| Master Holcombe began his martial arts training in college as a cadet at The Citadel, training in Shaolin-Ji Tetsu-Ken Ryu Karate-Do under Joe Stricklyn and later in the style’s hombu (headquarters) school under its soke, Albert C. Church, Jr. Although a Japanese style, it originated in Korea and the training was quite similar to Hapkido. After joining the Foreign Service, Holcombe was assigned to Korea where he started training at the Korea Hapkido Federation’s Kyung Mu Kwan school under Kim Nam Jae, who remains Holcombe’s instructor today. Holcombe’s rank is Eighth dan.
A Foreign Service career necessarily involves frequent international transfers. Since good Hapkido schools are not all that easy to find, Holcombe trained under the best teachers he could find without worrying too much about the styles, although he did stay more or less in the same “family” of styles as Hapkido and Aikido. In New Zealand, Holcombe trained in Aikido under Ron Russell of the Institute of Aikido, later earning shodan (first dan) in Aikido under Saotome Mitsugi at the Aikido Schools of Uyeshiba in Washington, DC. In Japan, Holcombe was the only non-Wakayama University graduate member of the Wakayama Old-Boys (i.e., alumni) Aikido Club, training under Sasaki Masando of the Aikido Hombu.
While in New Zealand, Holcombe also trained in Kendo and Iaido, earning shodan in each from Anthony J. Crawford of the New Zealand Kendo Federation.
Holcombe is one of the very few non-Koreans to have a Korea Hapkido Federation teaching license for a school in Korea, having taught for several years in Pusan when he was the US Consul there. He also taught at the American Consulate General in Hong Kong. 
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