Richard M. Poage and Tiffany Richards founded Peaceful Warrior Martial Arts & Healing Center in July 2010 with a mission to create a community where health, wellness and martial arts training are used to better the lives of its members. It is our wish that through the training of the martial arts and other holistic health practices, our students are motivated to live healthier lives physically, mentally and spiritually.

Richard Poage
Owner, Sensei 4th Dan
Ranked #1 Instructor in Arizona 5-years running by the U.S.K.A!

Richard M. Poage has trained martial arts full-time since the age of four and holds Black Belts in Shorin-Ryu (fourth degree), Shorei-Ryu (third degree), Shuri-Ryu (first degree), Ryu-Kyu Kenpo (first degree) and Kobudo (second degree).

Richard began his training in Tae Kwan Do under the number two kickboxer in the world, Dino Holmesy. In 1992 he began training Okinawa Karate. During this time he also studied shoot boxing and grappling with UFC coach Richard Hamilton and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu with Brad Parker and Ed Smithers. At age 14 he was the youngest person to receive black belt from Oyata Sensei in Ryu Kyu Kenpo. In 2001 he began his study of Shorin-Ryu and traditional Japanese Jujitsu.

In 2006 Richard traveled to Okinawa to train in the birthplace of Karate. He has been a full-time karate instructor since 2002. He was Chief Instructor for Southwest Center for the Martial Arts from 2002-10, Head Martial Arts instructor for BASIS Scottsdale from 2006-10 and in the summer of 2010 he founded Peaceful Warrior Martial Arts & Healing Center.

Richard began competing in the United States Karate Alliance in 1993 and has been an avid competitor ever since. He has won several Grand Championships in kumite, kobudo and kata. He currently holds #1 Instructor in Arizona five-years running from the United States Karate Alliance. At age 25, he was appointed to the U.S. Team to fight at the Pan Am Games.

Tiffany Richards
Owner, Sempai

Tiffany Richards has been training martial arts since 1998. She began her study under Dennis Laycock at American Karate Studios in Kenpo, Shotokan and Tae Kwon Do. During that time, she also trained in Goju Shorei with Sensei Frank Sasso. In late 1999 to present, Tiffany took to Kensho-Do with Grand Master Alex Santa Maria.  The system is a blend of both hard and soft styles, and combines Chinese Kenpo, Shorei-Ryu, Tai Liu Chuan Fa Kung Fu, Aikido, Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee's system), Pananjakman (a Filipino kicking art), Aiki Jujitsu and more. A short-term move back to her hometown in 2000 prompted her to open her own school where she taught kids karate and women’s kickboxing.

In addition to Peaceful Warrior Martial Arts & Healing Center, Tiffany owns an on-site corporate wellness firm, The Back Rub Company (link). The firm provides companies' employees with chair massage, fitness classes, wellness workshops, weight loss programs, nutrition and more.

Tiffany began her career in holistic healthcare the same year she started training martial arts, and toured with Cirque du Soleil from 2002-2003 working with the artists as their personal massage therapist and fitness coach.  Upon her return from tour, she transitioned into opening The Back Rub Company, and had taken a hiatus from training martial arts.  In 2008, she went back to training and today credits martial arts as an integral part of her life.  Martial arts has helped her to stay grounded, focused and in shape.
She has been on Arizona’s Top 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35 list and serves as one of the youngest members of an international executives’ business association.

Jeff Allred has studied the martial arts for more than 30 years. He has studied and achieved black belts ranks in several styles of martial arts but finds the greatest value in studying and preserving the traditional combat styles of Okinawa.

Paul Holzman began training martial arts in 1994 in Green Bay, WI, and earned a red belt in Taekwondo. He continued his martial arts career in Shorin Ryu karate under Sensei Neil Stolsmark, and received his 1st Dan in 2000. Shortly after, Paul earned his 2nd Dan in Shorin Ryu and his 1st Dan in Kobudo. His move to Arizona in 2001 led him to the Arizona Ch’uan Fa Society to study Muay Thai kickboxing. After a year and a half, Paul returned to Shorin Ryu Karate and earned his 3rd Dan under Sensei Poage. Paul will have a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management in October 2011. He is an avid workout nut and has a bulldog named Bubba.

Daniel Bowley has trained karate for more than fifteen years and has received Black Belt rank through the Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan headed by Shaguro Nakazato. He has been teaching Martial Arts for more than four years and has helped produce many State, National and World Karate Champions, and has won Championships of his own.

Stephen Getz began training in the Korean martial art of Taekwondo in 1997.  He earned his 1st degree black belt in 2002 and his 2nd degree black belt in 2006.  He has trained with Sensei Poage since 2007.

He has also had additional training in Aikido, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Small-Circle Jiujitsu, Jeet Kun Do, Capoeira, Fencing and Kendo.  He is currently finishing up his Master's degree in Acupuncture at the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture.

Frank Shirvinski
Sensei, 1st Dan

Frank Shirvinski began training JiuJitsu with Sensei Poage in 2004 and earned his 1st degree black belt in 2009.   In addition to martial arts training, Frank is a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer and coach with CrossFit Chaparral and holds degrees in aeronautical and aerospace engineering, theology and linguistics.  Frank is currently the Senior Minister at Chaparral Christian Church.

Noah Legel started training in Illinois in 2006 in Okinawan Shuri-Ryu Karate under Shihan Joseph Walker, an 8th degree black belt and Chief Instructor for the style.  At the end of that year he also began training in Kodokan judo, the art of throwing and grappling founded by Professor Jigoro Kano.  In addition, he began training in Okinawan kobudo (weapons) and Shinkage-Ryu iaijutsu, a Japanese sword art.  He has also attended various seminars for other arts, such as Escrima (stick fighting), Haganah (an Israeli self defense art based on Krav Maga) and Muay Thai.  Noah moved to Arizona in 2008 where he began training competition-style judo with an emphasis on throwing to complement the largely groundwork-focused judo he had learned in Illinois.  He began training with Sensei Richard Poage in 2010 in the Shorinkan curriculum and assisting with classes.  He constantly incorporates his judo training into his karate training and often studies literature and multimedia regarding various martial arts styles and methods of training.  The application of forms (kata bunkai) is a particular subject of interest for him.  Noah has also competed in karate tournaments, judo tournaments and grappling tournaments in order to gain more exposure to other styles in order to keep evolving as a martial artist.

Daniel Prats began training Karate in 1993 at 5 years old. He took a break right before high school and started again in college. Daniel’s first style was RyuKyu Kempo. He wrestled in high school and achieved a great comfort on the ground that he still uses frequently during grappling. He began training Jui Jitsu and Shorin Ryu Karate under Sensei Richard Poage in 2007. Daniel has competed often in competition representing the dojo and even placed 1st in the State for empty hand display (Kata) in 2011. Daniel is also an avid practitioner of Araki Ryu Iaido. He has been assisting and teaching for Sensei Poage for two years. Aside from martial arts he is also Bilingual. Being fully fluent in Spanish allows Daniel to reach out to more students.