Sensei Tanner Critz is the owner and head instructor of Unity Martial Arts. His students appreciate the balance of knowledge, rigor, and friendliness he brings to martial arts training.

For 24 years Sensei Tanner has studied Cuong Nhu (2nd degree black belt), Tae Kwon Do (third degree black belt), Ninjitsu, Iaido, and Jujitsu. He began Cuong Nhu at the age of 10 in 1983, and favors its vast, customizable curriculum and its lively, close-knit community.

Although Sensei Tanner has a degree in Anthropology, he considers his most influential education hiking all 2,168 miles of the Appalachian Trail (read his account). During his six-month hike, he learned that it’s worth taking risks to do what you love—for instance, teaching martial arts full-time.

His business, Unity Martial Arts LLC, was originally based in Atlanta, Georgia and provided high-quality after-school programs for children at seven public and private schools. In 2008, Sensei Tanner opened the Little Rock dojo, so he and his wife and kids could live closer to extended family.