Instructors
Laura Lorenz, 4th dan
Laura Sensei has 30+ years experience teaching and training in karate and other martial arts. She started training in 1992 with a Zenbei Butokukai affiliated group in Southwest Indiana and attained Shodan in 1995. She continued training in Karate, Danzan Ryu Jujutsu, and Aikido with different groups throughout the years with various affiliations. She earned the rank of shodan and nidan in Shotokan Karate under Tom Kubiak Sensei of Family Martial Arts of America in Martinez, CA, then went on to train with Rick Llewelyn Sensei (ISKA) of the Shotokan Karate Academy in Benicia, CA and earned her sandan and yondan grades. She also served for 5 years as Executive Secretary of the International San Ten Karate Association (ISKA) in Benicia, CA. In addition to Karate, Aikido, and Jujustu, she also played collegiate club rugby at UC Berkeley for three years.
She is a current student of Pat McGale Sensei (5th dan) in Matsubayashi Ryu/Okinawan Kenpo and Matayoshi Kobudo at Omine Karate & Kobudo in South San Francisco as well as current student of Craig Fife Shihan (7th dan) of Aikido Northwest in Portland, OR.
Since Bernardo Sensei’s passing, she has been running the SF Bay Area Karate Events mailing list, Facebook Page, and Instagram account and wishes for more people to experience the empowerment and equanimity that training in the martial arts can foster.
Talila Golan, 1st dan
Talila Senpai has approximately 30 years of experience in traditional karate training, teaching and competing. She started in 1994 at the UW-Madison Japanese Karate Club and trained for 6 years with Sensei Vassil Peytchev and with Sensei Shojiro Sugiyama in Chicago. She earned her Shodan from Sensei Hidetaka Nishiyama, founder of the ITKF organization, and Sensei Shojiro Sugiyama. Talila joined Fremont Shotokan Karate in 2013, training with Sensei Bernardo Mercado, Sensei Harry Imamura, Sensei Al McGaughey, and Sensei Ekapol Rojpiboonphun.
Carl Menache, 1st dan
Carl Senpai obtained his Shodan from Sensei Bernardo Mercado, Sensei Harry Imamura and Sensei Alan McGaughey at Fremont Shotokan and has been a student for many years.
Advisors
Harry Imamura, 5th dan
Harry Sensei has extensive karate experience, spanning most of his life. He was a former co-owner of Fremont Shotokan Karate with Bernardo Mercado Sensei. He is a dedicated advisor and occasional instructor at FSK.
Naomi Appelbaum, 2nd dan
Naomi Senpai has 55 years experience training, teaching, and competing in Shorynjiryu and Shotokan Karate. She obtained her Shodan in Shotokan Karate from Sensei Richard Kim and Sensei Jim Larkin Sr. She has also trained in Shotokan with Sensei LeRoy Rodriguez. She also earned her Shodan and Nidan from Sensei Benardo Mercado, Sensei Alan McGaughey, and Sensei Harry Imamura at FSK.