instructors

About the Instructors

All instructors are certified black belt teachers who have completed all the required curriculum and have been through our assistant instructor teaching preparation. The instructors are all under the guidance of Master John Austino, and are required to participate in seminars and clinics to enhance their teaching and knowledge base.

Glassboro School - Austino's Karate Do (Headquarters)

Four Seasons Health Club

626 Delsea Drive North

Glassboro, NJ 08028-1419

Tel: 609.802.2085

Buena School - Austino's Karate Do

The Firm for Health & Fitness

12 Wheat Road
Buena, NJ 8310

Tel: 609.802.2085

Hainesport School - Tsuru Ki Martial Arts

1381, Suite B, Route 38

Hainesport, New Jersey 08036
Tel: 609.458.2232

Master John Austino Jr - Chief Instructor

Stephen Garavento, Sensei - Head Instructor

Master John Austino, Sr

Brian White, Sensei

Gus Dressner, Sensei

Taylor Burke, Sensei

D.J. Detetta, Sensei

Troy Sprenger, Sensei

Master Steve Cianelli, Chief Instructor

Master John Austino, Jr.

Master John R. Austino, Jr., was born in 1965 in Bridgeton, NJ. He began his karate training in 1982 and has trained under Masters John Austino, Sr., Phil Maldonato, Ric Pascetta, and Maestro Peter Urban, under whom he received his black belt certification. Master Austino is a police officer for the State of New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS). He started his law enforcement career in 1993 with the Vineland, NJ Police Department. He is a Defensive Tactics Instructor. In 1995 he was instrumental in developing a Defensive Tactics program for the Vineland Police Department and Police Academy. In 1995 he completed SWAT I and II level training with the Los Angeles Police Department. From 1995 to 2000 he was a member of the Vineland SWAT Team. In 1998 he received certification in GRAPLE - Gracie Resisting Attack Procedures for law Enforcement under direct instruction of Royce Gracie. From 1995 to 2003 he has certified over 500 police recruits in Defensive Tactics, Handcuffing and Baton training. In 2003 he transferred to the State of New Jersey Human Services Police Department and in 2005 helped to develop a Defensive Tactics program for the State of New Jersey Human Services Police Department.

Master John Austino, Sr.

Master John Austino Sr. was born in 1947 in Vineland, New Jersey. He began his karate training in 1979 under Master Ric Pascetta. He also trained under Phil Maldonato and Grand Master Peter Urban. He trained with Grand Master Urban until his death in 2004. In 1982 he opened his first karate school in Williamstown, New Jersey. He produced top rated students who competed both locally and nationally. Master Austino competed both nationally and internationally as well. From 1985 to 1988 Sensei Austino was a dominate force in the United Martial Arts Referees Association Senior’s Division where he won Senior Division championships in 1987 and 1988. From 1983 to 1989 Sensei Austino was a licensed Professional Boxing Manager and a licensed corner person. He also was a boxing sparring partner for middleweight Jamming Johnny Miller. From 1994 to 1995 he was the U.M.A.R.A. New Jersey Director. During that time he served as the rules committee chairman, and served on the committee for certification of center referees.

In 2006 he received his instructor’s certification in the Monadnock Defensive Tactics System from the Monadnock Police Training Council. During that time he assisted Master john Austion, Jr. in training New Jersey Public school security forces in that system. He attended the Academy Of Enforcement Agents and was certified under Pennsylvania’s Lethal Weapons Training Act. He also became certified in CDT, Non Deadly Force Techniques, Level One.

Master Steve Cianelli

Master Cianelli began his martial arts training in 1988 while attending Temple University in Shotokan Karate under Master Teruyuki Okazaki (1988-1989). Then in 1992 he began his study of USA GoJu under Masters John Austino Sr. & Jr. and has attained the rank of 4th degree in USA GoJu.

Master Cianelli is a graduate of Temple University School of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. For the past 19 years he has been involved in design of power plants and substations. Presently he is a Program Manager for Altran Solutions where he directs the efforts of multi disciplined engineering projects for various power utilities throughout the country. He is a member of the United Martial Arts Referees Association where he has been elected to the position of Recording Secretary and a n Executive Board member of the Tiger Family Iaido Association. He is a certified UMARA Class “A” Referee. He is an active competitor and has been recognized as one of the outstanding martial arts competitors in U.M.A.R.A. for Forms, Weapons and Sparring 1996 to Present. Master Cianelli has a daughter who also trains in GoJu Ryu.

In addition, he is a fifteen-year student of White Crane Chi Kung and Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan. Sifu Cianelli has studied directly under the Grandmaster S. L. Martin and Master Judie Martin since 1996.

