Meet Our Coaching Staff
At the heart of Kaizen Academy is a world-class coaching team with national and international experience, dedicated to developing the next generation of fencing talent. Our coaches have guided athletes to national titles, collegiate success, and elite competition across the U.S. and beyond. With a deep understanding of épée strategy, technical precision, and athlete development, they bring both passion and proven expertise to every lesson. Meet the mentors behind our champions.
Kevin Mar
KEO (Kaizen Executive Officer) and Maitre d'Epee
Coach Kevin has worked extensively in fencing over the last 25 years as a competitor, coach, and referee.
He is an international referee from the world governing organization, Federation Internationale Escrime (FIE), and International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS). Additionally, he is a Senior USA Fencing referee and Certified Referee Instructor (CRI).
Coach Kevin has taught world champions, has his international coaches certification (USFCA and AAI) and has his Maitre d’Epee.
George Peebles
Academy Manager
Coach George started his fencing career with Metro Tacoma Fencing in 2004. He started in foil and epee but found his passion in saber! Coach George is a trained fencer and is a referee in all three weapons.
He has since focused his time on his coaching and helping students gain a passion for fencing, he has aided in the coaching and instruction of numerous students who have won national medals and have gone off to fence in college.
Coach George has now set his sights on returning to the world of competition in the 2024-25 season.
Stewart Watson
Coach
Coach Stewart started his coach career with his Hungarian Fencing Master in 2004. Since then, he has coached in Denmark, the Philippines as well as being the High-Performance manager for the Singapore Fencing Federation. As a three weapon coach his students have represented:
- Junior, Cadet and Senior world championships at Foil and Sabre
- Junior, Cadet and Senior Nordic Championships
- Cadet and Veteran World Championships for Sabre
- FIE Advanced and British Fencing Level IV Coach (Maitre equivalency)
A standout career highlight was when his student earned a Silver medal at the World 50+ Championships—followed the very next day by leading Team GB to victory in the Veterans Women’s Team Sabre World Championship.
Alvise Porta
Maitre d'Armes
Coach Alvi brings decades of high-level experience to Kaizen Academy as a former Head Coach and Manager at Sala di Scherma Società del Giardino in Milan—one of the oldest and most prestigious fencing clubs in the world.
He also served as Head Coach for Ireland’s Men’s Épée Team and holds three Maestro di Scherma degrees, the highest level of coaching certification. Coach Alvi has trained athletes of all ages and developed numerous national and international champions, including Junior World and European medalists. He’s excited to lead and grow the fencing program at Kaizen Academy.
Kim Richards
Moniteur d'Epee
Coach Kim primarily works with beginner épéeists. She discovered fencing in 2022 when her children began taking classes at Kaizen Academy—and from her very first bout, she was hooked. What began as a supportive parent role quickly turned into a personal passion, and she immersed herself in the sport with enthusiasm and determination.
After a year of training and competing in tournaments, Kim decided to pursue coaching. It was the perfect blend of her passions: fencing, community building, and encouraging young athletes to explore new challenges.
In her first year as a coach-in-training, Kim was selected for the USA Fencing Women’s Coaching Development Program—a national mentorship initiative that pairs new women coaches with experienced mentors to support their growth in the sport. She has since earned her Moniteur certification, officially recognizing her as a trained fencing coach.
Sam Moreno
Maitre d'Armes
Coach Sam began his fencing career when he was 8 years old and eventually became part of the Chilean national team for almost his entire sports career, covering the cadet, youth and senior categories, until he was 30 years old.
Simultaneously while becoming a high level referee he worked as a coach in several national fencing clubs in Chile, where he had exponential growth as a coach, which led him to become one of the most prominent coaches in Chile.
In 2016, he assumed the position of National Foil Coach for the youth and adult teams in Chile, achieving significant international successes with his athletes, including an individual silver medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. In early 2020, he got an important position in the Chilean Modern Pentathlon Federation as epee coach of the national team. Over time, he rose to the position of Head Coach of the Chilean Modern Pentathlon team, serving in this role until 2024.
