Sensei Mario Ambris

I was born in 1976 in Mexico City. My interest in martial arts began right after the movie "The Karate Kid" came out. I went to the closest karate school near me, and at the age of 8, I began training in the style of Mass-O-Yama under Sensei Rogelio Martinez. In 1985, my grandmother Bertha Cruz Campos passed away and I had to move to another part of the city. I had obtained the level of purple belt in Mass-O-Yama.

In 1986, I signed up at another school close to my new home. I studied the Chinesse art of Wu-Tai-Shan, Kung-Fu under Sifu (teacher) Alfonso Anaya. After 2 or 3 years, I obtained my red belt (equivalent to a brown belt in karate), but the school closed down due to location problems in the area.  In December of 1989, I moved to the United States. After settling in, I looked but did not find a Karate School around. It wasn't until 1993 when I realized that a new Karate school opened in my hometown. I signed up immediately after checking it out. In 1996 I earned my black belt under the teachings of Sensei Rick and Linda Dubbs in Isshinryu Karate. However, due to personal problems and situations  I left the school in 1997.

My love in Isshinryu Karate did not Stop there. In 1998, during one of his last visits to the United States, Grandmaster Angi Uezu came to the country to conduct a series of  seminars, a tournament, and he was also an inductee to the Okinawan Isshinryu Hall of Fame. I was fortunate to be part of all the events in which the master was present and it was a phenomenal experience to train with master Uezu during his short visit. I practiced on my own for the following years to come as family and work became very important and needed all of my time. In 2003, I decided I wanted to join my old Isshinryu Karate School and have my whole family involved as well. Shortly after, I earned the rank of nidan-ho (2nd degree) and in May of 2004 I earned my 3rd degree (San-dan).Isshinryu has been a big part of my life and I see myself doing Karate for the rest of my life as part of a lifetime committment. I encourage everyone to participate in Karate regardless of the style in order to obtain the same benefits that I have gained throughout the years.