Staff

Eliud Sanchez

Mr. Sanchez holds the rank of 8th degree black belt and has been practicing martial arts for 38 years. He has been teaching for 33 years. He teaches private lessons to school owners from Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Mr. Sanchez is an Air Force veteran who reenlisted in the service after 9/11. He taught military personnel on his first and second enlistment. Upon his reenlistment Mr. Sanchez went on to cross train as an Air Force medic. He is also a National Registry Emergency Medical Technician and has studied with the American College Of Sports Medicine. He has designed programs that address the three major components of health and fitness- cardio/respiratory endurance, muscular strength/endurance and range of motion. Mr. Sanchez believes in developing fit, well rounded martial artists.

 

Hien Nguyen

Mr. Nguyen holds the rank of 6th degree black belt and has been practicing Martial Arts for over 25 years. After earning his black belt in 1991 from Eliud Sanchez, he elected to utilize his talents by pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Mr. Nguyen had several roles in various films and commercials before securing a role on the children’s classic The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Mr. Nguyen then went on to star in the WB network series, WMAC Masters, as Tsunami. Despite his hectic filming schedule at the time, Mr. Nguyen conducted seminars throughout the United States which he still continues to do at this time.

Justin Carney

Mr. Carney holds the rank of 4th degree black belt and has been practicing martial arts for over 18 years. He began his martial arts training at the age of 4. Over the years Mr. Carney has honed his gymnastics, “tricking” and x-treme martial arts skills to become a fantastic tournament competitor. His mastery of weapons and tournament experience in addition to his solid foundation of martial arts training make him a valuable asset as coach of the American Karate Demo Team and the lead instructor of the x-treme martial arts program.

Matthew Dupuis

Mr. Dupuis holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt and has been practicing Martial Arts for over 18 years. He is a personal protection specialist who has specialized in executive protection and nightclub security both nationally and internationally for a total of 8 years.   In addition to V.I.P. protection he is also a certified personal trainer. Mr. Dupuis is American Karate’s kicking specialist. He is an extraordinary kicker who teaches kicking and stretching concepts in an easy to understand manner.  His extensive experience in personal protection and peak physical conditioning make him a valuable asset to American Karate. Matt instructs adult karate and conditioning classes at American Karate.  Private lessons available: beginner and advanced, adult or child.  Contact Mr. Dupuis at m_dupuis@hotmail.com

Emily Fetko

Ms. Fetko currently holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt and has been studying martial arts for over 14 years. She has also been involved in dance since the age of 3. Emily incorporates elements of dance into her martial arts instruction giving her students a different perspective on flexibility and training methods. Miss Fetko is one of the top kickers at American Karate. Her weapon of choice is the Filipino fighting sticks. Though she is an excellent forms technician, point fighting is her forte. Emily graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut in 2011, finishing her Bachelors Degree in 3 years.

Joshua Fernandez

Mr. Fernández holds the rank of 2nd degree black belt and has been practicing martial arts for over 13 years. He is well versed in all weapons taught at American Karate with a focus on the Japanese sword. He is also a proficient kicker and forms specialist. Mr. Fernandez is a tournament competitor and member of the American Karate Demo Team. 

 

 

Austin Sanchez

 Austin is 15 years old and is a 2nd degree black belt.  He is the son of Mr. Sanchez and was introduced to martial arts at a young age. He has been training since he was 3 ½ years old. Austin is an extreme tournament competitor with a strong focus on open and weapon forms.  His weapons of choice are the Bo Staff and Kamas.  Austin is beginning to excel at martial arts tricking under the tutelage of Mr. Justin Carney which involves a lot of aerial kicks, spins and flips.  He is a strong role model and enjoys assisting in teaching and is a member of the demo team.

Rose Karvandi

Rose is a nine year old 2nddegree black belt and began training for Karate when she was 3 ½.  She attained her first degree Black Belt at the age of seven.  Rose’s favorite weapon is the Bo, she is recognized for her pop kicks and strong point fighting technique. Rose does a nice job balancing mind & body; she is a committed student to martial arts and academic excellence.  Her favorite subject is math and her hobbies are playing the violin and clarinet. Rose is a high level martial arts competitor, consistently placing in the top 3 of her division. Rose has been successfully assuming new responsibilities as a Junior Instructor.

Christopher Gordon

Chris began his karate journey at 4 years old. He trains consistently to improve his strength, flexibility, endurance and agility. He is a fierce fighter and an intense regional level competitor. He is an accomplished baseball, basketball and soccer player. He is an excellent academic student as well as a dedicated student of Karate. He enjoys helping with American Karate birthday parties. He is a natural leader and is the first student to achieve the position of Junior Instructor.