Martial Arts - Our Tang Soo Do Masters

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Instructor - Royal Harrell was born in Los Angeles, California and moved to Vista at the age of 9 with his mother and younger sister who has cerebral palsy. His family grew up poor, but were rich at heart. Because of his little sister, he later became a substitute teacher for special education. He enjoys helping people with all types of disabilities and would like to one day open a studio for special needs.

Royal is a father of four and two of them train at California Karate Academy -- a son and a daughter make up the rest of Team Harrell. Having his little ones doing what he likes to do and not forcing them to train is, in his words, epic. "Honestly it’s my daughter that keeps me motivated. She gives me hope and motivation, teaching me the NEVER GIVE UP rule."  

Besides learning Tang Soo Do, Royal has background experience in Shotokan, Shorin Ryu and Jiu-Jitsu. Because of his previous and current training he now teaches the sparring classes on Fridays. He thinks that a well-rounded martial artist should train in both stand up and ground disciplines and encourages students to do both.

Assistant Instructor - Jennifer Volkman is one of the original students of CKA and was very proud to earn her Cho Dan (1st Degree Black Belt) in August of 2020. Jen grew up in Indiana and earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, where she met her husband, Dave. They have lived in the San Diego area for over 14 years.

Diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in the Spring of 2013, Jen has worked hard to improve her physical well-being and her Tang Soo Do practice is a key component. She is so grateful for the amazing CKA family, and that she gets to share this practice with her daughter, Natalie. Jen very much enjoys teaching with the goal of becoming a Kyosa Nim (certified instructor). When not on the mats, she enjoys scrapbooking and scuba diving with her family. Tang Soo! 

Assistant Instructor - Julie Cornwell is a Minnesota native and her, along with her daughter Fiona, are two of CKA’s original students. In college, Julie majored in Latin and minored in Biology before she went off to live and work in Europe for the better part of a decade. She relocated to her husband’s home state of California in 2015.

Because of her upbringing, Julie participated in a variety of athletic and artistic endeavors such as ballet, tap, volleyball, tennis, basketball, and track.  Her interest in keeping physically fit lead her to studying Tae Kwon Do with her oldest daughter.

Julie enjoys being challenged mentally and physically and encourages other students to push themselves outside of their comfort zones. She is an excellent addition to our Tang Soo Do team and brings knowledge, expertise, and wisdom to our floor.

Assistant Instructor - Mr. Roth Jr. started martial arts training at 7 years old at the Carlsbad Boys club. Later, while attending the Institute for Effective Education (IEE) High School, He earned his Brown Belt in Isshin-Ryu.  He began training in Tang Soo Do with Master K. Courage in Encinitas in 2004. He received his Black belt in 2009 and continued training to ultimately receive his 2nd Degree Black Belt in 2011 and his 3rd Degree Black Belt in 2014.

Mr. Roth Jr. is also active as a Special Olympics athlete. He has competed in tennis, golf, swimming, and bowling at Regional and Southern California events. In 2018 he was invited to be one of two Special Olympics tennis athletes to represent all of Southern California at the 2018 National Special Olympics in Seattle, Washington. At this tournament he won a Silver Medal in mixed doubles tennis with his partner and he won a Bronze Medal in his singles tennis division.

As a 3rd Degree Black Belt, Mr. Roth Jr. thoroughly enjoys assisting in classes at California Karate Academy while continuing his own training.