Owner & Head Instructor — Karate • Muay Thai • BJJ
Kyoshi / Kru / Professor Gary Vig
Gary Vig is a founding director of Arashi-Do Martial Arts and head instructor of the Red Deer academy. He earned his karate black belt in 1988 and…
MEET THE TEAM
Our Instructors.
Decades of ranked experience across Karate, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Professor & General Manager
Kru Stephanie Essensa
Bio coming soon.
Head Adult Instructor
Dylan Ferguson
Martial arts, particularly Brazilian jiu-jitsu, have helped me make enormous changes in my life, including losing over 100 pounds. Jiu-jitsu has…
Ryan
I am Red Deer's first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. I have over a decade of martial arts experience, including over 7 years of coaching children. I…
No-Gi Instructor & Associate Instructor
Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor is a 1st-degree BJJ black belt with 13 years of grappling experience, assisting Professor Dylan in coaching the lunch class program…
Associate Instructor
Dale Spielman
Dale Spielman's martial arts story started as a kid in the 1970s. His first formal classes came in 1991 at the University of Saskatchewan Karate Club…
Associate Instructor
Jacob Cota
Jacob Cota is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt with over a decade on the mats and medals at the local and provincial level across every belt. He…
Associate Instructor
Josiah MacPherson
Josiah MacPherson has trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 10 years, earning his BJJ black belt in 2026. His martial arts journey began at 15 with six…
Amhed Hernandez
Amhed Hernandez began his martial arts journey in 2020 on a joint high school wrestling team, getting his first taste of competition and grappling…