MATT SOULE
Director
Matthew Soule is the Tsun Jo® System Director and Head Instructor of Greenlake Martial Arts. Prior to taking over as the System Director, he certified as a Senior Instructor and Black Belt of Tsun Jo® under System Founder, Sijo John N Beall. In addition to Tsun Jo®, Matt has been actively training in submission grappling since 2009. Matt is a martial artist dedicated to learning and evolving, actively crosstraining in other martial arts disciplines and weapons handling. His weapon’s training includes Tsun Jo® adapted Kali sticks as well as use and disarms of pistol, rifle, knife, stick, pipe and other common street weapons.
Matt brings patience, positivity and careful insight to each student, paying close attention to maximize results. He believes that it is critical to find the balance between pushing students and supporting them to achieve optimal results.
In 2016, Matt became a Certified Instructor of the Wim Hof Method. He was part of the first group of U.S. instructors and early pioneers to help bring this method to the world.
Jacob Greenleaf
Instructor
Jacob Greenleaf started at Greenlake Martial Arts in 1994, training predominantly under instructors Glen Wahl and Mark Silverstein, and Sijo John Beall. He left the school in 1998 due to time constraints and life’s complications, but continued to practice what he remembered of the system in his private life, and always felt called to return to the school one day to resume training. That day came in early 2017 when (thanks to prodding by a dear friend) Jacob returned just to “freshen up his skills,” and found thereafter that he could not stop coming back. Though rusty, the Tsun Jo ® system was still somewhat in his bones, and restarting training was like rekindling a great romance. He means to train in Tsun Jo ® for the rest of his life. Jacob is a Certified Instructor and self defense specialist under Tsun Jo® System Director Matthew Soule.
Jacob was born in Seattle in 1975, and grew up in the neighborhood, on 83rd and Roosevelt. He spent a few adolescent years as a street kid, eventually finding his way back to straight life thanks to a loving father and some lucky breaks. These days, he spends his non-training time working as an infrastructure engineer for a major local coffee company, playing music (anything acoustic with strings and frets), reading, cooking, and raising two wonderful kids half time.
Jacob likes to focus on the geometry of Tsun Jo ® as a means to better understanding martial arts generally, and upon the minutiae of the movements, as sometimes vanishingly small details make a world of difference to practice.
Jason Thams
Instructor
Jason is a dedicated martial artist with nearly 30 years of teaching experience.
He holds a second degree black belt in full contact karate under Shihan Brian Knechtges.
In 1998, Jason joined the Greenlake Martial Arts School in Seattle, WA and began training Tsun Jo® under system founder, John Beall. Tsun Jo® is a system dedicated purely to survival self-defense. After a dedicated training period Jason, joined the Tsun Jo® instructor program in 2001. He continues to train and teach this system today.
As a lifelong martial artist, Jason has cross-trained in Judo, Hapkido, Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Sport Jiu Jitsu. He is a certified personal trainer with an additional focus on fundamental boxing specific training methods and has led boxing/kickboxing group fitness classes. His teaching style is positive, uplifting and energetic. With his varied background and strong communication skills, he excels at bringing the best out of his students.
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Certified Instructor of Tsun Jo Martial Art School, Seattle, WA, 2005-Present
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Member of the assistant instructor program for Tsun Jo Wing Chun Kung Fu, Seattle, WA, 2001-2005
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Instructor and President of the Integrated Martial Arts Club, Pullman, WA, 1998-2000
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Instructor and President of the Seishin Kan Karate Club, Pullman, WA, 1997-1998
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Assistant Instructor of Seishin Kan Karate School, Spokane, WA, 1996-1997
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Instructor of the Seishin Kan Karate Club, Seattle, WA, 1994-1996
Fiona Morgan
Instructor
Fiona is Certified Tsun Jo® Instructor and Women's Self Defense Specialist at Greenlake Martial Arts. She is passionate about teaching self defense in a practical and engaging way, encouraging students to challenge themselves, apply their skills in scenarios, ask questions, and have fun as they train. In addition to her nine years of training at GMA, she also has six years' experience training in karate. Outside of teaching, Fiona works as an EMT and loves the opportunity to serve her community in these different capacities.
Gaëlle Sabben
Instructor
Gaëlle is certified as a Tsun Jo® Instructor and Women's Self-Defense Specialist. She has been training at Greenlake Martial Arts since 2017 and holds a green sash in Tsun Jo®. She has also previously trained in Hapkido.
She is dedicated to helping others develop self-confidence and feel empowered by the new skills they are learning. She is passionate about teaching others to defend themselves in practical and memorable ways, balancing the challenge and fun of martial arts. She loves learning new moves and techniques and sharing them with others.
When not in the training room, Gaëlle works on public health projects to improve the lives and health of young people and those from historically under-resourced communities.
