It has been a long time since I have posted on this page.  Last year was a very trying year for me and there were some unexpected changes for the school.  2019 promises to be a year of change for both the school and it's members.

First, on April 1 2019 Bloomington Karate was 45 years old!  While we have not had an official celebration, I would like all to be proud of what we have accomplished.  The longevity of this school is due to the loyalty and commitment of our Black Belt teaching staff.  These individuals have come together to offer the elite teaching of the Martial Arts in our area if not anywhere.  They do this, due to a love of the Martial arts and the school they were taught at.  These instructors give their time with no monetary gain for the benefit of the school and our students.  While many other Black Belts are only interested in their self promotion for fame or fortune these individuals truly give of themselves for only positive reasons.  Our students should be honored to be trained by them verses a school who simply exchanges services for payment.

I would at this time like to provide information on our December 2019 Advanced Promotion Test.  While this may seem premature as it is only early April, I believe it is necessary so the individuals involved will have sufficient time to train and prepare for their advancement.  The following individuals will have the minimal time requirement and my permission to advance to their next rank effective 12/14/19:

7TH DAN - Mr. Dave Saum

3RD DAN - Mr. Brian Byrne
                  Ms. Lisa Davis
                  Mr. Ben Chung
                  Ms. Mariah Tamanaha

2ND DAN - Mr. Dave Erlandson
                  Mr. Alex Caffari
                  Mr. John Yang
                  Mr. Noah Schumacher

Additionally any Red belt should be working hard to try and get permission from the Instructors to ask to test on this date.  I look forward to working with the Black Belts listed above to help them achieve their ultimate level of proficiency, knowledge and understanding of the Martial Arts possible.  I appreciate everything you have accomplished in the past and look forward to helping you achieve your highest level of your potential possible in the near future.  I am honored to be your teacher.

The December Promotion Test will be on Saturday December 16th at 12:00 Noon.  All belts will be tested including tests for Black Belt.  Immediately after the test will be a year end celebration pot luck party.  All members and their families are welcome.  Please bring one pot luck food item to share.

Black Belt classes will be cancelled from December 1st through January 15th.  Classes are scheduled to begin again on January 16, 2018.

Happy Holidays and I look forward to seeing you all next year!

There will be no Black Belt classes October 31st and November 7th.  Classes will resume on November 14th.

On Wednesday September 27th we will once again be hosting the Minneapolis Police Academy in training exercises.  We will be starting as usual with boxing and kickboxing skills in the ring at 12:00 noon.  Afterward we will be on the mat focusing on use of force Hapkido techniques until 4:00 pm.  All Black Belts and Red Belts are welcome to attend and participate.

On Tuesday June 13th we will be hosting the Minneapolis Police Academy from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm.  All Black Belts and Red Belts are welcome to attend.  We will be starting with Boxing training in the morning and moving on to use of force training in the afternoon.  As always, we appreciate our relationship with and value our law enforcement community.

As mentioned in a previous post, Saturday December 10th we will be conducting an advanced promotion test.  The test will begin at 12:00 Noon and should be done by 3:00 pm.  After, we will be having a celebration downstairs at David Fongs restaurant located on 94th St. and Lyndale Ave. and Hotel accommodations with discounts available at the Holiday Inn airport south. The following individuals are scheduled to test:

Red Belt to 1st Dan Black Belt

1. Alex Caffari

2. John Yang




1st Dan Black to 2nd Dan Black Belt

1. Lisa Davis

2. Ben Chung

3. Scott Legus

4. Mariah Tamanaha Legus




3rd Dan Black to 4th Dan Black Belt

1. Seth Halvorson

2. Peyton

3. Luan To

4. Mark Bettes




5th Dan Black to 6th Dan Black Belt

1. CB Bunkholt




All are welcome, please join us.

On Monday November 28th we will be hosting the Minneapolis Police Academy from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Training will consist of boxing skills, Hapkido techniques and use of force instruction.  All Red and Black Belts are welcome and your help is appreciated.

Next Monday October 3rd we will be hosting the Minneapolis Police to a training session.  We will begin with Boxing training in the ring at 11:30 am and will follow with Hapkido and use of force techniques on the mat.  All Black Belts and Red Be

I have some very sad news to share.  Mr. Chris Samples passed away on August 31st after a several month battle with brain cancer.  Mr. Samples will be missed by us all but especially the students in our kids class that he started on Saturday mornings.




I have known Mr. Samples most of my life as we grew up in roughly in the same area.  I trained and managed Mr. Samples in kickboxing after he had attained his Black Belt from my friend, Mr. Bill Miller at the Professional Karate Studios.  He won several Kickboxing titles and held the USA Welterweight Title for many years.  He went on to fight for the World title before retiring.  Mr. Samples was always around for sparring classes and trained for many years with Mr. Brian Byrne early Saturday mornings in our gym.  Recently, he started a kids fighting class which met every Saturday morning.  His goal was to take our kids to the local Karate Tournaments which he did and on many occasions won.




I have lost a true friend.  I will miss him dearly.