Instructor Name: Elisa Au Fonseca
Owner and Chief Karate Instructor
Contact:elisa@fonsecamartialarts.com

Other Information:
Sensei Elisa Au is recognized on the karate circuit as
both a world-class athlete and a talented instructor; her accomplishments and reputation are particularly respected because she earned them at such a young
age. Even as she pursued her rigorous training and competition schedule as a teenager in her native state of Hawaii, she began teaching after school karate programs, sharing her competition-winning technique with students of all ages. Many of these children have pursued karate to become national champions. One of her students went on to win two junior world championship titles. She continues to advance her teaching methods in the Chicago area, here at Fonseca Martial Arts.

America’s Most Decorated Karate Athlete
Sensei Elisa Au is a 3-time World Champion and is the only American woman to win the world championships
in the sport of karate. Sensei Elisa is also the only person to win multiple world titles at a single world karate championship. She has been competing since the age of ten and became a member of the USA National team at eighteen.

Competition-winning Instruction
Sensei Elisa is an experienced instructor with multiple karate and fitness certifications. Her teaching style stresses equal importance on all aspects of traditional karate including forms, sparring, and weapons training. While living in Hawaii, Sensei Elisa taught at the International Karate Federation (IKF) for over 10 years
and currently holds a 3rd degree black belt with the organization. Sensei Elisa has helped hundreds of children and adults learn the skills and values that karate has to offer. She developed the Punahou School karate program in Honolulu, which after only three years has attracted more than 200 students grades 1-6. She also has traveled the world, teaching karate seminars in Japan, Australia, Canada, New York, Las Vegas, Houston, San Diego and Miami.

Highlights:
• 3 Time WKF World Champion
• World Cup Champion
• 2005 AAU James E Sullivan Award Nominee
• Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame
• 2 Time Pan American Champion
• 2 Time US Open Champion
• 7 Time National Champion
• 3rd Degree Black Belt
• ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified
  Personal Trainer

Click here to see Elisa's
article in Master's
Magazine, Spring 2007

Instructor Name: John Fonseca
Owner and Chief Karate Instructor
Contact:john@fonsecamartialarts.com

Other Information:
Chief Karate Instructor and owner, Sensei John Fonseca, has been competing in a wide range of national and international tournaments since the age of seven. In addition to his impressive competitive credentials, Sensei Fonseca also holds a 4th Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate, and is a nationally-certified Karate coach and referee with significant teaching experience in the martial arts and fitness fields.

America’s Most Decorated Male Karate Athlete
In 1996, Fonseca became the first American to medal at World Championships in almost twenty years. He is the only male karate athlete in the world to win repeat gold medals at the Pan American Games, and the only American karate athlete to win the Paris Open. His competitive accomplishments are recognized both nationally and internationally, earning him the U.S. Olympic Athlete of the Year award three years running and an induction into both the USAKF’s and Black Belt Magazine’s Halls of Fame.

Training award-winning athletes
Sensei Fonseca has been teaching children and adults martial arts for the last fifteen years. In 2003, he opened Elite Martial Arts & Fitness in Skokie, Illinois (now named Fonseca Martial Arts). The dojo has afforded Sensei Fonseca and his staff the ability to instruct several hundred students in the art of Karate and Judo, and Fonseca Martial Arts students continue to take top medals in the local, regional and national karate competition in which they’ve competed. Through martial arts instruction, students develop respect for others, a sense of personal responsibility and discipline as they develop their technique and skills. FMA's curriculum and approach are designed to work with people of all levels of skill and fitness, from beginning to advanced, to bring out the best in every individual.

Highlights:
• 2004 AAU James E. Sullivan Award Nominee
• 3X U.S. Olympic Athlete of the Year
• 2X Pan American Games Gold Medalist
• 4X Pan American Karate Champion
• Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame
• USAKF Hall of Fame
• WKC World Championship Gold Medalist
• 2X WKF World Championship Bronze Medalist
• 3X WKF World Champion Bronze Medal Contender
• Paris Open Gold Medalist
• 8X USANKF National Champion
• 4X AAU National Champion
• 3X USAKF National Champion
• Captain USANKF Karate Team 2000 - 2005
• 4th Degree Black Belt
• ACE (American Council on Exercise) Certified   Personal Trainer
• ASEP (American Sport Education Program) Certified   Coach

Click magazine issue to view John's appearances in BlackBelt Magazine:

Black Belt Magazine—Feb. 2003 v.41, n.3

Black Belt Magazine—Jan. 2002 v.40, n.1

Other Information:
Sensei Jack Pressman has been a practitioner of traditional Japanese and Korean Martial Arts since 1976. Sensei Pressman has achieved senior Black Belt Rank in both Japanese Karate and Korean Tae Kwon Do. In addition, Sensei Pressman has trained continuously in Ju-Jutsu, Judo and Thai kick Boxing for the past 32 years.

In 1984, Sensei Pressman was first selected to the United States National Karate Team. Over the past twenty years, Sensei Pressman has medaled 20 times in the United States National Karate Championships winning 8 United States National Karate Championship titles and medaling 13 times in international competition.

In 1996, Sensei Pressman was selected as Captain of the United States National Karate Team and in 1997 was selected to join the National Team Coaching Staff (as sanctioned under the US Olympic Committee).

In 2002, Sensei Pressman won his 20th National Championship medal, winning the Bronze Medal at the United States National Karate Team Trials in the Men’s Heavyweight Division. This marked his 19th year as a qualifying member of the United States National Karate Team (as sanctioned under the United States Olympic Committee.

