As one third of the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame’s 2005 teaching team of the year, Brandon has made teaching his priority.

For the past 17 years, Brandon has been the face and the force behind the Schmelter’s Greater Los Angeles Iron Circle Martial Arts (ICE) training facility. There, Brandon oversees facility operations including the ICE Urban Combat training programs he developed with his brother Jared, assault prevention outreach training, and a rigorous ICE instructor certification program.

“I teach people to change their approach to personal protection by thinking aggressively rather than defensively. Eliminate negativity and doubt so the hunted becomes the hunter. Then, everything changes. Our ICE fighting system compliments this attitude perfectly.

Most people don’t even know the depths of their own potential. It’s my job to help them maximize what they have.”

It’s what keeps Brandon motivated — his eager students from around the globe. As an industry-leading martial arts and street fighting expert, ICE founder and hands-on instructor, Brandon has given thousands of individuals from diverse backgrounds the self-offense skills and knowledge they need to take control in the streets and in their professional lives.

As a private trainer and consultant, Brandon has also had the privilege of working one-on-one with law enforcement professionals, celebrities and entertainment industry heavy weights seeking in-depth training for work and personal security.

This varied clientele, combined with years of training experience, has allowed Brandon to develop a customized approach to teaching that brings out each individual’s personal best.

That said, Brandon believes there are no short cuts to success. His own intensive formal training and certification in multiple martial arts disciplines makes this evident. From an early age, Brandon studied hard under Masters Jerry Poteet and Pat Strong (both Bruce Lee protégés), and Master Truyen Vo (renowned teacher of Vovinam, commander of the South Vietnamese Special Forces, ex-POW and his father’s mentor).

It was these years of diligence and an unremitting passion for his craft that helped Brandon rise to the top in the legendary arts of Jeet Kune Do and Aiki-Ju-Jitsu, the two disciplines he credits as the foundation for the ICE method. Put in the work and you’ll reap the rewards, he says. “The minute we say ‘I can’t’ is the very same minute it becomes true.

“The short of it is, I get to empower good people with the tools they need to destroy bad people who try to do bad things to them. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

CERTIFICATIONS AND RANKS

Official Certified Instructor, Jeet Kune Do

4th Degree Black Belt, American Kickboxing

2nd Degree Black Belt Aiki Ju Jitsu

Certified Escrima Weapons Instructor

Certified Rape and Assault Prevention Instructor

LANGUAGES

English

Spanish

Follow Brandon on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BrandonSchmelter

Follow Brandon on Twitter at twitter.com/BSchmelter

Endorsements

“Brandon is an expert in his field of self-offense. I had the pleasure of training with Brandon for 2 years and learned an immense amount of skills from his program. Brandon has great leadership qualities combined with high integrity and focus and treats his training with a high level of professionalism. His ability to challenge his students to learn more each session and build upon this continual learning produced great results for me. I not only learned the physical attributes but also built my mental attributes during my training.”

-Darren Siegrist (Retail Branch Sales Manager at EverBank)

“I have studied several forms of Martial Arts, but Brandon is by far the best instructor I have had. His knowledge and skill is well beyond his years. His teachings are both practical and proven. His motto, “If You’re Defending You’re Losing” could not be more true. If you are serious about martial arts or want to be, I highly recommend Brandon for your personal training needs.”

-Brent Rice (Executive Director, National Accounts, Amgen, Inc.)

“It gives me great pleasure to vouch for Brandon, whom I consider a most talented martial artist and dedicated instructor to his students. For anyone wishing to learn about the real world of street combat, or get training in the traditional teachings of martial art, I full-heartedly and with pride recommend Brandon.”

-Patrick Strong (Deep Level Training Systems, Bruce Lee protege)

“I began working with Brandon 3 years ago after being followed by two men one evening my senior year of college. I wanted to learn how to defend myself in a real-life situation similar to the one I experienced, as well as become more confident in my fighting abilities and learn how to fight in close contact situations. I lucked out by choosing to work with Brandon, seeing that he has been expertly trained by Bruce Lee protégés, Jerry Poteet and Pat Strong. But even more important then being trained well, Brandon, his Dad, Bob Schmelter, and brother Jared Schmelter, not only know how to fight well, they also know how to properly teach anyone willing to learn and work hard. I would leave each class feeling more confident and stronger than I ever had before, and can honestly say that I learned how to properly protect, carry myself, and become aware of my surroundings, especially when I was alone. I want others considering these classes or reading this post for the first time to understand his is NOT your run-of-the-mill self defense, martial arts or “karate” class… If you’re serious about learning how to “street fight”, or are serious about potentially save someone’s life, then these classes and this program is for you. I owe Brandon and the Schmelter family a great deal since they have taught me realistic fighting skills and lessons that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to learn with anyone else… Skills that could some day save my life.”

-Kristin Rose (Communications Analyst for Oracle Worldwide Alliances & Channels)

“I have trained with Brandon on several occasions. He is a terrific martial arts expert with the capacity to translate complex concepts into easily executable training exercises. I am a true novice in this field, but Brandon has given me a higher level of skill and confidence than I could ever expect. It is obvious that he has had decades of experience in Jeet Kune Do because he has such a innate understanding of the art.”

-Ian Miller (Director of Marketing at BMLA: Landscape Architecture)

“Sifu Brandon is an awesome trainer, he trained me and my son for 6 years with excellent results. Brandon Schmelter is the real deal in the world of Martial Arts, a great guy, awesome family and easy to work with, other than the total mental and physical challenge he will put you through to grow. I highly recommend his services to anyone looking to excel in JKD and to get in shape. Prepare to be trained by the best!”

-Brady Schmidt (President at Secure Capital Solutions,Inc.)

“Brandon is a passionate professional. He infuses this energy into his students, with the result being they train, progress, and develop a love for what they are learning. The self-confidence and peace of mind they gain in knowing they are prepared for unwelcome threats is invaluable. I highly recommend training with Brandon.”

-Dave Goethel (Branch Manager at Sierra Pacific Mortgage)

“Brandon Schmelter stands out in quality in all areas of professionalism, martial arts knowledge, awareness of skills that one would need for self-defense, and proficient training in Bruce Lee’s method of martial arts. In describing Brandon’s care, sincerity, and tenacity one can always rely on Brandon for strength, wisdom, and readiness for anything that life slings your way!”

-Marie Doettrel (Massage Technician at Healing Arts)

“Brandon is dedicated to transmitting his knowledge to every student. We trust the safety of our daughter and son to the training Brandon and the other instructors deliver every time… I can’t think of a higher recommendation a parent can give.”

-Mike Sapelli (Field Agent)

“I have studied various martial arts over the years but Brandon stands out. Not only is he a detail-oriented, results based instructor, but he is fantastic with the kids and is responsible for my 4 children (2 boys and 2 girls) being superb Jeet Kune Do students and practitioners.”

-Matt Layden (Sr Network/Systems Engineer at AMGEN)

“Brandon is an expert exponent of his art and I recommend his training for anyone who wishes to learn. I have known Brandon for a few years now and it is always a pleasure interacting with him.”

-Nitin Bhatnagar (IT Management consultant)