Instructors

Eric Parsons

Eric Parsons began studying Okinawan Goju-Ryu in 1997 under Sensei Jeffre Firman, with whom he trained for 7 years. Shortly after the completion of his graduate school studies, Mr. Parsons left Missouri and traveled to Uganda to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. While working in this capacity, he founded the first goju-ryu karate school in the country and used this martial arts training to foster life skills development among his students and members of the surrounding community. Upon returning from Uganda in 2006, Mr. Parsons earned his San Dan ranking and also started the Karate for Life Foundation, an organization that seeks to promote life skills education through the study of the martial arts. Mr. Parsons is presently employed as a mathematics instructor at Metropolitan Community College - Blue River in Independence, Missouri, where he helped found the Blue River Martial Arts Club in January of 2008. In addition to goju-ryu, Mr. Parsons is also currently studying judo and Matayoshi kobudo.