Sifu Katalin Rodriguez Zamiar

Katalin Rodriguez Zamiar has been featured in Shape, Allure Self, Instyle, Women’s Sports and Fitness, Home Gym and Fitness, as well as, the highest circulating martial arts and boxing magazines in Mexico, the United States and Greece. Katalin’s compelling ideas, dynamic experience makes her training style, classes and programs contagious. She is compassionate about the general population’s needs, in-tune with the athletic industry’s evolution and devoted to the growth of the martial arts community.

Katalin is an international martial arts and fitness presenter. She holds blacks belts in karate, kung fu and tae kwon do and is a certified ACE, AAFA and ISMA trainer. With 22 years in martial arts, 18 years in boxing, 10 years as a fitness professional, 6 years as a freelance writer, 6 years as a video producer and 4 years as a competitor she has been able to successfully integrate athletics, martial arts and business. With this dynamic experience, Katalin has starred in 15 commercial and professional fitness and martial arts videos (12 of which she produced), written 70 international articles and 5 industry manuals, established a not-for-profit (MAKE.org), owns Chicago Krav Maga™ and co-owns POW! Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Facility, the largest combat sports training center in Chicago (312-829-7699, www.powkickboxing.com). Her business style is enterprising, not withstanding her creative and compelling drive to improve the martial arts, boxing, fitness and athletic communities.

Her current endeavors include her summer training camp for upcoming basketball players (both High School and college). Her focus with these athletes who range from the being in the top ten high school players, to professional players on their way to the European league and 2004 NBA draft picks. Their program emphasizes balance, flexibility and sport specific training to prevent injuries and improve their overall capabilities.

Alongside her devotion to non-combatives athletes, is her new not-for-profit company (along with partner Dino Spencer). M.A.K.E. raffles off a Harley Davidson to create black belt scholarships for youths. Their awards include the expenses of an intense four year training program that includes tournaments, equipment and potentially the opportunity to train in China. Her charity efforts are not restricted to humans alone. Katalin runs a bi-yearly POW-er walk with your dog. POW-er walk proceeds benefit no-kill organizations in Chicago.

In addition to keeping her feet wet in the sports community, Katalin is also the president of the an IT Services and Computer Consulting government certified minority company. With her reliable and experienced team of consultants and technical engineers, KAT-SYSTEMS, Inc (www.katsystems.net). forges ahead not behind other companies, but by carving their own niche which offers a comfortable, intimate and inspiring business atmosphere for its clients.

And, although she normally has a sampling of projects on her plate from articles to videos, she is the operating owner and head instructor of POW! the largest mixed martial arts and fitness facility in Chicago, as well as the owner of Chicago Krav Maga™ (CKM). CKM creates Krav Maga™ satellite programs of Krav Maga™, the Isreali system of reality based self defense in locations outside of POW! for those who can not commit to long term martial arts education, but need to enroll in self-defense training.

Sensei Alberto Lopez

Sensei Alberto Lopez has over 16 years of martial arts experience. He holds a black belt in Shotokan Karate and is a Krav Maga instructor. He has trained under numerous world class instructors in Karate, Jun Fan/ Jeet Kune Do Concepts, and Filipino Martial Arts. In 1993 he moved to California for one year to study at the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts, as well as the US headquarters of Japan Karate Do Ryobu Kai . As a competitor he has won various state and regional titles in both forms and sparring.

As an instructor he has taught thousands of students of all ranks and ages throughout the Chicagoland area. He has appeared in Black Belt and Chicago Magazine. He attended the University of Illinois at Chicago on private scholarships for Karate. He earned his bachelor of fine arts degree in Photography and Film. "To me, martial arts like photography, is about understanding the world and what it means to be human." He considers being a student first to be the key to success as an instructor. He has traveled extensively as a photographer throughout Europe and is fluent in Spanish. In the Marine Corps he served as an infantryman and marksmanship instructor. He is a Gulf War veteran.