Tommy Pressimone has been involved in martial arts since 1968. Tommy had his first taste of karate at age 11 in a friends basement and his love for skilled fighting began. Being raised in the Bronx NY, fighting became an almost everyday experience and it was street fighting that fueled his attention to detail within martial arts.  Tommy spent his first few years trying various systems, bouncing around on and off between Goju karate, Hung Gar Kung Fu, brief brushes with boxing and a couple of years of Tae Kwon Do before settling into Shotokan around 1980.

Tommy Pressimone studied Kenkojuko, an older branch of Shotokan, under sensei Toyotaro Miyazaki in Flushing Queens NY and he received his black belt in 1987.  Still sticking to the old ways the highest rank attainable was 5th dan. The highest rank one was able to actively test for was 3rd dan with the last two grades being honorary.

In 1986, Tommy Pressimore also trained in Japanese Jujitsu for one year.  In 1988, Tommy attended the "Karate Instructors Certificate Program" at Long Island University. During the one and a half year course, he was exposed to the training methods of various styles and the finer points of teaching teens and adults as well as children. Tommy was able to put what he had learned to the test in 1989 when his instructor put him in charge of his own small branch dojo.

During his years in Shotokan, Tommy at times supplemented his training with the study of other systems and continued to research and expand his fighting methods even today. Always looking to up his fighting game and his knowledge of fighting, Tommy spent a couple of years of steady training in Kyokushin karate starting in 1996 in addition to his Shotokan. After his initial two years in Kyokushin, Tommy continued to train and fight on and off there until 2008. The fighting in Kyokushin karate is bare knuckle knockdown rules. No gloves or any protective gear is worn and the fighting is full contact with the object being to knock your opponent down (or out).  

Tommy Pressimone received his sandan (3rd dan) in Shotokan and being the most senior member of the organization in the area he oversaw two schools in the Poconos by giving instruction and seminars to the students as well as teaching and guiding the instructors there. Tommy continued teaching karate until 2007.  He had his own dojo from 1999 until 2000 but had to close the doors due to a changing work schedule. Tommy's teaching for most of his career has been by way of seminar and guest teaching engagements at various schools. 

Still looking to progress in his fighting ability and knowledge base, Tommy Pressimone began to move toward Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).  With a hectic schedule and no place to train MMA locally, he was training himself with the aid of a long distance coach, in addition to his karate teaching and training. Tommy is a standup fighter and admits to not being that interested in submitting his opponent. But in an effort to be more complete in his fighting ability and knowledge, Tommy trained for a brief eight months in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) at "Terry Brothers BJJ" in Easton, PA.  This was done in an effort to learn more about defending takedowns and getting back to his feet for standup. Tommy eventually found LVIRK MMA in February 2008 and has been here since training and fighting. 

Tommy Pressimone is very much into detail and getting the most bang for his buck out of his body and its natural ability.  His area is standup technique and strategy and how to maximize the body’s mechanics and technique. Tommy still continues to study ways of enhancing fighting skills and the way we move as well as refining technique. More than just technique, Tommy believes in sound principles to be able to individualize training to one's strengths as well as weaknesses.  Tommy has been teaching martial arts for close to 20 years but he never carves anything in stone. We have to change with the times. He believes in "adapting."