Martial Arts

Chris is a martial artist with fifty years of experience. He has been training since 1969 and has trained in Japanese, Korean and Chinese martial systems. His current ranks include a 8th degree black belt in Akayama Jujutsu, a 6th degree black belt in Judo, 6th degree in USJA Jujutsu, 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo and a 3rd degree black belt in Hapkido. Although they have no formal ranking system, Chris has also been training in Taiji and Qigong for many years.

He has been a national level competitor, coach and referee and served as Chair of the the United States Judo Association Coaching Education Committee. During his journey in the martial arts, Chris taught martial arts classes at Mississippi State University for university credit for more than twenty years, owned his own for-profit dojo for sixteen years and  continues to be a seminar teacher for Akayama Ryu Jujutsu. Chris continues to teach Judo and Ju Jutsu in his dojo, and offers classes in Taiji and Qigong in Laramie, WY (see details below) and also teaches a didactic and practical class in the history, philosophy, methodology and application of the Asian martial arts for the Honors College at the University of Wyoming. 

Chris has served as a faculty member of the National School Support Network for the National Association of Professional Martial Artists and was a regular columnist for MAPro magazine for several years. His experience across several martial disciplines eventually led Chris to write and publish a masterclass text for coaching martial arts. 

Chris was a past USJA Coach of the Year and has been inducted into the U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

As a traditional martial artist, Chris teaches for Akayama Ryu Jujutsu. Akayama Ryu was founded by Alex Marshall in 1988 and is both traditional and pragmatic. Prior to founding the system, Mr. Marshall trained for more than sixty years in multiple combat disciplines including Jikishinkage Ryu Aikijujutsu, which forms the base of the Akayama Ryu system. The system is heavily influenced by the principles of leverage and balance that are common to both Aikido and Judo.  Akayama Ryu therefore includes in its arsenal no-nonsense throwing, grappling, striking, joint locking and weapons-based skills. In testament to the practicality and pragmatism of the system, Mr. Marshall taught police defense tactics at the Birmingham Police Academy (Alabama)  for nearly twenty years. 

Chris teaches traditional Akayama Ryu Jujutsu and Kodokan Judo at the The Laramie Plains Civic Center (room 342), located at 710 Garfield St, Laramie, WY. Classes are at 6:30p.m. on Wednesday evenings and 1:00pm on Sunday afternoons.

If you wish to chat with me about the class, please contact me here. I would be happy to chat with you.

The class is open to anyone 16 years old or older. No previous experience is necessary.

Before you step on the mat to begin training, you will be required to fill out and sign the membership form, risk agreement and waiver. You can fill them out ahead of time and bring them to your first class.

If you have a judogi, please feel free to wear it to class. If you do not have a karategi or a judogi, just wear loose, comfortable clothes until you can obtain a uniform. If you have previous rank, you are welcome to wear any earned ranked that you can document, but please bear in mind that you will be learning a new system, and be expected to learn the syllabus accordingly.  

Chris also teaches the Yang style Taiji short form and both the Eight Brocades and the Yi Jin Jing Qigong forms on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday mornings in Washington Park, close to the band shell at 8:00a.m.