Marina Evans brings more than 17 years of Shotokan Karate experience and 15 years of teaching experience to the Academy. She holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt and has coached students from young children to adults, including advanced youth competition teams. Her athletes have competed at provincial, national, and world levels, including provincial and national champions and a World Championship gold medalist. 

Marina has also taught kettlebell training, stability ball classes, and women’s self-defence. Her seven years as a Registered Massage Therapist, specializing in athletic maintenance and recovery, have further shaped her understanding of movement and training. 

Marina originally came to the gym to learn Chen-style Tai Chi, which led to a natural transition into the fundamentals of Chinese martial arts. She now trains in both Tai Chi and Traditional Kung Fu, continuing to deepen her understanding of these disciplines. 

Her teaching style emphasizes technical detail and strong fundamentals. Marina believes that strong foundations build great houses, and she takes the time to help students understand not only what they are doing, but how and why they are doing it. 

What Marina enjoys most about teaching is seeing students discover new skills and gain confidence. She enjoys finding different ways to explain movements and concepts, recognizing that everyone learns differently. For Marina, helping students discover a new skill or passion is one of the most rewarding parts of martial arts.