Barry Brown - Master Instructor
'Kwan Jang Nim'
Barry Brown began his training in the Japanese Shotokan style in December of 1966 under Master Teruyuki Okazaki in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the belt colors were white, green, brown, and black.
In mid-1967 Barry moved to the Washington, D.C. area and brought along a letter of introduction from Master Okazaki to Master Ki Whang Kim, a Tang Soo Do stylist. After reading the letter, Mr. Kim accepted Barry into his school and replaced his white belt (8th kyu) with a gold belt (8th gup) to match the rank Barry had attained in Philadelphia.
When the Lee school closed in mid-1972, Barry joined the Roberts school where his grade of 1st brown was accepted without question. Barry trained hard at the Roberts school and by the end of 1972 was awarded his 1st Dan. Continued hard training earned him his 2nd Dan in 1974.
In 1988 he earned his 5th Dan, achieving Master level. Barry continued to earn promotions at the Roberts school until 2004 when he was awarded his 8th Dan from Master Roberts.
After the Roberts school closed its doors at the end of 2005, Barry began to train at another school in northern Virginia. After a short time, he decided he preferred to teach the martial arts traditions he had learned and practiced during his many years of karate. Thus was born Browns Karate.
Andrew Herndon - Instructor
'Sa Bom Nim'
Andrew Herndon began his training in Tang Soo Do in January of 1990, and through arduous training he worked his way up to a sixth dan on June 11th, 2022. He began teaching the art in 1996 and soon proved that he has a great knack for instructing Tang Soo Do. He first taught at the former Roberts School of Karate, and he became a regular Instructor at Brown's Karate when our school first opened.
Carl Thomas - Instructor
'Sa Bom Nim'
Carl Thomas began his martial arts training in 1983 as a student of the Art Den Jitsu System in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. After his Navy service he resumed martial arts training in the Virgina Beach area. When he moved to northern Virginia in 1998, Carl joined the Roberts School of Karate where he continued his training. He earned his first and second degree black belts there before that school closed. Carl joined Brown's Karate as an Instructor and earned his third dan with us in May 2006, his fourth dan on April 2, 2011, and fifth dan on June 11th, 2022.