The Human Path, Instructors

Sam Coffman, Founder - Head Instructor

Sam Coffman grew up exploring and learning about wilderness camping and woodcraft at a very early age, as his family spent summers in isolated self-supporting wilderness camps due to his father's job as a field geologist.

He has over 10 years of military experience as a U.S. Special Forces Medic, an interrogator and a linguist. He studied botany and bioregional medicine both privately and at several outdoor schools in Colorado. He taught herbology and wildcrafting for the Boulder School of Natural Medicine and spent several years testing his own primitive living skills throughout regions of the Rocky Mountains, in solitary survival excursions with no equipment beyond a knife. He has also attended numerous survival-related courses, both military and civilian, and has taught wilderness survival, tactics, self defense and field medicine for the military as well as federal and local law enforcement agencies.

Sam has over 25 years of martial arts experience both as a student and instructor ranging in styles from traditional Chinese martial arts, to stick and knife fighting, to Mixed Martial Arts and grappling

Scott Schoner - Instructor

Scott Schoner has 12 years of both enlisted and commissioned military service, ranging from combat engineer to the majority of experience in airborne and light infantry units.

Scott has studied several forms of martial arts over several decades, and holds a black belt in Aikido. He has spent years training in outdoor skills and has attended numerous nature awareness and survival courses at a wide variety of schools, most notably Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker School. He is certified in Wilderness First Aid, PADI Rescue Diving.

Rodolfo Salazar - Instructor

Continuing Education Coordinator for 20 First Responder Organization since 1995 to present under the auspices of the Emergency Health Sciences, School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas (UTHSCSA). Instructor for Pre-hospital emergency medical personnel in emergency care of the sick and wounded, to include personal safety and defensive tactics with SAFD and the Bexar County First Responder Organization.

Certified as a Rappel Master and Swift Water Rescue Instructor.

Mandala Mandatus (Master)Instructor in Pekiti Tirsia Kali. Over 41 years of martial arts experience including Kali, Kuntao, Judo, Shotokan and fencing. National fencing competitor for 10 years.

Retired Major US Army, having taught U.S. Special Forces in the 300F1 Course (now known as 18 Delta). Defensive Tactics and Emergency Medicine Instructor for numerous Law Enforcement seminars and conferences, including the DPS academy and Texas Tactical Police Officers Association. Private instructor for police, border patrol officers and air marshals.

Jason Shrader - Instructor

Jason Shrader has extensive background as a stonemason and woodworker. As a caretaker for many years on a large hill-country acreage, he has been able to spend a large portion of time working with the local wood and stone of the region for both building and primitive-skills related projects. Taking his longstanding interest in archery to a new level as a bowyer, Jason has been building self-bows for several years. His experience in the world of stone and wood, as well as his love of archery have lent him considerable talent in his ability to create bows that are superlative in both function and craftsmanship.

Mykel Hawke, Guest Instructor

Mykel Hawke is an experienced survival instructor with over 20 years of combined military, civilian, and government experience. He is a published author with a bestselling language book and a survival book on its second printing. Mykel is also a motivational public speaker and a lecturer on crisis responses to manmade and natural disasters, including (WMD) Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Hawke is the Director of and represents www.specops.com on-camera and in creative program development during media productions. Mykel is a U.S. Special Forces Medic, and has also qualified and worked as a U.S. Special Forces Communications Sergeant, a U.S. Special Forces Intel Sergeant and a U.S. Special Forces Detachment Commander.