Nicklaus Suino Sensei

Director

Suino Sensei didn't start out as a promising martial artist. He was a small child, often sick, and often talked his way into trouble. He grew up in a turbulent neighborhood and fought his way home from school on many occasions. In 1968, his parents, fearing for his safety and feeling that he could use more personal discipline, enrolled him in judo at the Ann Arbor YMCA. It was a decision that would shape the rest of his life, leading to his position today as one of the foremost American experts on the true Japanese budo experience.

Suino fell in love with judo and never looked back. In 1988, he decided to see the homeland of bushido. He sold his belongings, bought a plane ticket, and moved to Yokohama. Between 1988 and 1992, he practiced judo, jujutsu, iaido (Japanese swordsmanship), and kyudo (archery). He studied at the home dojo of the late Yamaguchi-Katsuo Sensei, one of the greatest of the WWII generation swordsmen. In 1989, he was appointed secretary to the Foreign Department of the International Martial Arts Federation, Tokyo HQ. He went on to win the All-Kanto iaido tournament at his rank level four times between 1989 and 1992 and represented the Kanto region in the All-Japan tournament in Kyoto in 1992... Full Biography

John Gage Sensei

Senior Instructor

John Gage Sensei is one of the world's foremost non-Japanese leaders in traditional, heritage martial arts. He is the current head of the Nihon Jujutsu system founded by the late Sato-Shizuya Sensei (1929 – 2011), and is the Program Director at the US Embassy Judo Club in Tokyo, Japan. A lifelong passion for history, and things from far away places, particularly the arts and culture of Japan, began at an early age for Gage Sensei. He started studying aikido at age seventeen and judo at nineteen.

In 1986, he moved to Japan to dedicate himself to traditional Japanese martial arts. Upon arriving in Tokyo, Japan in 1986, Gage-Sensei joined the US Embassy Judo Club, under the direction of Sato Shizuya Sensei. He has also studied extensively at the Aikido Yoshinkan Honbu Dojo, under the direction of the famed Shioda Gozo Sensei (1915 – 1994), Aikido Meijin 10th Dan. Gage-Sensei spent many years honing his understanding of the Japanese martial arts. He joined the All Japan Judo Federation, coached judo at Japanese Junior high schools, traveled around the world as an assistant to Sato Sensei at martial arts seminars in Europe and... Full Biography

Jeff Hauptman Sensei

Instructor

Jeff began studying Uechi Ryu at the age of 16 and moved to Shorin-Ryu karate at 18 when he entered the University of Michigan. He received his black belt in Shorin-Ryu in 1995 and continued to study until 2003 when he started his family. Jeff returned to practice and teach karate when he joined JMAC in 2010 and has been a co-developer of the kid's class curriculum and format since the beginning. Jeff is the proud father of four past and present JMAC kid's class students and when he's not at the dojo he runs Oxford Company (oxfordcompanies.com) which he founded in 1998.

Daniel Holland Sensei

Instructor

Dan Holland's martial arts career started in 1988 when he was seven years old. He began training in the traditional Japanese martial arts in January of 1998, which led him to Muso Jikiden Eishin-Ryu Iaido, Kodokan Judo and Nihon Jujutsu (under Nicklaus Suino Sensei), along with Aiki-Jujutsu (taught by the late Jeff Friedlis Sensei). In May of 2004, he began training in Nei Jia, the Internal Family of Chinese Martial Arts.

From 2004 to 2009, Dan Holland was an owner and instructor at the Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts in East Lansing. In November of 2009, he relocated to the Japanese Martial Arts Center, where he currently teaches Iaido, Nihon Jujutsu, Judo, Karate and Martial Arts for kids. He frequently conducts private lessons and seminars at JMAC on a wide range of subjects... Full Biography

Nick Miller Sensei

Instructor

Nick Miller began studying Eishin Ryu Iaido with Suino Sensei in 2002. 11 years later, his career took him to California where he launched a small Iaido program at the Mountain View Aikido Center. Life and family brought him back to Michigan and JMAC in 2018, where he now teaches Iaido under Suino Sensei's direction. Outside the dojo, Nick currently works as an engineer in the semiconductor industry's clocking and timing sector.

Jon Spengler Sensei

Instructor

Jon Spengler first trained with Nicklaus Suino Sensei as a teenager at the Institute of Traditional Asian Martial Arts.  After several years away, Jon restarted his pursuit of martial arts with the opening of the Japanese Martial Arts Center in 2006.  As part of the first group of students at the new dojo, Jon began by studying iaido, and soon added jujutsu. Having been at JMAC from the start, he has earned high-level black belts and joined the teaching ranks in both iaido and jujutsu. Much of Jon's life centers around the dojo, which is evident in how often he is at JMAC.

Dana Jackson Sensei

Instructor

Dana Jackson was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1978. At the age of 10 he began his martial arts training in Iki-Shin-Do, an obscure form of karate that branched off from the Shotokan style of karate. He trained with Sensei John Anderson for eight years, eventually being awarded the rank of nidan. He took a brief hiatus from martial arts while he attended school at Saginaw Valley State University where he played collegiate soccer. After several years of searching for a new karate dojo and never really being completely satisfied with what other schools had to offer, Jackson-Sensei decided to start looking at other martial arts. This eventually lead him to judo and the Japanese Martial Arts Center, where he began training with Suino Sensei in January of 2008. He has since earned several levels of black belt, currently hold the rank of yondan, and inspires JMAC students while teaching judo.

