Robert Frankovich, Pine Tree Taekwondo Master Instructor Twin Cities Gumdo Master Instructor Suzume Dojo Aikido Chief Instructor Sparrow Institute Executive Director Fellow of Institute of Martial Arts & Sciences(FIMAS)

Email: Rob or call 763-531-0002

Robert Frankovich was born and raised in Chisholm, MN. He attended Chisholm High School and graduated in 1980. Earning an Associate of Arts degree from Hibbing Community College and a Bachelor's of Science degree in 1987 from the University of Wisconsin - Superior allowed him to begin working in the fitness industry but found law enforcement and security work more interesting. Later he went back to Hibbing Technical College and completed the law enforcement coursework necessary to become Minnesota POST eligible. He began working in the security industry in 1986 and since he has worked in proprietary and contact security as an armed and unarmed officer.

In 1981, he found the opportunity to train in Taekwondo through Hibbing's Community Education program. He has continued his training since (details here - TKD). In 1990, after completing the law enforcement training, he decided that his martial arts training needed to be supplemented by an art that didn't promote striking as the method of gaining control of a situation. It was at this time that he found Seidokan Aikido. A class at the Duluth YMCA taught by Brad Bergeron started the journey in Aikido. More details of Aikido training and teaching can be seen here (Aikido).

This seemed to be a natural direction to develop and train within now that he had completed the law enforcement training and becoming Minnesota Peace Officer Standards & Testing (P.O.S.T.) eligible at Hibbing Technical College. He began testing with police and sheriff departments and didn't feel the Taekwondo he had learned would be sufficient enough for working within a police/sheriff department. This is not because Taekwondo isn't effective, but because it didn't have the control aspects offered by Aikido. Another facet of training came from his work in security and the input of an Aikido peer, Kevin Speiser, who had become a Minnesota State Corrections Officer. Kevin's position put him into situations where he had to use his techniques often. This was the origination of the law enforcement/security oriented "Aiki-Tactics" program, a P.O.S.T. certified continuing education course, which focuses on non-pain compliant control techniques and handcuffing. The personal protection & self-defense version of this program is "Tiger Tactics."

The expansion of the martial arts into daily life comes from Shihan Roderick Kobaysahi, founder of Seidokan Aikido. He believed that everything that was taught should have application in daily life for anything from conflict resolution to promoting health and personal growth. Kobayashi-sensei's insights were unique and the product of his years of training.

After deciding to direct more energy into developing training programs, he sought out the ASP baton instructor's course. Training with a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agent and an Anoka County (MN) Sheriff's Deputy, he received his ASP instructor certification in December 1999. He has been offering ASP Basic Certification courses since.

He continued his law enforcement/security education by becoming a Minnesota P.O.S.T. Use Of Force Instructor II after attending the Use of Force school in May 2000 that was hosted by the Minneapolis Community & Technical College's Center for Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Center (and taught by Hennepin County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Anderson). This established him as the Use Of Force instructor for the Minneapolis Community & Technical College's (MCTC) Public Safety department. He left the MCTC position in June 2004 to focus on training and teaching of martial arts and personal protection skills including defensive tactics.

In 2000, he became the Minnesota AAU Taekwondo State Coach and co-hosted the 2002 Minnesota AAU Taekwondo Association Championships. He became the Minnesota AAU Taekwondo Vice-chair in February 2002 and has been working the Minnesota AAU Martial Arts program as the interim Chair of Karate, Chinese Martial Arts, Judo & Jujitsu. He became the Minnesota AAU Taekwondo Chairman in October 2003 and was the host of the 2004 Association Championships. In May 2004, he stepped down from the positions with Minnesota AAU Martial Arts & Taekwondo to focus on opening Sparrow Institute's first location in New Hope, MN.

December 2002 saw the completion of National Endurance Sport Trainer's Association program. He became a certified Mental Skills Trainer.

In August 2003, Robert had the opportunity to begin training in Haidong Gumdo, a Korean sword art. He continued working on the introductory curriculum and, in March 2005, connected with Master Laura Clements to further his training. He received his Master Instructor certification in November 2005 and is currently teaching classes as Twin Cities Gumdo.

Sparrow Institute was 10 years in the making. The concept behind it is to break down the "my art is better than your art" attitude that has developed in the martial arts industry as it has become more commercialized. Service to the community through offering personal gorwth and protection skills is main focus. Sparrow Institute is a 501c3 non-profit that brings together martial artists and instructors with similar mindsets. Martial arts fit the individual's personality and what works for one person doesn't mean that it will or won't for another. This definately means that no one art is better than any other. Sparrow Institute opened in June 2004 and moved to its current location (4928 Highway 169 North New Hope, MN) in March 2006.

In early 2008, he partnered with Bill Leon, an investigator with the Hennepin County Medical Center and a Taekwondo black belt, to create Aggression Control Training Systems (A.C.T.S.) to focus on reality-based personal protection and self-defense programs.

August 2008 brought the opportunity to become a Fellow in the Institute of Martial Arts and Sciences and has begun work on a graduate degree.

Training and Teaching Experiences

Other Experiences and Activities
1) August 1994 Black Belt Magazine published The Forgotten Forms of Taekwondo, the first ever article regarding the Chung Bong Poomse (forms) that are unique to Taekwondo Song Moo Kwan that I authored.
2) Four Principles of Aikido: Mind/Body Budo is an article published in the May 1995 issue of Black Belt Magazine and discusses the development of Aikido as with a possible insight into what the Aikido Founder, O'Sensei may have been attempting to teach his students concerning mind and body unification and how that continued to grow through Koichi Tohei and is continued with Roderick Kobayashi.
3) Inside Taekwondo has accepted an article The History and Traditions of Taekwondo Song Moo Kwan (published in the December 1994 issue) which includes some of the first information ever supplied by Grandmaster Byung Jick Ro, the founder of Song Moo Kwan. It is the first article to be published about Song Moo Kwan history and provides new information to clarify the origins of Song Moo Kwan as well as Taekwondo itself.
4) Northern Lights Aikido classes use a student manual that I compiled and edited for use with class and as a text for the University courses at both UMD and UWS.  The first edition printed is the Beginner's Student Manual with the basic principles, techniques and terminology for the first three levels.  A second edition, Advanced Student Manual, is in progress to supply advanced information for the higher three levels including First Degree Black belt.
5) TaeKwonDo Times article printed in 1997.  This was a re-worked version of the Forgotten Forms of TKD article published in Black Belt in 1994.
6) Aikido Doka: The Poems of Ueshiba Morihei was printed in the Winter 1996-97 issue of Furyu: The Budo Journal.
7) The Endless Search: Does Cross-Training Hold The Key To Martial Arts Success? published in the February 1998 issue of Black Belt Magazine.
8) Founded Tiger Consulting in 1998 to teach conflict resolution and personal protection programs for law enforcement (POST accredited) and the public.
9) Developed an expandable baton program (featuring the Century (TM) Expandable Baton) featured in the August 2000 Gold Medal Productions video.
10) Inside Kung Fu Magazine published the "Ultimate Guide To Taekwondo" which featured a re-print of "History and Traditions of Taekwondo Song Moo Kwan"