In 2010 he began studying Invincible White Crane under Master Judie Martin. Sifu Cianelli is an assistant instructor at the Green Dragon headquarters school and member of the Green Dragon Demo Team and prestigious Green Dragon Chinese Martial Arts School International Exhibition Team. He has accompanied Grandmaster S. L. Martin on four trips to Taiwan, R.O.C. In November 2007, he was promoted to Black Sash in the White Crane Chi Kung System of Taiwan, Republic of China, under the direction of Grandmaster S. L. Martin.

Master Cianelli has a daughter who also trains under Master John Austino, Jr. Master Cianelli is a graduate of Temple University School of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. For the past 19 years he has been involved in design of power plants and substations. Presently he is a Senior Program Manager for Altran Solutions where he directs the efforts of multi disciplined engineering projects for various power utilities throughout the country. He is a member of the United Martial Arts Referees Association where he has been elected to the position of Recording Secretary. In addition to this appointment, he is the official Webmaster for U.M.A.R.A. and the A.K.D. and is a certified Class “A” Referee. He is an active competitor and has been recognized as one of the outstanding martial arts competitors in U.M.A.R.A. for Forms, Weapons and Sparring 1996 to Present. He is also a 2011 NAFMA Team USA World Champion.

Stephen Garavento, Sensei

Sensei Garavento has studied USA GoJu Ryu under Master John Austino, Jr. since 1994. Under Master John Austino Jr. he achieved the rank of San Dan. He assists in teaching both the Children’s and Adult classes at Austino’s Karate Do. Mr. Garavento has also assisted teaching various women’s self defense classes, and defensive tactics classes to Vineland School District Security forces.

Mr. Garavento is a High School teacher at Cumberland Regional High School where he teaches social studies.

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GOJU RYU HISTORY

It was the Okinawan Master Kanryo Higaonna (1853-1915) through his intensive studies in Fuzhou, China (Fujian province, 1867-1881), who laid the foundation for what would become Goju-Ryu Karate-Do. Kanryo Higaonna set sail for the city of Fuzhou in the autumn of 1867, when he was 15, and settled in the Okinawan community known as the Ryukyu Kan, an area compromising a microcosm of Okinawan life. Kanryo Higaonna was eager to study the Chinese martial arts and was introduced to the Chinese Master Ryu Ryu Ko. The devotion of Kanryo Higaonna was such that he eventually became Ryu Ryu Ko's, uchi-deshi (senior student), learning his entire martial system. He also studied weapons, and traditional Chinese medicine. It is not exactly clear in what year Kanryo Higaonna began teaching the martial arts in Okinawa, but it is known that he did not begin teaching until a few years after his return from China. He had many notable students and eventually his most dedicated student, Chojun Miyagi, succeeded him as the leading Master of Naha-te (Chinese or Okinawa hands).

Chojun Miyagi (1888-1953) is the founder of today's Goju-Ryu Karate-Do; he was responsible for taking the Naha-te of his teacher and formulating it into his own martial arts system. Miyagi was Kanryo Higaonna's most talented student and his chosen heir. Miyagi came from a wealthy family of ship owners who imported medicines from China and supplied them to the royal family, the government and leading Okinawan trading houses.

After the death of Higaonna Kanryo, Miyagi, dedicated himself full-time with the study of martial arts. Miyagi traveled to Fuzhou. Back on Okinawa, Miyagi became friends with two tea-merchants from Fuzhou Wu Xianhui and Tang Daiji. Both merchants were famous martial arts teachers. Wu Xianhui (1886-1940) came to Naha in 1912 to teach White Crane Kung Fu. Tang Daiji (1887-1937) a Tiger Boxing (Hu Quan) master who also emigrated from Fuzhou to Naha.

Miyagi dedicated his whole life to the development of what was called Toudi- Jutsu ( China hand art) or simply 'te' on Okinawa. In 1921, Crown-Prince Hirohito visited Okinawa and witnessed a demonstration of Naha-te by Chojun Miyagi. In 1925 Miyagi demonstrated the style for prince Chichibu-Nomiya and, in 1926, founded the Okinawa Karate Kenkyu-Kai (Okinawa Karate Research Club) together with Chomo Hanashiro (Shuri-te), Choyu Motobu (Tomari-te) and Kenwa Mabuni. One year later, Chojun Miyagi demonstrated to Jigoro Kano (the founder of Judo), grappling, locking and throwing techniques and the correct use of breathing.

In 1933, Chojun Miyagi registered his Toudi-Jutsu officially as Goju-Ryu at the prestigious Dai Nippon Butokukai, (All Japan Martial Arts Association). Miyagi, recognized by the Ministry of Physical Education for his art, received the highest honor of the Dai Nippon Butokukai and was appointed representative to the Butokukai department for Okinawa. Goju-Ryu Karate-Do was the first and the oldest karate-tradition recognized by the Dai Nippon Butokukai and the founder, Chojun Miyagi, was awarded significant accolades.

