I wouldn't be able to move in such ways that I do.

The Edge Ultimate Martial Arts is a positive life pursuing career that is in every aspect a great confidence builder as well as an amazing workout for the body and mind. And I definitely suggest that if anyone ever gets the chance to come and train that they do so. You will not regret it for a second.

Sincerely,

OJ Y.