Always fascinated by the martial arts, Mr. Handwerker did not begin his martial studies until mid 1990. After training in Tae Kwon Do for a couple of years, an instructor of his introduced him the art of Ryukyu Kempo and Pressure Points (Kyusho-Jitsu); this has been his main focus ever since. While keeping Ryukyu Kempo as his main style, Mr. Handwerker has explored other styles such as Aikido, Judo, Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Small Circle Jujitsu™, Modern Arnis and Kenjutsu. He has had the privilege of working with high-ranking instructors in these arts, most notably George Dillman of Ryukyu Kempo, Professor Wally Jay and Leon Jay of Small Circle Jujitsu™ and the late Professor Remy Presas the Father of Modern Arnis.

Mr. Handwerker currently works for Providence Health & Services in their security department while also running Handwerker-Ryu and Matador Academy from his home.

Mr. Handwerker has appeared in the first two arnis books by Prof. Dan Anderson, Defanging the Snake: A Guide to Modern Arnis Disarms, and Advanced Modern Arnis: A Road to Mastery; which he also appears on the cover. He recently appeared on the cover of Prof. Anderson's second edition of his book Mano Y Mano: The Weaponless Fighting Applications of Modern Arnis (Though you can't tell it is him). He has also appeared in a documentary, shown on our local public access channels, on Modern Arnis that was directed and produced by Kermit Rhodes, a fellow arnisador.