Neil Sutton - Sensei

Sensei Neil is a 1st Degree black belt in Shotokan which he received in 2016 under Sensei Toru Shimoji, 5th Dan, who was originally born in Okinawa and later trained directly under Hidetaka Nishiyama.

Neil also has a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do which he received almost exactly 20 years earlier in 1996 under Sensei Michael Byington, who he keeps in touch with today.

Aside from his love of teaching, his other passion is to train and compete. Neil received a Silver medal overall for combined Kata and Kumite in his division at the AAKF USA Nationals in 2015. At the 2016 Windy City tournament in Chicago he received another Silver medal and also in 2016 he earned Gold in Kata and Silver in Kumite at the Shuhari North American Cup tournament. 

 “I believe my experience and training in karate has molded me into the person that I am today by instilling respect, commitment, and the benefits of hard work and perseverance. I enjoy watching students develop their character through the art of karate and guiding them to reach their full potential. To me, karate is much more than just kicks and punches but an exercise for the body, mind, and spirit”.