ABOUT SANCTUARY MARTIAL ARTS

Woman‑Owned • Woman‑Led • Bend, Oregon

Sanctuary Martial Arts was created to be a calm, supportive training space where students of all ages can grow without intimidation or ego. As one of the only women‑owned and women‑led martial arts studios in Oregon, Sanctuary is built on compassion, clarity, and courage.

This is a place where people feel safe, included, and empowered to take hold of their lives.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

We teach with calm, clear, trauma‑informed instruction. No yelling. No intimidation. No bullying. No ego.

Every student learns differently, and we pay attention to that. Our goal is simple: our students should become better than us.

We challenge students in healthy ways and help them leave each class feeling proud, confident, and capable.

WHAT WE TEACH

Sanctuary’s curriculum blends traditional Tang Soo Do with the grappling and self‑defense roots that historically existed within Korean martial arts. Grappling is not a separate program — it is woven directly into our Tang Soo Do training, just as it was before modern sport styles separated striking and ground work.

Tang Soo Do

Students learn traditional forms, striking, stances, footwork, discipline, and personal development. Tang Soo Do provides the structure, philosophy, and foundation of our training.

Integrated Grappling

Our grappling curriculum is built and aligned with Tang Soo Do’s original ho sin sul (self‑defense) principles. Students learn:

clinch entries
takedowns
sweeps
positional control
escapes
ground movement
stand‑up transitions

This is not sport BJJ. It is traditional karate grappling, taught with modern clarity and safety.

Weapons Training

Students train in traditional Tang Soo Do weapons including Bong (bo staff), Tonfa, Sai, Nunchaku, Escrima, Kama, Sword, and the Korean Woldo — Nasadia’s specialty. Weapons develop coordination, precision, discipline, and deeper understanding of movement.

Practical Self‑Defense

Simple, effective techniques focused on awareness, posture, distance, leverage, and safety. Students learn how to protect themselves without relying on strength alone.

Strength & Conditioning

Functional movement, mobility, and strength development to support martial arts training and injury prevention.

LINEAGE & HISTORY OF TANG SOO DO

Tang Soo Do is often called Korean Karate, and for good reason. It grew from a blend of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese martial traditions, shaped by centuries of cultural exchange and the realities of occupation, war, and rebuilding. Its roots reach back to the Tang Dynasty in China, whose long‑fist systems influenced early Korean martial arts. Later, during the Japanese occupation of Korea, Okinawan and Japanese karate forms were introduced, adding structure, kata‑based training, and belt ranking systems.

In 1944, Grandmaster Hwang Kee formally founded Moo Duk Kwan, establishing Tang Soo Do as a distinct Korean martial art. His teachings blended Chinese fluidity, Japanese precision, and Korean philosophy, creating an art focused on discipline, personal development, and powerful, elegant movement.

Tang Soo Do spread internationally through influential instructors such as Grandmaster Shin Jae‑chul, Grandmaster Chuck Norris, Grandmaster Pat Johnson, and Grandmaster Dennis Ichikawa, each contributing to the art’s evolution while preserving its traditional roots. Their work helped shape what many people recognize today as American Tang Soo Do.

Sanctuary Martial Arts traces its lineage through this historical path. Nasadia’s training began under Kenneth White, a 1st Dan instructor at Odyssey Martial Arts, who trained under Matthew White of Tang Soo Do University. Their lineage continues upward through Master Jason Flame, Grandmaster Dennis Ichikawa, Grandmaster Pat Johnson, Grandmaster Chuck Norris, Grandmaster Shin Jae‑chul, and ultimately Grandmaster Hwang Kee.

To restore legitimacy, continuity, and opportunity for her students, Nasadia partnered with the East West Tang Soo Do Collective, reconnecting Sanctuary to a path of tradition, growth, and progress. Through this connection, Sanctuary honors the past while building a future rooted in authenticity, respect, and evolution.

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Nasadia Voltz

Owner • Head Instructor • Tang Soo Do Black Belt

Nasadia is a 1st Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and one of the few women leading a martial arts studio in Oregon. Her journey began with a childhood love of karate and the classic martial arts films of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Jean‑Claude Van Damme. Later, her service in the U.S. Army revealed a deeper truth: she was strong, capable, and needed a way to feed that strength. As an Army Combatives Instructor, she learned the value of leverage, technique, and precision — skills that shaped her approach to teaching today.

Her martial arts background includes wrestling in Washington states first all‑women’s league, foundational Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training, and extensive weapons practice rooted in Tang Soo Do. She continues to study traditional weapons independently, with a particular passion for the Korean Woldo, a rare and historically significant polearm. She believes the Bong (bo staff) is the foundation of weapons work, offering versatility and deep insight into movement.

As an instructor, Nasadia teaches with calm, clear, trauma‑informed guidance. She does not raise her voice, intimidate, or rely on ego. Instead, she pays close attention to how each student learns, adapting her instruction to help them grow in their own way. Her philosophy is simple: students should become better than their instructor. She wants every person — child or adult — to leave class feeling proud, confident, and empowered.

Above all, she is committed to creating a studio where everyone feels safe, included, and capable of taking hold of their lives. Sanctuary Martial Arts is the expression of that mission.