Shihan Eddie combines his 33+ years in Law Enforcement & 55+ years in Martial Arts when teaching & training CFC’s great members! His classes include the SHIDOKAN Martial Arts program, Law Enforcement Defensive Tactics, Women Self Defense & Advanced Shido-Integrative Combatives

The Shidokan Twins began their journey in martial arts at the age of two and are currently the assistant instructors for the Shido Kids ‘Stop the Bully’ class (ages five to thirteen). Their class is held on Friday evenings 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Sensei Chris began his martial arts journey at CFC in 1984. He was able to compete both nationally and internationally in Shidokan Karate and is currently a NESTA certified Personal Trainer who has been training clients for over 15 years. Chris’s credentials include: MMA Strength and Conditioning, Sport Yoga, and Fitness Nutrition coach. He is also participating in Heart Rate Specialist training. His philosophy for health and fitness is to focus on core, strength, skill, speed, endurance and flexibility to improve the way you look, feel and move!

Sensei Jason has been at Chicago Fitness Center since 1991. A modern-day renaissance man and fitness enthusiast, he has been a restaurateur/consultant, motivational speaker and Shidokan Kickboxing instructor at CFC. Jason is always seeking challenges, whether through yoga, strength training, Muay Thai or Shidokan martial arts. Pushing himself to the limit is his chosen way of life. Having survived stage IV throat cancer in 2014, Sensei Jason’s passions include raising awareness and fundraising for various local cancer-fighting nonprofits. The Chicago native loves to share the knowledge from his lifelong martial arts journey as he privately instructs a number of local professionals.

Sensei Jeff has been involved in martial arts since he was 7 years old. He has been with CFC / U.S. Shidokan since 1995 and holds a third-degree black belt in Shidokan Karate. Jeff has competed internationally in full-contact Karate, Muay Thai and boxing. Additionally, he’s a United States Marine Corps Veteran and has been a member (currently holds the rank of Captain) of the Chicago Fire Department since 1997.

Sensei Marie has two happy places: teaching women self-defense, and equipping models to lead safe, healthy, and successful careers. Marie found a safe space at Chicago Fitness Center in 1995. Recovering from the trauma of her own experiences with violence, she discovered the women’s self-defense program in their Shidokan Karate dojo, along with a community committed to women’s empowerment. There, she found the support she needed to change her psyche from victim to warrior.

Marie’s athleticism and martial artisanship has not come without grit. She’s never been called a natural; rather, she is acclaimed for her heart and fighter’s spirit. Undeterred by the challenges and struggles in her fitness journey, she learned to trust that each day and each class would result in incremental improvement. This perseverance led her to Tokorozawa, Japan, where she earned her Shidokan Karate Shodan (first-degree black belt) in 2003 and her Nidan (second-degree black belt) in Chicago, Illinois, in 2021.

When she’s not taking classes or teaching women’s self-defense, Marie is either managing a small group of fashion models or participating in global activism through public speaking and writing to create safer work environments for models—both through her company, Boss Babe Models. By combining martial arts and her extensive model industry expertise, she has the best of both worlds.

Mondale has been a trainer at CFC since 1998 and holds multiple certifications in health and fitness. He feels just as passionate about his training now as he did when he first began. He thoroughly enjoys conducting one-on-one personal training sessions as well as teaching HIIT classes, high intensity workouts that include barbells, plyometrics, isometrics, calisthenics, dynamic exercises, along with abdominal and flexibility exercises. “…It’s an honor to have an extreme range of clients and partners – extending from fighters to bodybuilders, expectant moms, student athletes, models, actors, police and firefighters.”

Born in Park Forest, Ill., Vern has been an athlete throughout his life. He has excelled in football, baseball, basketball and marathon running. In 2011, he even climbed to the top of Africa’s Mt. Kilimanjaro! Certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Vern has experience working with a diverse group of individuals, including teens, seniors, veterans and those with physical challenges, focusing on the unique abilities of each group. Vern is also a weight loss specialist and has helped numerous clients safely achieve their weight loss goals through his mental, physical and spiritual balance training approach. Vern has been training at CFC since 2011.