Director
Mr. Jeff Sidner
Jeff Sidner began his martial arts training in 1989. After trying several schools, he found the Maplewood National Karate School in 1992 and immediately knew he'd found his martial arts home. He was promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt in 1995 and currently holds the rank of 5th Degree Black Belt.
Mr. Sidner is an active tournament competitor. In 2000, he was nationally ranked #5 in the black belt heavy weight division by NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association). In May of that year, he became the third person throughout the history of National Karate to win 3 Grand Championships in one tournament and currently holds several state championship titles. In addition, in 2005, Mr. Sidner received his Bachelor's Degree in Marketing/Management from Concordia University, St Paul, with a 4.0 GPA.
His hobbies include playing guitar, piano, singing, and trying to keep up with his two children, Zuly and Oscar. Mr. Sidner's wife, Lisa, is a 1st Degree Black Belt and, in addition to being a freelance graphic designer, she is an extremely talented artist and a part-time instructor.
Mr. Sidner says, "I started training when I was 14 years old because I wanted to build the self confidence I was lacking to deal with self-defense situations. After being promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt at age 17, I started teaching and found a true passion in my life. The most rewarding thing about teaching for me is getting to see my students benefit from martial arts training in many of the same ways I know I have."
