Jeff Imada is trained in Jeet Kune Do, Eskrima, Tae Kwon Do, Tang Soo Do, Karate, Shaolin Kung Fu, Kendo, Systema and Boxing.

Imada was born in Inglewood, California, US, where he began studying martial arts at the age of fifteen.

At El Camino College and UCLA, he majored in pre-med and minored in music as a classically trained pianist.

Jeff Imada has been the technical advisor on numerous films, including Dutch (1991), Tango & Cash (1989), Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986), Dreamscape (1984) and Streets of Fire (1984), and such television series as Magnum, P.I.

[6] In 2015, Imada was recognized by East West Players (EWP) with the Visionary Award for raising "the visibility of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community through [his] craft.