About Us
Qualified Instructors
The majority of our classes are led by Coach Kasi; having spent nearly 20 years studying the art of Judo under the tutelage of Master Willy Cahill, Tatanka's Martial Arts Academy is operated in honor of the incredible difference his training - both in the arts and in how to be a good person - made in her life.
At fourteen years of age she obtained first place ranking nationally, and went on to obtain her first black belt at the age of 18, through Cahill's Judo Academy; she has continued to move up the ranks since then. After retiring from competition, she became a regional and state recognized coach through USA Judo.
She has also spent time training in Tai-Chi, Kung Fu San Soo, Folkstyle Wrestling, Kenpo Karate, Japanese Jujitsu, Sport Jujitsu, and Sport Karate. She received shodan level black belt in Karate in 2017, through Mariposa Martial Arts Academy.
Aside from her martial arts background, Coach Kasi obtained her BA in Child and Adolescent Development; this, along with having spent the better part of 15 years either coaching or teaching, allows her to develop a stimulating, enriching program for students of all ages.
Collin C. is one of our instructors through our Junior Instructors Training; he has been a student for just over a year now, and his dedication to training and assisting has had him excel upward. He is one of our intermediate students, helping regularly with both our Tiny Tigers and Junior classes. We are incredibly lucky to have him with us!
Our Kung Fu San Soo classes are led by Master Rich. While all of our classes place a heavy emphasis on safety while practicing, Kung Fu San Soo originated strictly for use in combat, focusing primarily on doing as much damage as possible in a very short amount of time; as such, our San Soo classes are available only to those aged 14 and over.
Modern Studio
Our studio teaches a variety of classes, focusing on both practical application self defense techniques, as well as more traditional katas and forms. We currently offer Karate, Judo/Grappling, Kung Fu San Soo, and Women's Self Defense classes.
Our belt system is merit based; this means that there is no set schedule for promotions, and each child will progress at their own pace. This alleviates both the outside performance pressure, as well as the 'Mc-Dojo' aspect that can sometimes come along with scheduled testing and promotions. We focus not only on the physical aspects and performance of skills, which is required to progress through the ranks, but on the person as a whole. While we are all far from perfect, I make clear to students that if they are not 'acting like a black belt' outside the dojo, they wont be receiving one inside it.
Our Philosophy
Tatanka's Martial Arts Academy is founded based on the life-altering lessons taught by Master Willy Cahill, and what I (Coach Kasi) learned from him. He taught me not just about the art of Judo, but what it means to treat both myself and others with dignity, respect, and kindness.
At Tatanka's, everyone is welcome - we set aside our differences at the door, and focus on bringing out the best in each person. I was taught that we ourselves only develop so long as we help those around us also improve, and I strive to impart that to our students.
We are all a family, from the members that have been with us for years, to the person that just walked through the doors, and this is the philosophy upon which Tatanka's is run.