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Shihan Chris Martingilio is an award-winning martial arts educator (ARC 2022) who personally teaches every class and every student in his school. See his bio.
The martial arts program is similar to a private school, with limited class sizes, and individualized student attention from a devoted instructor. Students who meet Shihan Chris’ high expectations are rewarded with self-confidence, mental toughness, and lifelong skills in self-defense. Creating long term relationships with students and developing supportive training groups is of the utmost importance.
Our martial arts programs are intended to educate, create new skills, and understanding of the arts. We teach pressure-point techniques and joint locks that will increase the effectiveness of any style of martial art. All of our programs include this method of self defense.
Ours is a School of Education. Not Recreation.
Bio
Bio
Master Chris has turned a lifelong passion for teaching others into a Martial Arts Dojo like no other. Sensei Chris began his formal training of the martial arts in 1989, and taught at 3 dojos before deciding he needed to make a change. Bothered by the commercialization of the martial arts and seeing more and more black belts awarded to people who had simply “put in the time” without mastery, Master Chris opened Martingilio Martial Arts. Established in 2004, Martingilio Martial Arts has continued to grow into his vision of integrity, credibility, and research in martial arts.
Training under many of the greatest martial artists in the world has helped Master Chris to become a highly skilled fighter as well as a great teacher. He has taught courses in the US and Europe, and his instruction is in demand at various dojos around the country. He regularly teaches in public schools, colleges, businesses, and police academies.
Bio
Bio
After earning a Bachelor’s Degree from UW Madison in Bio-Chemistry, Diana trained extensively under the instruction of Master Chris and Master Jeff Burhop. Two years after her martial arts training began, she desired to go back to UW to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Diana’s hard work in both the martial arts and her medical career has paid off. At night, Diana is an Emergency Room Nurse and in the mornings she teaches both Ryukyu Kempo and Kickboxing classes. Her focus and attention to detail has helped her to become a very effective fighter and a charge nurse in the emergency room.
Bio
Bio
Ryan is employed in community corrections and enjoys teaching/ training Kempo.
He is a great trainer and leader in the class.
Bio
Bio
Teju started taking classes at the age of 8. After a few years of training and never missing a single class,
Teju was asked to lead the class. She accepted and struggled through the drills she was leading. In tears, after the class,
Teju approached her teacher and said that “teaching was very hard.” She wiped off her tears and asked if she could lead again.
The more she taught, the easier it became. Teju now participates and teaches in every single class at Martingilio Martial Arts.
With 1000’s of hours of training under her belt, Teju continues to lead, teach and learn in all of the kids and Adult classes and is respected
By everyone that she has worked with.
They teach regular classes and seminars at my school, and have been my instructors for many years. Grandmaster Chris and Professor Ken have taught all over the United States and Europe, and both are first generation students of Grandmaster George Dillman, Prof. Wally Jay and Prof. Remy Presas.
CHRIS THOMAS
Bio
Bio
Chris Thomas began studying martial arts in 1970, and forgot to quit. He has become a world renowned master instructor of pressure point method (kyusho-jitsu), classical Okinawan martial arts (Ryukyu kempo, Isshin-ryu karate, kobu-jitsu), and classical Chinese kung fu (taijiquan).
GM Chris Thomas is regarded so highly that martial arts practitioners regularly travel hundreds, even thousands of miles to study with him.
He is also a widely published writer, whose articles and essays on martial arts have been published around the world. Chris Thomas and his teacher, George Dillman, have written the definitive books on pressure point fighting.
Bio
Bio
Sensei Ken is an extremely skilled and knowledgeable martial artist, and separates himself from other instructors by his ability to teach and help his students understand both basic and complicated techniques.
Sensei Ken trained with Grandmaster Remy A. Presas, founder and creator of Modern Arnis. Grandmaster Presas promoted Ken Smith to the level of Master of Tapi-Tapi, the highest level of achievement in Modern Arnis.
He continues to pass on Professor’s art, traveling all over the United States, France, England, Germany and Canada.
Master Ken Smith is an active leader of the International Modern Arnis Federation, and teaches at his dojo in Illinois
© martingilio martial arts 2023
