Muay Thai Instructors

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Marcus Soares is a 1st generation 8th Dan Carlson Gracie Brazilian jiu-Jitsu Instructor who has trained and taught all over the world.  Marcus is the head Canadian instructor and visits Zen annually.

David is a 2nd generation Carlson Gracie brown belt who has been training and competing all over the world for the past 15 years. David is the head jiu-jitsu instructor at Zen

Derek is a Carlson Gracie blue belt who has been training since 2011 

Leo has been training with the Carlson Gracie team since 2011.  He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt.  Leo is also a brown belt in Tankyushin a composite of Akido, Judo and Karate.  

Kyle is a Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu blue belt.  He has been training at Zen since 2011.

Jamiie has been training since March 2016.  You'll see Jamiie training regularly 4 or 5 times a week at Zen.  She received  her blue belt in 2018 and has achieved gold and silver in her last two competitions.

Kyle is a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Chito-Ryu Karate.  Kyle has competed in more than 50 tournaments and is a 2018 team Canada WMO bronze medalist. Kyle is a NCCP level 2 karate coach and a full time Investment Advisor with Sun Life.

David started taking Shotokan martial arts when he was 5 years old with his father and two sisters. He achieved his black belt at 16.  David received his 2nd degree (Nidan) in 2018. 

Stephen received his black belt in 1987 under Sensei Burt Konzak at the Toronto Academy of Karate and subsequently also trained under Sensei Tim Suzuki and his teacher, Grand Master Masami Tsuruoka. Stephen is a NCCP level 2 karate coach and a full time professor at the University of Ottawa.

Kyle has trained in Chito-Ryu karate since 2001, receiving his shodan in 2007 under Ken Sakamoto (son-in-law of Chito-ryu founder Tsuyoshi  Chitose). His passion for karate stems from its potential to develop  self-discipline, fitness, and perseverance in the face of life's  obstacles.

David has been training in karate since 2007.  He has a black belt in Free Style Karate and a brown belt in Chito-Ryu Karate.

John trained at Zen for 10 years.  He has competed in numerous tournaments in both sparring and kata winning gold in most of his competitions.  John recently moved to BC to attend University and play Junior hockey. He continues to teach at Zen on holidays and in the summer.