Chief Instructor – Shihan Raul Shelton:

Shihan Shelton holds an 8th Degree, Black Belt in Joshinmon Shorin Ryu. He also holds a 4th Dan in Shotokan and has been involved with different Shito-Ryu Sensei’s for over 30 years. Overall, He has been involved in Martial Arts for over 55+ years and teaching Karate for over 46 to children and adults. He was involved in competition during his younger years from 1975 and until 1995. Shihan Shelton became a pool member of the Cuban National Team in 1978 and left Cuba in 1980 to immigrate to USA. Mr. Shelton competed in several State, National and International tournaments obtaining several Gold medals over a 20 years period until he retired from competition in 1995.

Shihan Shelton has also acquired the following certifications and appointments as follows:

• Received his Cuban National Referee License in 1978
• Certified USANKF National Kumite Referee A and Kata Judge A.
• Pan-American Kumite Referee A and Kata Judge A.
• World Karate Federation Kumite Referee A and Kata Judge A (Highest License in the World).
• Member of the USANKF Technical and Dan Certification Committee from 2012 to 2017 (Seven members in the entire USA).
• Current Member of the USANKF Operations Referee Commission from 2022 to 2023.
• He is also a Mechanical Engineer and holds a Professional Engineering license in the State of Texas since 2002.

Mr. Shelton has also been selected to officiate for the following international tournaments:

• University World Championship – Portugal 2014
• World Games – Karate – Atlanta, GA 2021
• Central American Games – El Salvador 2023
• World Combat Games – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2023

Instructor – Sensei Zeny Talley

Sensei Zeny holds a 4th Degree, Black Belt in Joshinmon Shorin-Ryu. She received her first Shodan Black Belt degree in Houston, Texas directly from So-Shihan Hoshu Ikeda (Joshinmon Shorin Ryu) during one of his visits to USA. She has been practicing Karate for 34 years. She has been a Gold Medalist at State, National and International tournaments several times. She placed 4th in Mandatory Katas at the USA-NKF National Championship in Houston, 2008 right with Elisa Ao-Fonseca and Emy Kurita.

She is a former member of the USA Team for the Senior USANKF National Karate Team and also competed in International tournaments in Japan. She has been our Head Team Coach for our AKR Houston Branch for over 12 years.

She also has a Bachelor in Science in Interior Design from Lamar University.

Sensei Lisy holds a 4th Degree, Black Belt in Joshinmon Shorin-Ryu. She received her first Shodan Black Belt in Houston, Texas directly from So-Shihan Hoshu Ikeda while visiting Houston on his first visit to USA. She has been practicing Karate for 32 years. She has been a Gold Medalist at State, National and International levels several times in Kumite (Sparring).

She is a former member of the Junior National Karate Team and represented the United States in The Junior Pan-American Karate Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay in 2005 and International tournaments in Japan 1999. She has been a member of our Coaching Team for our AKR Houston Branch for over 10 years and also has been a Tournament Director for many of our AKR Tournaments and other Local Tournaments in the Houston Area. She also has a degree in Education from Sam Houston State University.