Instructors & School

As a child, Shifu Eliot was small of stature, meek of nature, bespectacled, and bookish, and thus, struggled with being physically and emotionally bullied. Eventually, to instill confidence and teach him how to protect himself, his parents decided to enroll him in karate lessons.

In 1993, at the age of eight, Shifu enrolled at Rising Dragon Karate in Bow, New Hampshire, and, alongside his mother and sister, began learning Isshin Ryu Karate (一心流空手) from Shihan Richard BenAvram. Shihan Richard was a student of Ron and Lorie Rosenberg, who were students of the style’s founder, Tatsuo Shimabuku (島袋龍夫). Eventually, Shifu became an assistant instructor at the school, as well as an official member of the Isshin Ryu World Karate Association.

In 2000, Shihan Richard and his family moved to Florida, and the school was taken over by two of Shihan Richard’s senior students, Sensei Steve Hassan and Sensei Mike Walls. Sensei Steve was an experienced and well-connected martial artist who incorporated several other styles into the Rising Dragon curriculum. As such, Shifu Eliot had the opportunity to study Kali Silat and Judo (柔道), working with respected teachers such as Guro Steve Perrin and Sensei Mikel LaChapelle.

In 2002, due to the combination of a reduced training schedule, and his own admitted frustration with the more intricate and complicated styles of Silat and Judo, a hot-headed teenage Shifu Eliot sought out another hard art. In addition to continuing his studies of Isshin Ryu, he began training I.T.F. Taekwondo (유병철) under Master Patricia Cole at Cole’s Martial Arts & Fitness Center in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Master Pat was a student of Grandmaster B.C. Yu (최홍희), creator of the “eurythmic method” of learning, and a student of the father of modern Taekwondo, General Choi Hong Hi (최홍희).

After ten years of training, Shifu received his first degree black belt in Isshin Ryu Karate on August 22nd 2004, shortly before leaving for college at Fitchburg State University. Sadly, Rising Dragon Karate closed shortly after Shifu and two of his fellow students received their black belts, but he continued his Taekwondo training with Master Pat.

Upon arriving at Fitchburg State University, Shifu Eliot sought out a local martial arts club at the college, and finding that it existed in name only, took the reins into his own hands. Over the next four years, with help from several other dedicated college students and faculty interested in martial arts, he was able to grow the club into one of the largest, most active student-run organizations on campus. It is still operating today.

There was a valuable pool of martial arts experience to draw from the university’s student body. In addition to gaining valuable administrative and executive experience through running the organization, Shifu Eliot had the opportunity to study several other styles of martial arts. He studied Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaijutsu (無雙直傳英信流), a style of samurai sword, under Professor Susan Wadsworth, a student of Sensei Carl Long and Master Masayuki Shimabukuro. He studied Ninjutsu (忍術) under Bonnie Specht. He studied the Russian art of Systema (Система) under Alex Allrich. He studied Chinese American Goju Ryu under Sensei Coelynn McIninch, a student of Master Gary Card.

All the while, he did his best to continue his Taekwondo training. Cole’s Martial Arts closed in 2005, when Master Pat moved to Florida. The school was re-opened as Chon Ji Martial Arts & Fitness Center by one of Master Pat’s senior students, Master Karl Wiegelman. Shifu Eliot continued training under Master Karl and the other instructors at Chon-Ji and received his first degree black belt in I.T.F. Tae Kwon Do on May 20th 2006. He continued his Taekwondo studies with Master Karl, and was also the only student from New Hampshire to travel to Florida to continue to train with Master Pat.

After college, Shifu Eliot continued training in Taekwondo, between working his job in the human services and searching for a job relevant to his college degree (photography.) He received his 2nd degree black belt from Master Karl on December 13th 2008. During this time he reconnected with Sensei Steve and continued his studies of Kali Silat at Sensei Steve and Sensei Mikel’s new school, Multicultural Martial Arts.

Eventually he was offered a healthcare job in Massachusetts, and made the hard decision to bid farewell to New Hampshire. Immediately upon moving to Worcester Massachusetts, he began searching for a new martial arts school. He decided to try Kung Fu (功夫), thinking it would be best for his overall experience as a martial artist, as most of the other styles he had done were hard martial arts styles. He visited several Kung Fu schools, but eventually settled on The Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy of New England. (At the time it was called “Shaolin Kung Fu Centers”, and formerly known as “Maury’s Kung Fu.”) Impressed by the depth of skill knowledge, and sincerity of Sifu Gary LaChapelle, he became a student in August 2009, studying Northern Long Fist Kung Fu. He also began studying Tàijíquán (太極拳) under Sifu Gary and Sifu Karim-Ben Saunders, a student of Dr. Shou Yu Liang (梁守渝) and Narcyz Latecki. Eventually, after many years of growth, he received his black sash in Kung Fu on July 7th 2013.

