SLU Karate Club Instructors
SLU Karate instructors are passionate individuals who enjoy sharing their knowledge and experiences with their students. Combined, SLU Instructors bring over 70 years experience in several martial art styles to their classes, creating a diverse environment that nurtures hard work ethic, discipline, and tradition. SLU Karate instructors focus on more than just in the dojang – students will find themselves working hard in class, at work, and toward their life goals.
Master Belt Instructors
Master Jamie Mize
Rank: 4th Dan Master Belt
Black Belt Number: #948
Time Training: Started training in 1995
Personal Martial Arts philosophy: “We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training.”
Master Mize began training with SLU Karate as a freshman in January 1995 after two years of Tae Kwon Do training during high school. Master Mize especially developed a love for forms and quickly moved through the club’s ranks, serving as Club Vice-President in 1997 prior to earning his Black Belt at Federation headquarters in October 1998 and becoming an instructor.
Mize returned to co-instruct the Club in 2002 with Master Beardsley after leaving for graduate school from 1999-2001. During this time, they have physically and mentally developed over a dozen Apprentice Black Belts and nine Black Belts, including our current Assistant Instructors. Master Mize earned a Master’s of Science degree in Kinesiology (Sport Psychology emphasis) and routinely brings a positive performance-enhancement approach to the dojang. He emphasizes the mental skills training components of visualization, thought-control, relaxation and anxiety regulation in combination with physical practice to push students to bring the best out of themselves. Master Mize has enjoyed the
Master Chris Beardsley
Rank: 4th Dan Master Belt
Black Belt Number: #1220
Time Training: Started training in 1996
Personal Martial Arts Philosophy: “Speak softly, and carry a big kick.”
Humility and modesty will not only keep you out of a fight, they will also help you win a fight. People who are casual, jovial, and witty are usually well-liked, especially when compared to their more intense or brooding counterparts. An unassuming nature also often leads to dismissiveness and underestimation by your opponents, which is a powerful weapon to have. Train hard without showing off… exude confidence without arrogance, and strength without aggression. Your eyes should say more about you than your stature.
Master Nam Nguyen
Rank: 4th Dan Master Belt
Black Belt Number: #2234
Time Training: Started training in 1990
Master Nguyen is a Application Engineer and one of the Main Instructors for SLU Karate. He graduated from SLU with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. His relationship with SLU Karate has developed over five years of undergraduate education at Saint Louis University, and extended into his current teaching/instructor roles and responsibilities. Master Nguyen has a lovely wife who occasionally will throw down (kicks and punches) in the kitchen while preparing dinner.
Master Nguyen hopes to inspire fitness and confidence in individuals. He believes that martial arts training not only strengthens the body, but also strengthens the character of the person. He teaches students to always carry oneself–inside and outside the dojang–with humility and integrity. In terms of martial arts, he values opportunity and sees every opportunity worthwhile to strike fast and hard. Master Nguyen’s martial arts and life philosophy entails the basic principle: “Hesitation is the death of opportunity.”
Black Belt Instructors
Daniel McFarlane
Rank: 3rd Dan Black Belt
Black Belt Number: #2453
Time Training: Started training in 2008
Mr. McFarlane works as a Staff Scientist for an environmental consulting firm. His work covers a broad spectrum of environmental sciences, and he is continuing his professional development with a Masters of Environmental Studies program through the University of Illinois at Springfield. Mr. McFarlane started his training in CTSD coming from a Taekwondo background as a youngster in a neighborhood school. Over the course of 10+ years in the Club and the Cheezic Federation he has had the humbling privilege of being a student always, and is now a main instructor for the Club. Mr. McFarlane believes that every student is capable of far more, physically and mentally, than they know, and seeks the best way to bring that out in training. His experience with juggling multiple disciplines at the drop of a hat in his professional life allows him to transition quickly and effectively from one martial arts skill to another.
Outside of teaching classes, Mr. McFarlane has made competition a stronger focus, resulting in a sport karate network that extends regionally and nationally. He enjoys the technical aspects of point fighting and the ever evolving process of forms. Mr. McFarlane is also an avid kickboxer, and loves to bring a unique perspective to familiar drills, and a determined attitude to sparring. Lastly, he loves being outdoors, whether camping in the wilderness or attending Bonnaroo yearly, he rarely passes up the chance for a fun adventure.
Genevieve Emmerich
Rank: 3rd Dan Black Belt
Black Belt Number: #2504
Time Training: Started training in 2009
Mrs. Emmerich has been a strong team player and is one of the main instructors for SLU Karate. She brings a number of skills that help SLU Karate provide a richer learning environment. She has participated in many tournaments, often earning trophies and a good reputation in the St. Louis region. Mrs. Emmerich is not only a strong martial artist, she also excels in her career aspirations: she is one of a few female Quality Control Engineers in her field and often travels internationally to provide support for her clients. These experiences allow her to delve into different cultures and learn from the locals. She brings a culturally diverse and a sensitive perspective to her teaching style, and firmly believes that learning anything, from grammar to quantum physics, from tumbling to martial arts, should be fun: “Things stick better when you can enjoy the process of learning them.”
Besides her intellectual character, Mrs. Emmerich brings SLU Karate Club her traits of a warrior princess. In class and out of it, all will know her displeasure from her dark, cold glare. She is always seeking challenging new workouts to share with students and friends. In her life away from SLU Karate, she enjoys archery, using her skill during hunting season to take revenge on the deer that loiter around her home and munch on her garden,and finding uses for every portion of the deer. She is always game for a new adventure, whether it’s biking the Katy Trail, hiking in a state park, or going backwoods backpacking.