Our Instructors

Sensei Steve Ozminkowski is a 6th Dan Karateka in Isshinryu Karate, and is the founder and head instructor at Shiage Do Martial Arts. Steve was born June 7th 1990. As a child who was barely walking, Sifu Tom Ozminkowski began to teach Steve the basics of blocking and punching from his own experience in Northern Shaolin Kung Fu and Wing Chun. Steve showed promise and Tom enrolled him at Arikata Martial Arts under the tutelage of Renshis Barb and Ron Keiser at the age of 10. Steve rose through the ranks in Isshin Ryu, and began working as a professional karate instructor at Arikata at the age of 15. Steve earned his Sho-Dan on February 2nd 2006. Steve continued to work at Arikata Martial Arts through college adding training in Judo, Taekwondo, Tai Chi, and Jeet Kun Do to his skill in Isshin Ryu.

​ Steve continued to teach at Arikata until it closed on September 27th 2014, when he decided to continue training a small group of students from Arikata at his house. Steve has continued training with those same students, and they have become his core group of assistant instructors at Shiage Do Martial Arts. In 2018 after earning the rank of Go-Dan Steve decided to open his classes up to new students, officially creating Shiage-Do Martial Arts.

​Steve has competed in dozens of competitions including those put on by AAU Karate, Kyokushin Karate, OIKKA, and USA Judo. Steve led four of his students to the 2018 OIKKA World Championship Tournament in New Jersey who, as a group, placed in 13 of the 15 events they were entered in.

​Steve currently is employed by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, and is certified as a General Topics instructor and DCJS Defensive Tactics Instructor by New York State.  Steve also enjoys working out, tabletop gaming, wood working, and spending time with his wife and dogs.​

Sifu Tom Ozminkowski is a Black Sash in Northern Shaolin Kung fu and Wing Chun, and is a co-owner of Shiage-Do Martial Arts. Tom was born July 7th 1957. As a young man growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, Tom loved watching Adam West’s Batman, The Avengers, and The Green Hornet starring Bruce Lee. Tom fell in love with the martial arts, and started trying to find and read anything related to martial arts he could get his hands on.

​As Tom got older and started college, he took classes in several styles looking for the one that “fit” him. Tom studied Taekwondo and then studied Kung Fu from a close friend. At his friend’s urging, Tom started taking classes from Sifu Jean Duteau at the Shaolin Martial Arts Academy. Tom studied at the Shaolin Martial Arts Academy until it closed in the 1980’s. At the time quality martial arts schools were difficult to find, so Tom continued his training with friends, and delving back into books to broaden his training.​ 

Tom passed his love of the martial arts to Sensei Steve Ozminkowski at a young age, teaching him to punch and kick from the time he could stand. As Steve got older, Tom renewed his search for a quality martial arts school, this time to enroll his son in structured classes.​

As Steve studied at Arikata Martial Arts, Tom was always there, observing the class, and appropriating all the knowledge he could get his hands on. Tom took full advantage of family training classes at Arikata, along with attending a large number of seminars. Tom led a competition class, and was the head coach of the Competition Team at Arikata Martial Arts. As Arikata closed its doors in 2014, Tom agreed to help Steve run the “Arikata Karate Club” providing continued training to the students of Arikata Martial Arts.​

Tom has continued training with Steve, and is working to earn his Black Belt in Isshin Ryu Karate. Tom is currently employed full time at Shiage Do Martial Arts, and works hard to ensure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. Tom also enjoys spending time with his ever expanding family.

Sensei Bill is a 4th degree black belt in Isshinryu karate and managing partner of Shiage Do Martial Arts. Bill  began his karate training in 2003. He trained at a local karate school until his instructor at the time started his own school in 2007, which Bill began training at when it opened. He was not always the most motivated student in the dojo until he began to get close to black belt and decided to really commit to passing his test. In 2009 Bill received his promotion to Sho-Dan, first degree black belt.

In 2012 Bill began teaching and immediately began enjoying it.  Since then he has trained with many different instructors and attended many seminars in an effort to add some diversity to his training and is able to pass much of this experience on to students he continues to teach. Bill is a registered member of the Okinawan Isshinryu Karate and Kobudo Association and was certified through the association as an instructor  in 2019.

Bill joined the Shiagedo board of advisors in 2018 when the school was founded and has been involved in much of the planning and behind the scenes work since then. Since then he could be seen occasionally participating in classes or at dojo functions. In 2021 Bill officially took on the role of managing partner and has a more direct role in working towards the success of Shiage Do.

During his free time Bill enjoys working with technology and traveling. In 2019 Bill traveled to several cities in Japan and was able to meet and train with O.I.K.K.A. students and instructors in Gifu. Bill is also a mechanic and enjoys working with cars.

Sensei Jason Knapp is a 2nd degree black belt in Isshinryu karate and is an instructor at Shiage-do Martial Arts. When Jason turned 5 years old he was enrolled in karate classes at Arikata Martial Arts in Greece under Sensei’s Ron and Barb Keiser in August of 2008. Jason continued training year round there until it’s close in 2014.

After Arikata closed Jason continued training with Sensei Steve Ozminkowski when he opened the Arikata karate club, and continued his training there until he was shut down from karate in November of 2016 after a knee injury caused him to have to have 4 knee surgeries over the next 6 months. After the surgeries and rehab Jason returned back to train in the summer of 2017 and has trained there since. Jason earned his black belt on December 4th 2017. In 2018 Jason went with Sensei Steve and 3 other students to New Jersey for the O.I.K.K.A. World Championship Tournament and took home first place in both sparring and kata.

Jason now teaches at Shiage Do Martial Arts and still actively trains in the adult class under Sensei Steve. Jason also enjoys playing baseball, fishing on his boat in the summer with his dad, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.