Sensei Jerry Ferguson began his martial arts training at the age of 8 in the classical form of Judo. Upon a move by his family, and with no Judo schools in the area, he enrolled in a Traditional Karate school and has been training and teaching ever since. In 1973, at the age of 12, he was selected to tour Europe as part of the United States National Demonstration Team. There he performed one of the first international exhibitions of Synchronized Team Kata, an event which was to later become an integral part of world competition. Throughout his teen years Sensei Ferguson continued to excel in the sport of karate, winning such prestigious events as the Washington State championships, the Seattle Open and the West Coast Championships.
As an adult competitor Sensei Ferguson qualified for the United States National Karate Team and traveled to Sydney, Australia in 1985 to compete in the World Championships. His competitive accomplishments over the next ten years include: US National Champion, North America Cup double gold medalist, Pan American gold medalist, Hayashi-Ha World Championship silver medalist, and finalist at the World Cup in Budapest, Hungary. In 1989 he was awarded "Athlete of the Year" in the sport of karate by the United States Olympic Committee and was featured in articles in both the "Olympian" and "Sports Illustrated" magazines.
Since retiring from international competition Sensei Ferguson has continued to advance his knowledge and experience in other arenas of traditional Karate. Aside from Shito-ryu he has taken instruction in the Traditional Karate systems of Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu and Kobudo (traditional weapons). This technical knowledge has enabled him to earn certification as a US National Karate Federation Referee and Pan American Union of Karate-do Kumite Judge.
In 1990 Sensei Ferguson was named a US National Team coach and guided the US National women's team to a silver medal at the International Goodwill Championships in Seattle, Washington. He has acted as coach of the United States team in major international events and continues to coach athletes of international caliber at his dojo in Everett, Washington.
In his world travels, Sensei Ferguson has met many practitioners, competitors, Sensei and Masters. These associations have given him a deep appreciation of the cultural heritage of Traditional Karate. His desire to further explore the roots of Traditional Karate led him to seek affiliation with the Shito-ryu International Karate-do Kai. Upon acceptance into this prestigious school he was granted the title of Shihan. As Shihan, Sensei Ferguson is accountable for preserving the integrity of the Seito Shito-ryu system. To this end, he meets frequently with Soke Mabuni and other high-ranking Shito-ryu instructors to share and assimilate information. In turn, he works with the Instructors of the Pacific Karate Organization to insure that this knowledge is correctly conveyed to our student body.
As head instructor of the Pacific Karate Organization, and as a member of the Shihan Kai of North America, Sensei Ferguson is dedicated to the perpetuation of the history, culture and practice of Traditional Karate.