Meet the Instructors
Master Richard Meyer, O-Dan
Richard Meyer began practicing martial arts in 1975. He studied under Jong Lee for four years, and continued his Tang Soo Do study in the World Tang Soo Do Association under Pat Marsch in San Diego. In 1996, he moved to Santa Fe and opened Tang Soo Do of Santa Fe, where he has been teaching since. In 2007, Tang Soo Do of Santa Fe became an affiliate of the IMA (International Martial Arts Association) based in Woodbury, NJ, under the direction of Grandmaster Yi Ki Yun. Meyer also studied Aikido for seven years and received the rank of Shodan. He believes in hard work and regular practice, but keeps a good sense of humor in his classes, which helps people bring out their best.
Amy Dalness, Sam-Dan
Amy Dalness started practicing Tang Soo Do in 2003. What she likes most about Tang Soo Do of Santa Fe is the supportive atmosphere and the lifelong approach to martial arts the students and instructors display everyday. Dalness became Forms Grand Champion and Female Sparring Grand Champion at the 2010 Tucson Tang Soo Do Championships.
Cathra-Anne Barker, Sam-Dan
Cathra-Anne Barker began studying Tang Soo Do under Richard Meyer in 1998. At 82, she is our most senior student. She started to train for a different kind of exercise with more meaning than just staying fit. She loves the camaraderie of the class and the mutual support and respect the practitioners have for one another.
Jane Boriack, E-Dan
Jane Boriack has been practicing Tang Soo Do since 2005. What she appreciates most is the small, friendly and supportive environment of Tang Soo Do of Santa Fe. She enjoys passing on to new students her knowledge and enthusiasm for Tang Soo Do and its many benefits to mind and body.
Taura Costidis, E-Dan
Taura Costidis started practicing martial arts at Tang Soo Do of Santa Fe in 2003. Having come from a classical ballet background, the martial mind and body were initially foreign concepts. She enjoys the physical rigor and the mental aspect of martial arts training and appreciates how skills developed in the dojang are immensely useful in life at large.
Matthew Ellis, Cho-Dan
Matthew Ellis first encountered martial arts by taking a Tai Chi class when he was 18. He's been a member of TSDSF for two decades. He enjoys the traditional discipline-rooted approach to training in martial arts that Tang Soo Do offers.