KENOSHA — A church isn’t the first place you’d expect to find a karate class. But through the backdoor of Lakeside Lutheran Church in Kenosha, is where you'll find Christopher Braun teaching. He has been there for about 22 years.
"We started in '96. We were at a couple of city parks, worked out of a couple of friend's basements, and then starting in 21, 22 years ago we were in this building," Braun said.
He estimates about 750 people have taken his classes at Braun's Karate and Martial Arts. His goal is to carry on the martial arts tradition by making it accessible to everyone. That means very inexpensive lesson fees or none at all.
"What we try to do here is make it accessible to everybody. So it doesn't matter how much you make or if you have the money to be able to support it. We ask just for a minimal donation of students here $15 a month, and that goes to belts, certificates, patches, things like that. And the leftover money we make a donation to the church as a thank you for allowing us to be here," he said.
If the students can't pay, well that's no issue.
“We will have students who want to join but can’t pay at all we’ll have them clean the dojo or do outreach programs," Braun said.
Thanks to his selfless dedication to teaching, he has touched hundreds of people's lives.
Watch the story on the Martial Arts Hall of Famer...
He’s touched the lives of hundreds of people in Kenosha.
“He feels like family to me," Rodriguez Stevenson, one of his students, said.
“He’s a good teacher," Corvin Parker, one of his students, said.
“He is an amazing person and he gives all of himself," Jennifer Parker, one of his students said.
For his more than 3 decades of dedication, Braun was given a major honor. He was inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame as a distinguished instructor back in July.
“To be put at the same level as some of these other people is very humbling," Braun said.
The award is nice, but that’s not what drives him.
“What are you most proud of?” TMJ4's James Groh asked.
“Them," Braun said as he pointed towards his students. “The fact that my job gets in the way. You know, I have to work weekends and stuff.”
Braun is a nurse, but martial arts is his life.
“Like I said it chose me. It was something that just fell into place.”
His life's mission is to keep learning and passing on the tradition of martial arts.
“I enjoy it. It’s all I’ve ever done," Braun said.
As for the church, he has no plans to move. So you’ll find this hall of famer here three days a week pursuing his passion and living his dream.
Pursuing his passion and living his dream.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.