"Martial Arts are the arts of non-violence” says owner/instructor, Kathrin Sumpter.

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"It’s a cornerstone concept on which I train and teach. It’s rather a paradox. We diligently pursue our martial arts training and yet the purpose is to avoid its use. It’s not about teaching the student to fight. "Fighting" implies exchanging blows. I want to teach you to stop the problem. Sometimes that means being prepared with an effective physical response.”

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Kathrin began her martial arts training in 1991 in a free-style curriculum right here in Sequim.  After earning her black belt, she began pursuing traditional Tae Kwon Do and, in July 2020, she earned her 6th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do directly under Grandmaster Clay Worley.  During those years of training, she learned of the weapon and empty-hand Filipino arts. The draw was undeniable and she found herself pursuing both arts. In 2017, she earned her 4th Grade Black Belt in Cacoy Cañete Doce Pares (CCDP) Eskrima under Sr. Grandmaster Anthony Kleeman.

Kathrin opened Sequim Martial Arts in 2006. She teaches classes and events that cater            to a diverse demographic. She enjoys competition, and most recently, Kathrin earned a    spot on the Team USA Stickfighting faction. She won several medals in the 2019 World Championships in the Philippines.

Although sanctioned by Headquarters in the Philippines in 2009, Kathrin earned official affiliation with CCDP Worldwide in 2018 making her school the first and only certified    school on the Olympic Peninsula and beyond.

Kathrin has made a mission of teaching those with a variety of health circumstances. Her years of practical application, research and documentation in this sphere of martial arts have yielded stunning results.

Kathrin is a writer and you can find many of her articles and her column, The Way Word, in the TaeKwonDo Times magazine.