Master Instructor – Sensei Steven Riggs – 5th dan Tang Soo Do, 6th dan Sho Moo Do, et al..
Sensei Riggs is the only master instructor in ADA at the current time. His current dan levels, qualifications and background are given in the “About Sensei Riggs” section of this website.


Senior Instructor – Curt Stock – Sa bum min 4th dan Tang Soo Do
Mr. Stock has had the privilege of studying under some of the finest Tang Soo Do instructors available: Master Moon Kip Kim, Grandmaster Richard Byrnes, and Master Vernon Nobles.
Mr. Stock lives a distance from the school, which prevents him from being a weekly active participant in our current programs.  This denies our school of the pleasure of seeing him often, nor do the students get the experience of his long legs “kicking them in the head”.  He comes to do special training sessions such as kicking and sparring drills, and is often part of the examination board at promotion tests.

Instructor – Jeff Lindsay – 2nd dan US Open-style Karate & 1st dan Tae Kwon Do
Mr. Lindsay has a broad background in the martial arts, going back many years.  When he cam to ADA, he already had a 2nd dan in a U.S. Open style of Karate and a 1st dan in Tae Kwon Do.  Part of his 2nd dan training included some judo, which has been a real asset to our student’s overall curriculum.
Mr. Lindsay’s 20 years of experience have been invaluable in assisting in our school and beginning our “Grasshopper” children’s program.  As a new program for ages 4-7, it was quite experimental for us and a struggle at first.  It would have failed, but with Jeff guiding the program, it solidified and grew.  After Jeff turned it over to Mr. Peterson, it became the strong program it is today because of his solid “bed-work” years of dedication.
We also enjoy having Jeff over to the school for the occasional workout seminar or friendly conversation.  He is always very helpful by sitting on our promotion boards to assist with the very long testing process.

Instructor – Chris Peterson – 1st dan Tang Soo Do:
Mr. Peterson has studied with ADA since July 2005.  He is working simultaneously for 2nd dan in Tang Soo Do and 1st dan in Sho Moo Do.  Chris and his daughter Savannah head up our “Grasshoppers” children’s program.  This is our youngest-age group (ages 4-7), and the class meets one night per week as an introduction to the martial arts.  Also, Chris has taken it upon himself to be a true spiritual leader in ADA.  Each Tuesday evening we have a time of devotions and prayer prior to beginning class.  The devotional time is very important and is of great value to our school.  Indeed, each class session is begun with a time of prayer.
Chris is one of two instructors heavily involved in developing our Sho Moo Do curriculum.  Along with Kendall Weeks, he has been pouring himself into this project with great dedication and fervor.   As Sho Moo Do was never officially developed as a style, having been written down and organized in the 1970’s, there is much work to be done.  Chris is shouldering a tremendous burden as he assists Sensei Riggs with this task.
Prior to reaching his current status, Chris has had to pass over many hurdles.  There were several written exams and much practice experience to qualify for the assistant-teacher role.  Then, as an assistant, there was an even greater amount of experience in time and excellence demanded prior to being allowed to become a full instructor.  The final step was a paper on a subject chosen by Sensei Riggs that was felt appropriate for Chris’s development in relation to being a leader in ADA.  Mr. Peterson passed in every possible way with flying colors!

Instructor – Kendall Weeks – Chodan Bo (provisional blackbelt – youth)
Ms. Weeks has been with ADA since June 2006.  She is one of only 3 people in 32 years who have quit training under Sensei Riggs and later returned.  She is a person of great fortitude and discipline, and is both the first woman ever promoted in ADA and the only student under the age of 16 to become an instructor. Kendall has, along with Mr. Peterson, taken upon herself the very difficult task of working for two ranks in two different arts at the same time.  She is currently pursuing 2nd dan in Tang Soo Do and 1st dan in Sho Moo Do.
Kendall is also very active with Chris in the developing the Sho Moo Do curriculum and its organizational program.  The task of combining elements of Moo Duk Kwan, Tang Soo Do, and Shotokan has been a daunting task. Any and all written works from the 1970’s were lost to us, with mostly oral traditions, memories and practice sessions remaining to build upon. We are fortunate to have a DVD of some special forms from the mid-1980s, which has helped in this task.  Sensei Riggs may never have been able to complete this project on his own, and has been greatly aided by Chris & Kendall’s hard work, tremendous effort, and constant encouragement.

Assistant Instructor (Sempai) – Savannah Peterson – 1st gup Brown Belt Tang Soo Do
Savannah is currently training for her black belt, and recently became “sempai” after taking the written exam and proving her teaching skills in classes for over 7 months.  She has dedicated a total of 3 ½ years to her training at this time, and is another exceptional student.  Savannah is another of 3 students in 34 years who had ceased training but returned later to begin training again.  This can be very difficult, if not almost impossible for most people to do, and we are encouraged by her perseverance.

Mrs. Sensei – Dianne Riggs
The school is often very dependent on her great skills in keeping things organized and running smoothly.  This is especially true during special events such as “Weekend in the Woods”, which would fail without her ever-present guiding hand.  No special event at ADA would run smoothly without her input and involvement.