In 2005, Sensei Pressman was selected as Head Coach for the United States National Karate Team for the 2005 World Maccabiah Games held in Israel. The Team won 21 medals (8 Gold, 7 Silver, 6 Bronze) including the Men’s Team Kumite Gold Medal. This marked the first time in United States Olympic Karate history that a Men’s Kumite Team has won the Gold Medal in an International Olympic sanctioned event outside the Pan Americas.

Sensei Pressman is the most senior member of the United States National Team and has become the longest active Team member in United States Karate history.

Instructor Name: Gabriel Veras
Karate Instructor
Contact:gabriel.veras@myoasis.colum.edu

Other Information:
Sensei Veras is a current member of the United States National Karate Team. He has been training in GoJu-Ryu Karate for 16 years and has been instructing for the past 6 years. He is a current U.S. National Champion in -75kg. category and recently represented his country at the 2006 WKF World Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Instructor Name: Brian Ramrup
Karate Instructor

Other Information:
Sensei Brian Ramrup is a current member of the United States National Karate Team. He has been training in Shotokan Karate for 13 years and has been instructing for the past 4 years. He recently took bronze at the 2008 North American Cup and was a bronze medalist at the 2007 US Open.

Instructor Name: Amanda Hight
Karate Instructor

Other Information:
Sensei Amanda Hight is a member of both the USA-NKF and AAU National Karate Teams. She has been doing karate for the past twelve years and has participated in competitions all over the world. Besides being an AAU National Kumite (Sparring) Champion, Sensei Hight took a gold medal in Kata (Forms) division at the 2005 WKC World Karate Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. Sensei Hight recently competed in the 3rd International Martial Arts Games in April of 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand where she took gold in individual kumite and silver in team kumite (sparring).

Instructor Name: Jilly Plonsker
Karate Instructor

Other Information:
Sensei Jilly Plonsker has been training in Shotokan Karate for twelve years and has been instructing for the past three years. She is a current member of the AAU National Karate Team and a two time national gold medalist. Sensei Jilly is a senior at Deerfield High School and plans to attend University of Michigan in the fall. Besides being a great student, teacher, and competitor, Sensei Jilly is also an AP and Illinois State Scholar.

Instructor Name: Pedja Obradovic
Karate Instructor

Other Information:
Sensei Pedja Obradovic has been training in Shotokan Karate for twenty years and has been teaching for the past eight years. He is a Serbian national champion and has competed in the WKF circuit for the past ten years. Sensei Pedja also has his degree in Exercise Science and has taught physical education for the past four years.

Other Information:
Mike Eugenio has 15 years of experience in Filipino Martial Arts alone. Recognized for his exceptional talent, he was awarded the rank of Lakan Guru under the tutelage of world-renowned martial arts instructor Ron Balicki (Martial Arts Research Systems) full instructor of Guru Dan Inosanto. Having survived real life street violence back home in his native country (Philippines) and here in our own city of Chicago, Mike Eugenio has a clear knowledge and understanding of the cold, and heartless, reality of self-defense situations. His way of teaching is based on combinations of strong traditions with modern training methods.

"Learning one type of martial art is good, learning two is better, knowing three ways is mastery of self, but understanding the principles makes you an artist of life."

He is also a long time disciple of Gat Puno Abon Baet (founder of Garimot System), and Master Jose Perez (Temple Style Tai Chi Chuan). Like his teachers, he will forever be on an endless quest of training and research in the world of martial arts. Other arts he has proudly trained in are: Harimaw Lumad Buno, Mande Muda Silat, Shoot Wrestling, Muay Thai (TBA), Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Lameco Eskrima, and Serrada Eskrima.

Instructor Name: Steve Chan
WingTsun Instructor
Contact: stevechan@chicagowingtsun.com

Other Information:
Steve Chan has been training in martial arts since 1990, starting with the hand to hand combat courses taught to him as a U.S. Marine. Since that time, he has trained in various martial arts including Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Escrima, Judo, Western Boxing, Fencing, Kenjitsu and Tai Chi.

Steve started training in WingTsun in 1996 under Sifu Mike Adams and has been teaching WingTsun since 2001. He continues his training with Sifu Mike Adams as well as other sifus around the country. He also attends regular seminars with Great Grandmaster Leung Ting

Instructor Name: Eddie Redzovic
Chief Instructor of Gracie Brazilian
JiuJitsu at Gracie Barra Wilmette
Contact:ChicagoJiuJitsu@aol.com

Other Information:
Eddie Redzovic received his black belt from Carlos Gracie Jr. He is the head instructor of Gracie Barra Chicago and Gracie Barra Wilmette.

Related Links: www.chicagojiujitsu.com

Instructors Names: Alexander Pinto and Chris Pinto (with Carlos Gracie Jr.)
Instructors of Gracie Brazilian JiuJitsu at Gracie Barra Wilmette
Contact:ChicagoJiuJitsu@aol.com

Other Information:
Alex now holds a brown belt in Gracie Brazilian JiuJitsu, while Chris has been promoted to purple belt.

Related Links: www.chicagojiujitsu.com

Instructor Name: John Reich
Head instructor of the Aikido program at
Fonseca Martial Arts
Contact: americanaikidochicago@comcast.net

Other Information:
John Reich Sensei begain his Aikido training with Howard Sensei in February, 1999. He was promoted to shodan in 2002 and nidan in 2007. He opened the Chicago, Illinois dojo in April, 2004.