History
Our History and Leadership Villari's Martial Arts is part of a nation-wide system of schools founded by Grandmaster Fredrick J Villari in 1968. Master Mary Murphy Edwards (7th degree black belt) ran a school in Montreal, Canada where she taught classes in English and French from 1985-1989. In 1989 she opened the Madison school at 532 State St. Master Murphy specialized in T'ai Chi which she taught extensively at Teff Chiropractic for adults with limited mobility. In 1999 she designed our popular Master Kickboxing program, which takes the fighting principles of Shaolin Kempo Karate and applies them in a fun, high-intensity cardio workout. Our program was the first in the Madison area to combine the best of cardio kickboxing and actual martial arts, and continues to evolve with new fitness research and trends.
Specialties
At Villari's Martial Arts Center, the black belt instructors specialize in shaolin kempo karate, a martial art form that incorporates punches, kicks, grappling, and felling maneuvers, as well as some of the core movements of kung fu. The instructors work with adults and kids alike, training them in the realms of self-defense, self-discipline, and self-confidence. For students who are more interested in defending themselves against weight gain than against violent attackers, Villari's also offers calorie-burning kickboxing and Pilates Mat classes.