Meet Our Instructors

Grand Master Cheung's involvement in the martial arts spans over four decades, starting in July 1973 in New York City Chinatown. He owned and ran the American Karate Studio in Broomall, PA in the mid-1980s. Grand Master Cheung is a teacher with a deep respect for tradition, along with a strong command of his technical abilities.

Grand Master Cheung is the co-founder and executive board member of USMAO. On July 19, 2014, he was awarded the rank of 9th Dan by Dr. Kenneth Balliet. Upon Dr. Balliet's passing on February 2nd, 2025, Grand Master Cheung's 10th Dan certificate was activated, making him head of the Shorinji Ryu style.

Since 2006, Grand Master Cheung has been giving seminars in the Universal Systems and promoting USMAO as a vehicle for growth. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from St. Joseph's University and an MBA from Widener University, and currently works as a senior software engineer for a large banking corporation.

Grandmaster Paul Cheng was born in Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1962. He began training in the Hung Gar style of martial arts at age six. In early 1973, Paul and his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. He began serious training in 1993 under Ozzie Wright III at Karate #1 in Yeadon, earning his 1st Degree Black Belt in 1997.

Cheng's Martial Arts School opened in April 2002 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, growing from two students to over three hundred. Team Cheng has a longstanding reputation for dominating local, regional, and international tournaments — competing with NAFMA in Trinidad (2023) and The Netherlands (2024), bringing home numerous medals both times.

Paul serves on the Board of the Upper Darby/Lansdowne Rotary Club, the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation, and partners with local organizations to provide self-defense seminars and classes. He is Co-Founder and Chair of USMAO.

Sifu Tom Lugo began his martial arts journey at a young age and has dedicated over 30 years to the study, practice, and preservation of both traditional and modern combat systems. He served as a junior instructor from 1988 to 1992, then enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he trained extensively in Military Combat Tactics and Hand-to-Hand Combat.

In October 2010, Sifu Lugo founded the Integrated Kung Fu & Mixed Martial Arts Academy and developed Zonghe Quanfa Kung Fu — a hybrid Chinese martial arts system rooted in traditional Kung Fu, throwing arts, grappling systems, ancient and modern weaponry, and practical self-defense.

Sifu Lugo served as President of USMAO from 2020 to 2024 and currently serves as Treasurer. Beyond martial arts, he has worked as a stunt performer, fight coordinator, and actor in action martial arts films, and is an internationally recognized recording artist.

Joe Varady began his formal martial arts training in 1986. Over the past three decades, he has cross trained in eastern martial arts such as karate, tae kwon do, judo, wing chun, and eskrima, as well as various western martial arts including boxing, fencing, long sword, sword and shield, pole-axe, and various methods of armored fighting. Joe is also a trained educator with a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. In 2006, he became a certified Master Instructor in The Bao Way System of Self Defense.

Joe currently shares his martial arts knowledge as the head instructor of two programs: traditional martial arts through Satori Dojo, founded in 1994, and eclectic weapons systems through Modern Gladiatorial Arts, founded in 2016. Both are located in Joe's hometown of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He is also an active member of USMAO, serving two terms as president. Joe was inducted into the Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame in July 2016. In 2021, after more than 35 years in the martial arts, he was promoted to Grandmaster, 7th degree, at the age of 52.

Joe Varady is the author of four book and video series: The Art and Science of Staff Fighting (2016), The Art and Science of Stick Fighting (2020), The Art and Science of Self Defense (2022), and The Art and Science of Sword Fighting (2024), all available worldwide through YMAA Publications. His newest work, The Art and Science of the Martial Arts: The Power of Martial Fusion, is due out in 2027.

Grand Master Farrar is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and a practicing martial artist with over 33 years of experience. She currently works in Harrisburg, PA as a School Psychologist and is the Sole Proprietor of Farrar's Martial Arts. During the 2022–2023 school year, she received the Award of Excellence for her contribution and dedication as a School Psychologist, an accolade from the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania in September 2023, and was nominated for School Psychologist of the Year for the state of PA in 2024.

Grand Master Farrar was awarded her 1st–6th Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo Do from Grand Master Roger Bradley and was promoted to 7th Dan by Grand Master Alan Cheung and USMAO in December 2022. She served as Vice President of USMAO from 2018 to 2026.

Grand Master Farrar teaches individual and group Women's Self Defense classes, provides free self-defense lessons to community groups, and teaches weekly Tang Soo Do classes. As a school psychologist and martial arts teacher, she has extensive techniques to help all students learn and grow — including people with physical disabilities, mental health disorders, and learning differences.

Grandmaster Holman is an active tournament competitor who has won several grand championships in forms, weapons, and fighting over the years. "Although I have a successful tournament career, I get no greater joy than teaching others to be successful competitors and successful in life."

Grandmaster Holman has numerous achievements in the martial arts, with two standing out as his highest honors: being inducted into the Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame in 2015, and being inducted into Blacks In The Martial Arts (BITMA) Hall of Fame in 2015, where he also received an Outstanding Master award.

Eric Zimmerman was formally appointed as the inheritor (keishōsha) of Santō Ichi-ryū — "Three Swords, One School" — a refined Japanese sword art, following the passing of Clayton McCombs in 2021, serving as both Headmaster and Principal Instructor.

Eric's martial arts journey began at the age of nine and has encompassed extensive training in Western Boxing, Taekwondo/Hapkido, American Kenpo, Kenjutsu/Iaijutsu, Tuite, Iaido/Zen Buddhism, Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu, and Taekwondo-Chang Moo Kwan.

In addition to Santō Ichi-ryū, Eric teaches 14th to 16th century European Longsword and Western Martial Arts. He has taught at local universities, martial arts schools, and fencing organizations. Beyond martial arts, Eric once set an American Powerlifting Record with the World Natural Powerlifting Federation.