Schichi Dan (7th Degree Black Belt)

Pete’s first exposure to the martial arts came as child when his father was stationed in Okinawa; he began his study of the martial arts several years later after graduating from high school. Pete first practiced karate, judo & jujitsu. Later, as a member of the U.S. Army he was stationed in Chitose, Japan where trained in Wado Ryu karate. In 1971 while stationed in Korea he trained in Tae Kwon Do. After leaving the Army in 1972 he began his study of Yoshukai karate under Michael Foster under whose direction he earned 6th degree black belt and he is a Certified Instructor with that organization. Pete is a Certified Purchasing Manager designated by the National Association of Purchasing Managers and holds a BBA & MBA.

Schichi Dan (7th Degree Black Belt)

Col. Parker began studying Judo and To-Te Kenpo Jitsu in 1953. In 1958 he started studying Shudokan Karate-do. He trained in a number of other Karate styles before becoming a student of Takashi Akusawa in Shotokan Kenkojuku Karate-Do in 1964. Col. Parker was a founding and later a senior member of the Tokyo Karate-Do Association. Col. Parker has continued to train in traditional Shotokan /Shotokai Karate-Do in the US, Japan and Europe with many noted Shotokan and Shotokai instructors over the last five decades. Col. Parker remains a Traditional Shotokan Kenkojuku Karate-ka and is currently a founding member of the American Shotokan Karate-Do Kenkojuku Alliance. Col. Parker is a member and has trained at the International Shotokan Karate Association of Northern Virginia dojo since 2008. Col. Parker attended The University of Miami, Webster University and Florida State University and has degrees in Geography, Criminology and Human Resources. Col. Parker retired from the U.S. Army in 1997 and currently is employed by Nissan Motors Acceptance Corp.

Go Dan (5th Degree Black Belt)

Matthew (Matt) Michaelson began his 40+ years’ Shotokan journey in 1979. He competed as a member of the West Point Karate Team from 1986 through his graduation from West Point, 1990. He was Instructor and Assistant Professor in Hand-to-Hand and weaponry (knife and baton use/defense) combat (1998- 2001). A retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, Matt is a combat veteran of both Operations Iraqi Freedom (2003) and Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), holds a M.S. Degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University (1998), is a Certified Personal Trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and has published several articles in Shotokan Karate Magazine (SKM).

Go Dan (5th Degree Black Belt)

Ahria Sorbi is the youngest in JKA, ISKF, JKA/AF, and ISKA history to obtain Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, and Yondan black belts ranking. At age 19, he became youngest JKA certified instructor. Mr. Sorbi holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University. He has over 24 years of martial arts experience. His Martial arts experience is not limited to just Shotokan; he has experience in full-contact karate, Jiu-Jitsu, take-down, grappling, and wrestling. Throughout his youth, he held the title of National Youth and Collegiate Champion for three consecutive years. Currently he is one of the best national competitor.