Background

Ernest Emerson was born on March 7, 1955 in a 20-foot-square log cabin built by his grandfather in northern Wisconsin, and was raised in a family of farmers, craftsmen, and teachers. While attending high school he displayed great ability as an athlete, specifically as a wrestler and baseball player, being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals to play pro baseball at the age of 17 in the Midwest League.

Emerson began his training in martial arts at the age of 16 with the Korean version of Judo known as Jodo, traveling from Wisconsin to Minnesota twice a week to attend school. He continued his study of the martial arts while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a brown belt in Kyokushinkai Karate and a black belt in Shotokan Karate while competing on the university's karate team. After graduating with degrees in physical education and world history, Emerson moved to Southern California for the sole purpose of continuing his martial arts training at the Filipino Kali Academy. There he studied Jun Fan Gung Fu, Jeet Kune Do, Kali, and Escrima under the tutelage of Dan Inosanto and Richard Bustillo (both proteges of the late Bruce Lee). According to Emerson, he could barely afford the US$12.50 monthly dues, and performed maintenance and janitorial duties in exchange for instruction. Emerson subsequently trained in Gracie Jiu Jitsu for three years at the original Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, under the founders of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu system, Rorion and Royce Gracie. Eventually, Emerson became an instructor in his own right and combined the principles of all these systems. It was also in Southern California where he met his wife, Mary, who is one of the world's top female practitioners of Jujutsu. During this time, Emerson worked as a technician, a machine operator, and eventually a design engineer for Hughes Aircraft in El Segundo.