Gogen Yamaguchi (1909-1989) was born Jitsumi Yamaguchi on January 20,1909. In 1930, Yamaguchi and his instructor Sensei Jitsuei Yogi, were the primary cofounders of the Ritsumei-Kan Dai-Gaku Karate Kenkyu Kai, the first Karate club at Ritsumei-Kan University. Soon the dojo became famous in the city, known for it's hard training. In those days karate men practiced only kata (formal movements) and yakusoku kumite (prearranged sparring) and were unable to have matches between each other since they did not hold back their techniques. It was during this period that Yamaguchi created the first stages towards what is known as jiyu kumite (free fighting) and established rules to decide the winner of a match. Some of the rules are still in use today in what is known as sport or competition karate. In 1928 Chojun Miyagi visited Japan to teach his style of karate. He had taught in the Judo Club of Kyoto University in which Yamaguchi attended. He came back to teach in Japan on other occasions, and in 1931, Gogen Yamaguchi was introduced to him. In 1937, he was entrusted by Master Chojun Miyagi with the task of popularizing and developing Goju-Ryu Karate-do on the Japanese mainland. Yamaguchi continued his relationship with Miyagi through visits to

Okinawa and short instructional visits by Miyagi while touring Japan. Master Yamaguchi succeeded in uniting many karate schools in Japan into a single union which resulted in the formation of The Federation of All Japan Karate-do Organization (F.A.J.K.O.) in 1964. The Kokusai Budo Renmei (The International Martial Arts Federation) in Japan, whose chairman was Prince Higashikuni of the Japanese Imperial Family appointed Master Yamaguchi as Shihan (Master) of the organization’s karate division. He added to the Japanese Goju system other kata, including the Taikyoku forms, - training methods for the beginner students to prepare them for the more advanced kata. "The Cat" is Yamaguchi's nickname. There are several reasons given for this, such as his long hair, which resembles a lion's mane, his movements which resemble those of a cat, or his use of the cat stance in sparring. Yamaguchi himself explained it to interviewer Rolland Gaillac, of the French magazine "Karate" (April 1977 edition), in the following words: "Even today, young man, if you were to face me in combat, I would be able to determine in a second the strength of your Ki. Immediately I would know if you were a good opponent. It is this quality, and no other, which has given me the name of The Cat."

In 1953 Peter Urban (August 14, 1934 - April 7, 2004) was a young sailor when he was introduced to karate in Yokohama, Japan. After training for one year with Sensei Richard Kim, Peter Urban traveled to Tokyo and was introduced to Gogen Yamaguchi. He was accepted as a student of Gogen Yamaguchi. In 1957, Peter Urban opened a small Dojo in Tokyo, Japan, and he competed in the all-Japan College Championships that same year. In 1959, Sensei Urban moved to America, and opened his first American Dojo in Union City, New Jersey. Sensei Urban was reportedly one of the men responsible for establishing structured tournaments in America, with one of the first being the North American Karate Championships in 1962 held at Madison Square Garden. In the early 1970s, Sensei Urban returned to Japan to ask Gogen Yamaguchi for permission to establish in America a karate system separate from Japan's. Yamaguchi refused, saying the rules of Bushido stated that no white man could achieve Nirvana. Urban, dissatisfied with the decision, retorted that these same rules stated that Japan could never lose a war. This statement offended the Sensei Yamaguchi. Realizing this and not meaning any disrespect, Sensei Urban prepared to follow samurai custom and cut off his pinky finger in apology to his sensei. Yamaguchi's oldest son stopped him from doing this; however, the damage was done. Seeing this as a turning point, Urban returned to America and incorporated himself as the founder of American Goju. USA GoJu is an eclectic synthesis of the education, training, and

experience of Sensei Peter Urban. There are three primary influences of USA GoJu. Chogun Miyagi, the Founder of Goju-Ryu Karate, Gogen Yamaguchi - the Founder of the first GoJu Karate School in Japan and Peter Urban - founder of the USA GoJu Karate System, he was a student of the following martial arts Masters Gogen Yamaguchi, Richard Kim, and Mas Oyama. Although his style of USA GoJu/Urban GoJu is closely related to that of Yamaguchi's Japanese GoJu Ryu, Sensei Urban infused several styles of Karate together to form USA GoJu Karate. He was the 10th Dan Grand Patriarch of all USA GoJu systems. He is the father of the American GoJu Karate in America. He is also responsible for the development of several Martial Arts systems throughout the world.

Austino's Karate Do

Four Seasons Health Club

626 Delsea Drive North

Glassboro, NJ 08028-1419

Tel: 609.802.2085

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