Mike Mancini Sensei

Instructor

Mike began studying Nihon Jujutsu in 2007 under Suino Sensei at the Japanese Martial Arts Center. He has since earned several levels of blackbelt and currently holds the rank of yondan. He began training in judo in the fall of 2018 and currently holds the rank of nidan. He enjoys teaching Nihon Jujutsu classes and encouraging the next generation of martial artists at JMAC.  He is currently employed at Ford Motor Company as a technical specialist in engine mapping.

Richard Monroe Sensei

Instructor

Richard began training in judo in May, 2014. He started helping with the kids judo program just a few months after he began. In June 2017, he received his Shodan in judo, his Nidan in 2018, and Sandan in 2021. He now runs our kids judo program, including an advanced class for kids, and teaches a grappling class during the week. Richard has also been training in Nihon Jujutsu for years and is among the advanced students in that that art. He has also trained with Suino Sensei in Karate and Iaido in various seminars across the US and Canada. Richard regularly helps with tasks and day to day activities in the dojo.

Amber Cathey Sensei

Instructor

Amber began training at JMAC in Nihon Jujutsu in 2017, and then soon after she joined the Judo program. She continued to train in both arts concurrently, reaching her current rank of nidan in both. Amber is also a newer student in Iaido, in which she currently holds a green belt level rank. Amber took on an instructor role in the Nihon Jujutsu program in 2023. She is immensely involved in JMAC events, and many other JMAC members have become part of her chosen family.

Beth Wiggert Sensei

Instructor

Beth started Iaido in 2016, and upon getting her rokukyu in Iaido, started Karate  in 2017.

Beth finds martial arts to be not only wonderful exercise  and discipline, and the people of JMAC a family, but moving meditation, a path to self improvement, and the best way to quiet the monkey mind.

Andrew Bossory Sensei

Instructor

Andrew began training at JMAC in 2012 training in the jujutsu program. He has expanded his training into all of the martial arts JMAC has to offer. He presently holds the ranks of nidan in jutusu and judo, ikkyu in karate, and sankyu in iaido. Andrew is currently the lead instructor in the Little Dragons program, which focuses on giving children from 5-7 a strong foundation in judo and karate, with high hopes of seeing them grow their martial arts skills into the advanced classes. As often described by Suino Sensei, Andrew is JMAC's resident minor league coach!

Tim Lynch Sensei

Instructor

Tim began training at JMAC at age fifty, with no prior martial arts experience and little game.  Now a Nidan in Goju Ryu Karate, Tim's path demonstrates the extraordinary quality of the instructors and culture at JMAC and that age is not a limiting factor here.  Tim actively studies Goju Ryu remotely and in person with Shimizu Shun Sensei, in Saitama Japan. And has traveled to Naha, Okinawa to study Ryuei Ryu Karate at the Sakumoto Karate Academy. Outside JMAC, Tim is a lawyer and professor who is blessed with inspiring clients, colleagues, and students.

Pamela Suino Sensei

Instructor

Pamela has trained with Suino-Sensei for over 24 years, since the days of ITAMA Dojo in Lansing, Michigan. She holds black belt ranks in Goju-Ryu Karate and Judo, and is also accomplished in iaido. She can be found at JMAC 5-6 days each week and is instrumental in keeping the dojo running behind the scenes. She primarily supports other instructors at JMAC, substitute teaches when necessary, and helps inspire new students as they take on the challenge of learning martial arts.

Dylan Carter Sensei

Instructor

Dylan Carter began training in judo at JMAC at age 14. In the ensuing 10 years, he has earned the rank of Sandan in judo. He's trained throughout North America and in Japan, including at the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo in 2019 and 2023. He teaches private lessons at JMAC, and is sought out by students for his ability to demonstrate and explain fundamental and complex techniques with precision and clarity. He is passionate about teaching and helping students develop their understanding and skills in martial arts.

Stephen Morris Sensei

Emeritus Instructor

Stephen Morris has been training and teaching Martial Arts for well over 30 years. He began as a student of traditional Okinawan Karatedo and within a few years was also training in Aikido and Judo.  Morris had an epiphany of sorts while he was directing a children’s class that integrated the arts of Judo, Aikido, and Karate.  It became evident that Judo was the superior art for children because of the skills learned (falling safely, close fighting, dynamic balance), the tactile feedback, and the balance between structure and play.  Karate seemed too rigid, Aikido too esoteric.  It followed that, for the same reasons, Judo was a superior art for adults.  Eventually Morris decided to join the Ann Arbor YMCA Judo club to focus all of his efforts on practicing and teaching Judo.  In 2006 he joined the instructor staff at the Japanese Martial Arts Center, where he taught until 2016 before moving to Berkeley, California. He is certified to teach, coach, and referee Judo by the USJF and USJI. In 2013, he and Holland-Sensei were gold medalists in the kata division of the US Judo Nationals at Virginia Beach, and Sensei Morris was awarded the "#1 Judoka Award" for his age and weight class.