Local man finds passion, career through martial arts

Tai chi instructor Vince Jornales teaches several classes in Canton.

Vince Jornales has been interested in martial arts since his childhood, but didn’t pursue his passion until after he was an adult. He is now a martial arts instructor and teaches tai chi at different locations in Canton as well as in other communities.

Jornales grew up in New Bedford and has a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering from Boston University. He began a master’s program at BU, also in biomedical engineering, with a focus on neuroscience brain and vision research, but left the program to work at Grass Instruments, then located in Braintree.

Jornales worked at Grass for about six years in the digital department, programming software for analyzing different biological signals for research and development.

He and his wife, Piper, moved to Braintree, and eventually enrolled in the Martial Arts Center for Personal Development, run by Ken Proctor. “I’ve always wanted to study martial arts,” he said. “But I never did as a kid.” The school taught several different styles of martial arts all together, which appealed to Jornales.

“For the longest time, I wanted to buy a katana, a samurai sword,” he said. “But I did not want to buy it and just have it hanging on the wall. I wanted to know how to use it.” The center offered a course in how to use the katana.

“So I started my journey into the martial arts as a way to justify buying a sword,” he said laughing. “And then my wife joined with me and we trained together.”

Jornales explained that there are three main internal styles of martial arts that are famous and come out of China: Tai Chi, Bagua, and Xingyi. The Braintree school taught Bagua. The internal styles of martial arts have more to do with breath work, flow of chi (the physical force and energy that flows through the body), movement, and motion. “It has more application to health purposes,” he said, “which is why tai chi for seniors or for people who have issues with balance, Parkinson’s, is so much more applicable.”

Jornales studied at the Braintree-based center in the evenings for about five years before earning his first-degree black belt. At that point, he started training to be an instructor in the system of martial arts that he was studying and went on to earn second- and third-degree black belts.

Jornales had noticed that spending several hours each day in front of a computer screen at his day job took a toll on his body, while his evening classes made him feel better. He decided that it made more sense for him to make a career move and take over a second school that Proctor had in Easton. “That’s kind of what has led me to where I am right now,” he said.

In 2011, Jornales ended his association with Proctor and founded the Easton Martial Arts Center, which he ran until 2013. At the same time, he was studying under his uncle, Bong Jornales, who is a Grand Master in Filipino Martial Arts. Jornales studied remotely for the most part, but Bong gave in-person workshops and seminars at his school from time to time.

When Wen Ru, a visiting tai chi instructor from China, came to the U.S. one summer to visit her daughter who lived in Easton, Jornales learned the 24-posture set of tai chi.

He made the decision to move his school from Easton and to partner with Eddie Bishop, who ran Bishop’s Training and Fitness in West Bridgewater, in 2015. “At that point, I started to integrate the Filipino martial arts and tai chi into my program,” he said. He taught his classes in the afternoon and evenings, which left his mornings free. His wife suggested that he contact local organizations to see if any were interested in hiring a tai chi instructor.

He started with the Council on Aging in Quincy and then got in touch with the COA in Canton. Then Eddie Bishop’s sister, who was the director of the unit for Alzheimer’s patients at Height’s Crossing in Brockton, hired him to teach tai chi to residents there. “That’s what ended up taking my days,” he said.

He now teaches tai chi classes for seniors at the Canton Senior Center and the former St. Gerard’s location, and teaches Filipino martial arts to adults who have learning and physical disabilities at the Jewish Family and Children’s Service (JF&CS) Center in Canton. A few times a month he works with residents in both the Assisted Living and Compass memory care units at Cornerstone at Canton.

Jornales’ workload continued to expand after he started in Quincy and Canton, as senior communities reached out to their COAs to ask about a tai chi instructor.

Jornales now also teaches at the COAs in Easton, Milton, Stoughton, and Middleboro, as well as at senior residences including Fuller Village, Blake Estates in Hyde Park, Winter Valley and Unquity in Milton, Brookmeadow at Cobb Corner in Stoughton, Highland Glen Senior Living in Westwood, and the memory care unit at Standish Village in Dorchester.

He also offers classes at the Unitarian Universalist church in Sharon that are open to all and works at MASAC, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic, in Plymouth.

Jornales said he has done “amazing” work with residents who have Alzheimer’s. He teaches them tai chi while they are seated. While the disease may take away their ability to recall and recognize people, it doesn’t affect their physical memory in the same way. He said it takes about 800 to 1,000 repetitions of the movements for someone to recall them. Participants are able to follow the movements until the disease affects their ability to control their body.

At MASAC, people are there for up to 90 days of drug and alcohol rehabilitation, which is not enough time for them to learn all the postures. “I go there to give them another modality of training,” he said. He teaches tai chi to them as a way to center and calm themselves to deal with stress and anxiety.

“The thing I like most about teaching is the passing down of knowledge, but also the 800 to 1,000 repetitions,” he said. “I really enjoy watching the progress from not knowing anything to being competent and feeling more in tune with their body. It doesn’t mean that they can balance for five minutes on one foot. It just means that they’re becoming self-aware enough to know what they can and can’t do. If you know what your limits are and you know how to push beyond them every once in a while, then that only helps you grow as a person.”

In his free time, Jornales enjoys reading. He has been reading books by Carl Jung and Baruch Spinoza. He also loves being with his wife and son, Nox, who has introduced Jornales to anime. “I love One Piece,” he said. “It’s a Japanese Anime Manga. It’s a great show.”

Jornales used to be a smoker. When he was about halfway through the training for his black belt, he realized that he could not keep up with the class. “The smoking was holding me back from the cardio side of development,” he said. “Martial arts helped me to stop smoking.”

Mikala DeRubeis is the director of Compass programming at Cornerstone at Canton on Revere Street. “Vince visits our Compass memory support neighborhood twice a month,” she said. “He exudes a patient, kind, and calm presence during every class. He is positive and encouraging with every resident. Vince tailors each skill set to all abilities, bringing confidence, connection, and a smile to all our faces. He has been a part of our community for several years and we are truly grateful to have him.”

Diane Tynan, who directs the town of Canton’s Department of Elder and Human Services, holds Jornales in high regard. “For 11 years, Vince Jornales has been a beloved part of our community,” she said. “His tai chi classes are not only popular, but also welcoming, grounding, and accessible to people of all abilities. He brings kindness, patience, and a genuine care for participants that keeps people coming back week after week.”

A spokesperson from the JF&CS Canton day program also had high praise for Jornales, calling him a “fantastic” martial arts instructor. “He brings patience, empathy, kindness, and expertise to each class and participant,” the spokesperson said. “He adapts his class to each individual to foster independence, build confidence, and create a respectful and powerful space where all of the individuals can learn to grow and succeed.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Feb 6 2026. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.