Our Instructors have spent many years devoted to the art of Karate and other martial arts and have attained an undeniable level of expertise to qualify them as teachers and also mentors. Through extensive testing, certification and tournament level competition, our staff has attained a high level of skill.

Kris Wilder, is the head instructor, and owner of West Seattle Karate Academy. Kris started practicing the martial arts at the age of fifteen. Over the years, he has earned black belt rankings in three styles, Goju-Ryu karate (5th dan), Tae Kwon Do (2nd dan), and Judo (1st dan), in which he has competed in senior national and international tournaments.

He has had the opportunity to train under skilled instructors, including Olympic athletes, state champions, national champions, and gifted martial artists who take their lineage directly from the founders of their systems. Kris has trained across the United States and Okinawa. Kris teaches seminars worldwide.


Kris also serves as a National Representative for the University of New Mexico's Institute of Traditional Martial Arts.

The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know About Fighting *

The Way of Kata: A Comprehensive Guide for Deciphering Martial Applications*

The Way to Black Belt: A Comprehensive Guide to Rapid, Rock-Solid Results*

The Way of Sanchin Kata: The Application of Power

How to Win a Fight: A Guide to Surviving Violence *

The Way of Martial Arts for Kids

Lessons from the Dojo Floor

*Co-authored with Lawrence Kane

Sensei Wilder DVDs

121 Killer Appz! Fighting Applications From Goju-Ryu Karate with Kris Wilder

Sanchin Kata (YMAA karate) Three Battles Karate Kata

Interview by Iain Abernethy of Kris Wilder

Article about Sensei Wilder in the North American Post ( 日本のページ)

Sensei Wilder's Social Media sites, Martial-Secrets Newsletter and other resources.

Lawrence Kane Over the last 30 or so years, Senei Kane has participated in a broad range of martial arts, from traditional Asian sports such as judo, arnis, kobudo, and karate to medieval European Combat with real armor and rattan (wood) weapons. He has taught medieval weapons forms since 1994 and Goju Ryu karate since 2002. He is verse in knife combat techniques. Sensei Kane has worked closely with campus police and state patrol officers who are assigned to the stadium and has extensive experience with crowd control tactics and procedures.

Sensei Kane's Biography and Bibliography is on Amazon.com

Email Sensei Kane

Jeff Stevens started his GoJu-Ryu training in 1989. In his earlier years he competed and placed in events locally in the Pacific Northwest and in Europe. He was voted Pacific Northwest Sho-Rei-Shobu-Kan's "Student of The Year" in 1993. He has taught GoJu-Ryu Karate at various local Parks and Recreation Departments.

Sensei Jeff, as he prefers to be called, is a contributing Instructor at West Seattle Karate Academy and has earned the rank of Yodan (4th Degree) Black belt.

The 'fundamentals' of techniques and Kata are Sensei Stevens current passion. "For many years I've been on a expanding journey, to one that now brings me home." He says. "Things once hurried through now have depth and value."

Besides attending many Martial Arts seminars, Sensei Jeff has also had the opportunity to train with Sensei from Okinawa as well as visiting Sensei from other styles. Sensei Jeff is also one of the founding members of the Hokusai Yudanshakai. He is employed as a supervisor in flight operations for an air transport company.
Email Jeff Stevens