ABOUT Coach Roderick

Powell Combat Arts ("PCA") teaches practical, weapons-informed striking for real-world self-defense and combat sports. Whether you are a complete beginner, a working professional who wants real skill and conditioning, or a competitor preparing for the ring, PCA builds fighters who are composed, technical, and dangerous with empty hands. All training is conducted through private one-on-one sessions in the Atlanta area, so every minute is tailored to you.

Coach Roderick Powell began his formal martial arts training at age ten under Nisei Goju-Ryu Karate Grandmaster Ulysses "Pop" Winn in South Florida. After decades of training across multiple arts, he founded PCA in 2016. PCA is a system of empty-hand combat that integrates three pillars: Western Boxing, Filipino Boxing, and JKD Kick-boxing. His own training never stopped: to date, he has completed 176 hours of seminar instruction under Dan Inosanto, protege of JKD founder Bruce Lee. 

Coach Roderick is also the author of Winning in Combat Sports, a guide to the strategy, preparation, and mindset that separate winners from participants in the ring. Grab your copy on the Strategy tab of this site.

Western Boxing builds the footwork, timing, and punching mechanics that everything else in PCA hangs on. Coach Roderick is a Certified Boxing Coach through USA Boxing and an experienced cornerman. His boxing is grounded in years of training and sparring at respected Atlanta gyms, including Eastside Boxing Club, where he also coached for many years, Delgado Boxing, where he first sparred, Decatur Boxing Club, and Buckhead Fight Club, among others. 

Filipino Boxing (also known as "Panantukan") adds the close-range tools most striking systems leave out: limb destructions, off-balancing, and angles derived from the stick and blade work of the Filipino Martial Arts ("FMA"). Coach Roderick studied Panantukan with Rick Faye (Minnesota Kali Group) and Daniel Sullivan (Warrior Arts Alliance). He built his broader FMA foundation at the Francis Fong Martial Arts Academy, Atlanta Kali Group, and Atlanta Balintawak, along with seminars under more than a dozen recognized FMA masters across the Inosanto-LaCoste, Balintawak, Pekiti Tirsia, Doce Pares, Modern Arnis, and Kalis Ilustrisimo lineages. His Filipino Boxing is sharpened by extensive full-contact stick and knife sparring against single and multiple opponents.

The kick-boxing component of PCA comes from Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee's art of intercepting and adapting. It ties the hands and feet together into one fluid striking game built on economy of motion. Coach Roderick trained in JKD at the Francis Fong Martial Arts Academy and continues to refine the system through semi-annual training with Dan Inosanto. 

PCA training develops the body and the mind, not just technique. Coach Roderick is a Certified MMA Conditioning Coach (NESTA), Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (USA Boxing), Certified Kettlebell Instructor (Dragon Door), and Certified Sports Psychology Coach (Spencer Institute). He is also SafeSport and Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED certified. Beyond striking, his Parkour and stunt training background shapes the movement he teaches his students. Through the CP Journal's Tactical Analysis Training Program, he trained in detecting violent threats before they materialize, a skill set he now shares with his students. 

For ten years, Coach Roderick has helped beginners, working professionals, and competitive fighters build real fighting skill through private one-on-one training that is demanding, technical, and welcoming. Ready to start? Head to the Training tab to schedule your private session.