Name: Kim Martinez
Animal Title: Miss Lioness
Rank: 4th Degree

About Kim

I began my journey in the world of martial arts at the age of 10, studying at Frayser Academy Martial Arts under GrandMaster Ione "Tigress" Laughlin. I earned my black belt at age 17 and continued there as an instructor until 2011. I have been involved with PaSaRyu all my life, maintaining a presence even during the periods I was not actively training.

While I do love and consider all aspects of PaSaRyu to be very important, I particularly enjoy the self-confidence the training imparts. The principle of 'Doe' - I am an expression of self-disciple - is very meaningful to me. Confidence comes through discipline and I have a passion for helping students achieve the confidence needed to handle difficult circumstances. First - the training provides the awareness to recognize and avoid dangerous situations. Second - if unavoidable, it provides the confidence to handle the situation.

I retired from Regions Bank after 25 years, which gives me more time to teach karate and play with my 4 grandchildren. I recently began learning the Katana and Bo Staff, which we are adding to our training at Scorpion Martial Arts.