Master Ellis is a martial artist with more than 35 years of training and practice in Hapkido (7th Degree, Moo Hap Sool) and Taekwondo (7th Degree, Moo Duk Kwan & Tang Soo Do), and more than 30 years of experience in teaching people to strengthen the connections between body, mind and spirit. He teaches martial arts to toddlers, youth, adults, senior citizens, athletes, the physically challenged, and children on the spectrum. He has more than 40 years of meditation practice in Christian, Zen, Vipassana and New Thought traditions. He is a career journalist who has written about martial arts, mediation and

health. Master Ellis founded Ananda Martial Arts & Fitness Academy in Oakland, where he teaches traditional martial arts, self-defense, meditation, and Five Realms Meditative Movement.

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In 1988 Master Ellis earned his Taekwondo 1st Degree Black Belt, a teaching certificate, and a school charter for the House of Wisdom Martial Arts Academy. That same year at Northwestern University he taught self-defense classes, at the request of fellow female students, that expanded into martial arts classes. At Northwestern he also studied Jūjutsu with Master John J. Lewis, Ph.D., an Army Special Forces Veteran and a former State Trooper. 

 

Master Ellis moved to California in 1997 and began training and teaching with Master Kenneth A. Pitts at Pitts Martial Arts Academy. At PMAA Ellis taught Taekwondo in the children and adult programs, and studied Capoeira. He also served as Vice President of the Taekwondo Division of the Unified World Martial Arts Federation founded by Professor Joe Halbuna (Kajukenbo) and Professor Wally Jay (Small Circle Jujutsu). In 2010 he renamed his school Ananda Martial Arts & Fitness Academy, and reopened full-time to the public. In 2023 Grandmaster McMurray promoted Master Ellis to his current rank of 7th Dan (Taekwondo and Hapkido) in the House of Discipline Martial Arts Group.