Grand Master Philip Ameris

Message from Grandmaster Ameris

9th Degree Black Belt
with over 50 years of experience

I thank God every day for the gift of the Martial Arts. I started my training when I turned 8 years old and never looked back. I found Martial Arts to be the one thing that enhances every aspect of my life. I feel so fortunate to have found a path at such a young age that has been so positive and rewarding.

Through Martial Arts I met my wife, trained alongside my children, and now am training with my grandchildren. I’ve had the honor of training under Tae Kwon Do’s Greatest of All Time (Grandmaster Hee Il Cho) for over 40 some years and met one of my life’s greatest mentors (Father Connolly). I have met, trained alongside and competed with various world champions, Masters and Grandmasters of many different styles and systems. I’ve had the fortune of traveling to different countries—competing, teaching, and learning. And I have been truly blessed to have had the privilege of dedicated and loyal students.

It is my goal as your instructor to pass on the benefits that traditional taekwondo training will provide, enhancing each and every aspect our students lives.

God Bless,

Grandmaster Philip Ameris

MASTER Jeanne Ameris

Program Director

6th degree Black Belt
with over 35 years’ experience

I have taught in many locations over the years—from local parks, to the YMCA, at Community Centers, in my home, and in several store fronts. Anywhere I could teach, I would teach. I was never interested in being in the “Martial Arts Business”. At the Do-Jang all I really wanted to do was train and teach. But in reality, to have a successful school, and to be able to sustain a location, you must have some business skills. This is where my wife really came into play; our first successful Do-Jang was on Reed Street in Lower Burrell, and it was a success in large part to Jeanne’s hard work, constant effort, organizational skills, and caring personality.

Jeanne began training Tae Kwon Do in her late 20’s as a way to spend time with our two growing sons, who were always at the school. Her first lessons came at our second go-round at the legendary 4th Avenue location in downtown New Kensington. Through the years, Jeanne has developed into an excellent Martial Artist in her own right—winning the AIMAA World Championship forms competition in Dublin, Ireland (2000). We eventually moved from the 4th Ave. Academy to the Arnold Community Center then to Memorial Park in transition to our first successful location on Reed St. in Lower Burrell, PA. The key to success at that location was simple: Jeanne literally took over running the entire business aspect (all behind the scenes) of running the Do-Jang.

Jeanne really knew how to operate a business. She did everything: recruiting students, setting up new programs, scheduling, developing instructors, and so much more. With Jeanne running the business we quickly outgrew our location and moved to a huge old car dealership in the Parnassus area of New Kensington. This space was unlike any school we’d had in the past or frankly that the greater Pittsburgh area had seen at that time. Our Do-Jang featured three large training areas, a complete weight room, private lesson rooms and, thanks to Jeanne, we were always packed.

Jeanne filled the school Fitness Kickboxing Classes with up to 65 students on the mats. We were fortunate enough to have multiple classes running at the same time, morning and evening offerings, and even classes for seniors. This was a true full-time Martial Arts facility. Jeanne was responsible for converting many of her Fitness Kickboxing Students into some of our current and longtime Black Belts, as well as getting so many of our students’ parents involved in training as she would literally drag them off their chairs and into the classroom.