Shifu Eliot moved to Maynard Massachusetts with his wife in October 2014. He felt ready to pursue his lifelong dream of opening a martial arts school, and began searching for places to teach Kung Fu and Tai Chi. He had little luck until nearly a year later, while strolling through downtown Maynard, he walked into Warrior’s Way on a whim. Run by Master Andrew Bloch and his wife Karen, Warrior’s Way had a little bit of everything; Taekwondo, fencing, yoga, spinning, etc. Shifu Eliot asked Master Bloch for permission to add Kung Fu and Tai Chi to the extensive list of classes. Master Bloch agreed, and Shifu Eliot began attending Master Bloch’s classes as an orientation in addition to his continued training with Sifu Gary.

Only a few months later, ready for the next stage of his own journey, and aware of Shifu Eliot’s aspirations, Master Bloch offered to sell the school to him. Shifu accepted. Warrior’s Way was reopened as Metrowest Kung Fu on January 2nd 2016.Shifu left his job in healthcare in November 2016 to devote more time to his family, and to grow Metrowest Kung Fu into a pillar of martial virtue in the Metrowest region.

Shifu Eliot continues to train with Sifu Gary, and has augmented his learning from many other martial arts masters. Shifu loves learning martial arts and meeting new people, and has worked with a wide variety of instructors and masters. He has continued learning Tai Chi from Sifu Gary and Sifu Karim, as well as Sifu Lindsay Lambert. He has also worked extensively with Jon Chang and Michelle Lin, two closed-door students of Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming. He has refined his Push Hands 推手 (tuīshǒu) with Jon Woodward, and Steve Broadbent. He has refined his qìgōng (氣功) with Dr. Shou-Yu Liang, Master Fang-Chih Li, Paul and Rosalie DiCrescenzo, and the legendary Taoist master Kwan Saihung. He has refined his swordsmanship with Kenneth Van Sickle and Master Guo Naihui. He has refined his Bāguàzhǎng (八卦掌) with Joe Gallop and Master Zhong Xuechao (钟学超).

Shifu Eliot received his black sash in Tai Chi and his first degree black sash in Kung Fu August 17th 2019. He received his second degree black sash in Kung Fu on October 14th 2022. He was promoted to Shifu ("teacher" or "master") August 3rd 2024, and became Sifu Gary's disciple (入室弟子 - "Yup Sut Dai Gee" in Cantonese or Rù Shì Dì Zǐ in Mandarin) August 10th 2024.

Shifu Eliot is an activist and organizer. He founded “Maynard Welcomes You” in 2017, a mutual aid group for immigrants and refugees in his community. Fluent in Spanish, he volunteers for the Metrowest Immigrant Solidarity Network and Together & Free. He has mentored with activist Monica Cannon-Grant and is a member of the Fight for Monica team, as well as Maynard for Peace and Justice. He was a founding member of the Maynard Human Relations Committee, where he successfully led the effort to make Maynard a “sanctuary city” for immigrants. He helped to bring legal action against a local landlord who was abusing tenants of subsidized housing in Maynard. He has helped construction workers, restaurant workers, and hospitality workers to fight cases of wage theft, in Maynard and beyond. He provides mutual aid to people in Maynard and the surrounding areas, and participates in many other social justice actions and political initiatives.

Main Teachers (In Chronological Order)

1993 - 2000: Shihan Richard BenAvram (Isshin Ryu Karate 一心流空手)

2000 - 2004: Sensei Steve Hassan (Isshin Ryu Karate 一心流空手)

2002 - 2005: Master Patricia Cole (I.T.F. Taekwondo 유병철)

2005 - 2009: Master Karl Weigelman (I.T.F. Taekwondo 유병철)

2009 - Present: Sifu Gary J. LaChapelle Jr. (Northern Long Fist Kung Fu 功夫 , Yáng Tàijíquán 楊太極拳)

2009 - Present: Sifu Cheyenne LaChapelle (Northern Long Fist Kung Fu 功夫)

2009 - Present: Sifu Karim-Ben Saunders (Yáng Tàijíquán 楊太極拳, Sūn Tàijíquán 孙太極拳, Chén Tàijíquán 陳太極拳, Liáng Bāguàzhǎng 梁八卦掌)

2020 - Present: Karen Larsen (Yoga)

2020 - Present: Master Andrew Bloch (I.T.F. Taekwondo, Yoga)

2021 - Present: Cassie Johnson (Classic Pilates)

Recurring Teachers (In Alphabetical Order)

Steve Broadbent (tuīshǒu 推手)

Jonathan Chang (Yáng Tàijíquán 楊太極拳, tuīshǒu 推手)

Joe Gallop (Yǐn Bāguàzhǎng 尹八卦掌)

Sifu Lindsay Lambert (Yáng Tai Chi sword 楊氏太極劍, Liùhébāfǎ 六合八法)

Michelle Lin (Yáng Tàijíquán 楊太極拳, tuīshǒu 推手)

Jon Woodward (tuīshǒu 推手)

Master Zhong Xuechao (Wǔdāng Bāguàzhǎng 武當八卦掌, Wǔdāng Kung Fu 武當拳)

Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming (Qínná 擒拿)

Shifu Gregg Zilb (Luóhànquán 罗汉拳, Chén Shì Tàijíquán 陈氏太极拳, Sanda 散打)