Our Instructors

Master Joan Richert is a 10th Degree Black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate. She is one of only five people in the Villari’s Studios of Self Defense to have been awarded that rank and is the only woman at that level. She began training in 1974, and in 2006 she was named one of the Seven Dragons. This group was identified by Grand Master Fredrick J. Villari as the foremost authorities of the art. Master Joan holds a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science from Ball State University. She is also a Certified Exercise Fitness Instructor from The American College of Sports Medicine. In addition to Shaolin Kempo Karate, Master Joan has training in Jujitsu, Filipino Martial Arts, and Aikido.

Master Alan has studied Shaolin Kempo Karate since 1993, and has been an instructor for over 15 years. In November of 2009, he was awarded the rank of Master, 5th degree black belt. He has studied a variety of martial arts over the years, including Aikido and Kali. He has also trained in Maemoto Kenjutsu, which is a family style of the samurai sword, or katana. He’s taken the experience of those other martial arts to enrich his Shaolin Kempo Karate. In 2011 he was named to the Villari Eagles, a list of only about 20 master level instructors in the United States and Canada.

Master Chris began training in Shaolin Kempo Karate under Master Richert in 1994. He was awarded the rank of Master in February of 2010. His TaiJiQuan (Tai Chi Chuan) training began with Master Richert, who taught him the 37 postures of the Chen Man Ching Form. In 1998 Master Chris continued his studies of TaiJiQuan with Robert Grant, in the tradition of Kevin Akers and Gia Fu Feng, learning the ‘Peking Set’, Qi Gong and Pushing Hands. He has since learned the 13 postures, 16 postures and the Yang Cheng-Fu TaiJiQaun sets. Currently, Master Chris is continuing his studies of Shaolin Kempo Karate, Ignacio Kali/Escrima, and TaiJiQuan.