Yellow belts & above must attend at least one sparring class a week and have their own sparring gear.
New yellow belts may borrow gear for class. Please see the front desk to order new sparring gear.
Master McGowan continues to evolve as a Martial Artist. He is a 2nd generation Bruce Lee student via the late Richard Bustillo, an authority on Jeet Kune Do Concepts. Master McGowan continues to train annually at The IMB Academy & is currently training in Judo under the tut-tillage of Scott Decker.
He was born & raised in Ireland. He emigrated to NY when he was 18 year old. After 12 years of studying Martial Arts in NY he, his Wife Kara & 2 boys Connor & Declan moved to Arizona to fill his dream to open his own school.
Master McGowan is a Active Ironman & Marathon competitor. He sits on the advisory boards of 2GetherWelive.com & Chandler Tullamore sister cities. He is passionate about bringing awareness to the community about individuals with Intellectual development disabilities (IDD).
Master McGowan who is Originally from Tullamore, bridges a gap between both Chandler Arizona & Tullamore Ireland through cultural, economy & educational exchanges.
BIO COMING SOON
For close to two decades, Mr. Panhorst wanted to learn practical and tactical self-defense techniques. He eventually found the eclectic form of Hap Ki Do taught by Master McGowan. He began his journey in 2011, was presented his black belt in 2014, and currently holds the rank of third degree black belt.
Mr. Panhorst likes showing people how effective and fun Hap Ki Do can be and teaches it with his own perspective. He really enjoys helping students develop skills to escape from threatening situations.
Mr. Panhorst is almost always at boot camp in the mornings and is perpetually learning Muay Thai. Someday, he’ll become a frequent participant in Brazilian Ju Jitsu classes.
When not teaching a class, taking a class, or driving his daughters’ car pool, he’s running his business, solving technology problems for his clients. Mr. Panhorst received his computer science degree back when tablets were things made out of stone. He enjoys running the trails at South Mountain and pretending to be proficient with musical instruments.
Bio coming soon
Ulysses “Uly” Navarrete, or Mr. Uly as his students affectionately call him, began his martial arts career nearly 30 years ago in 1991 at Robinson’s Taekwondo in Sacramento, California under the tutelage of Grandmaster Clinton Robinson.
Over the years Mr. Uly has studied and trained in ATF and ITF styles of Taekwondo, Ed Parker’s American Kenpo, Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0 – a system derived from Ed Parker’s teachings which also incorporates Jiujitsu and Hapkido, and finally Okinawan Kenpo Karate Kobudo which includes open hand and traditional Okinawan weapons forms.
As a student of Okinawan Karate Kenpo Kobudo under Renshi Robyn Rush, Mr. Uly achieved the rank of Sandan, 3rd Degree Black Belt, in February 2018.
Mr. Uly continues to broaden his mind, body and spirit by also cross training in Muay Thai and participating in boot camp, core and fitness classes.
His proudest achievement has been watching his daughter and son on their own martial arts journeys proving his mantra that “The family that kicks together, sticks together!” They too are students in the Kenpo program at CMMA.
Outside of martial arts Mr. Uly works with school districts all over the country providing online literacy solutions aimed at helping kids become better readers. He is a firm believer that literacy is the cure for poverty and provides the opportunity for every child to change their stars.
J.J. Brewer-Schell teaches Okinawa Kenpo Karate and Kobudo.
J.J.’s daughter started her karate journey at age 6. While sitting on the sidelines and having only ‘Karate Kid’ as a reference point, she decided to jump into class and has never looked back.
J.J. started her journey in Okinawa Kenpo and slowly started to learn the basics. It never came easy. If someone else had to do a technique 100 times, she says she had to do it 1000 times. This gives her a unique and particularly patient perspective as a teacher.
Upon earning a brown belt in Kenpo, J.J. decided that she needed to improve her sparring game. That brought her to Chandler MMA and Muay Thai. She has trained and tested thru the second level curriculum and has even traveled to Thailand a few times to polish her knowledge.
J.J. is currently ranked second Dan in Okinawa Kenpo and proudly studies under Hanshi Larry Isaac, 10th Dan. Hanshi Isaac is a senior practitioner and a direct student of Odo Seikichi Sensei and Shimabukuro Eizo Sensei.
She is looking forward to the next stage of her martial arts journey and the many challenges that it will bring.
Coach Ed Coutain started his martial arts journey at the age of 8. Born in Trinidad W.I. he migrated to Houston Texas at the age of 13. He trained in several martial art styles before pursuing his black belt in Shotokan. He was introduced to wrestling during his freshman year in high school.
Coutain’s natural talent caught the attention of his coach who enrolled him in to several wrestling camps to improve his technique. Coutain’s coach and teammates called him the ‘Mike Tyson of the mat’ due to his aggressive attacks and quick pins that led to an undefeated varsity career. Football, Track, and Wrestling molded him into an all around athlete allowing him to attend college on academic and athletic scholarships.
Coach Coutain spent the majority of his teenage years competing in combat sports, motorsports, motosports, and donating his time to the local Boys & Girls club. His passion for extreme sports paved the way for a 15 year career as a Hollywood Stuntman (SAG-AFTRA ID: 10582114) staring in Blade, Fast & Furious, The Matrix, Biker Boyz, Torque, iRobot and more.
“I was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very young age. I credit martial arts for my discipline, work ethic, and the physical capabilities that excelled me during my stunt career. Chandler MMA has re-sparked my love for combat sports, giving back to the community, and passing my knowledge on to the next generation.” – Coach Ed Coutain.
Vinny Arzaga started Tae Kwon Do in 2007 at the age of 4. He earned his 1st degree in Black Belt in 2012 at Gilbert Martial Arts where he was also training in Muay Thai. He was a 2nd degree Black Belt when he started training at Chandler MMA in 2014. He is currently a 4th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai Level 3 and has competed in Muay Thai tournaments in both Arizona and New York.
Vinny continues to train in both Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai and is looking forward to working on his Black Belt in Hapkido. Outside of Martial Arts, Vinny enjoys playing video games, spending time with friends and family as well as playing the violin and double bass.
Bio coming soon
Connor McGowan started Tae Kwon Do at age 3 under the tutelage of his Dad and ChandlerMMA school owner, Connor graduated the Dragon program and started sparring where he found his true passion. As being a member of the school now for over 10 years, Connor has competed in Muay Thai and wrestling tournaments, loves to take BJJ with his friends and assistant teaches 3 days per week. Connor has built many a great friendship and relationships with our students and loves help others achieve their goals.
Connor has achieved the rank of Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Muay Thai and continues his education to one day become a Master Instructor. He has now achieved his Junior Master status February 2018.
Started at CMMA in 2007 at age 4 1/2.
