About East Madison Karate

East Madison Karate has been active in the ongoing pursuit of personal excellence in the martial arts since 1978. Each of the men and women instructors has a wide background in the arts, offering a varied approach to teaching. We are an eclectic school with a foundation in Tae Kwon Do incorporating concepts from other arts such as Aikido, T'ai Chi and Jeet Kune Do. We encourage and challenge students to achieve their personal best.

We ask that our students come with open minds and a commitment to self improvement through practicing and honoring the arts. We feel that personal growth is more important than competition. Our class sizes are kept small and we encourage persons of all ages to participate.

	Jeff Hempel Sensei Owner/Head Instructor Mr. Hempel is the owner of East Madison Karate. He is actively involved in teaching both youth and adult classes and leads EMK as the head instructor. Jeff has studied the martial arts for over 23 years and holds the rank of 4th degree black belt in Karate and 3rd degree black belt in Aikido. He is a long time resident of Madison and is the father of three children. In addition to Karate and Aikido, Jeff has also studied Iaido and Katori Shinto-Ryu for many years. He has participated in seminars under Dan Inosanto, Larry Hartsell, Paul Vunak, Saotome, Ikeda, Sugawara Senseis, and many others. He has also shared his expertise by leading numerous seminars and special trainings. His enthusiasm in the martial arts is an inspiration to fellow instructors as well as to his students.

	Maria Banchik Sensei Instructor/Youth Karate Director Ms. Banchik is actively involved in organizing and teaching the youth karate classes at East Madison Karate. She has studied Karate for over 20 years and holds the rank of 3rd degree black belt. She has studied Goshin, Shotkan and Tae Kwon Do. Maria is a resident of Madison and is the mother of two children.

	Jane Greischar Sensei Instructor Ms. Greischar has studied marital arts at East Madison Karate since September of 1995 and currently holds the rank of 2nd degree black belt. Jane is instrumental in teaching the forms (kata) class at EMK. Her great depth of knowledge and dedication is an asset to our dojo. Jane is also an avid cyclist touring throughout Wisconsin and other parts of the US.

	Richard Meyer Sensei Instructor Mr. Meyer has studied karate for over 18 years and holds the rank of 2nd degree black belt. He has been with our dojo for 12 years and has made EMK his karate home, "because of the wealth and depth of different forms of martial arts presented." Richard is the father of two children and grandfather of two.