Dr. Marcus Rogers

Sandan · 50 years in the martial arts · Former law enforcement · Forensic research psychologist · Teaching in West Lafayette since 2011

Sensei Rogers has trained in the martial arts for 50 years, 40 of them in Shotokan karate. He began his karate training in Canada and was a member of the Manitoba Provincial Karate Team. He competed in kata and kumite at the state, provincial and national levels, winning several medals. He has also studied Judo, Kung Fu, Gung Fu and Northern Shaolin Boxing, has practiced Tai Chi, and currently practices Qigong. Dr. Rogers is a forensic research psychologist and structures his classes around proven behavioral techniques.

He is a former law enforcement officer who served as a defensive tactics instructor and a certified pressure point techniques instructor. He continues to work with law enforcement agencies worldwide, and holds sworn law enforcement status in the State of Indiana as a special investigator with the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office, through his work as a professor and chief scientist with the Purdue/Tippecanoe High Tech Crime Unit. He has also been a security consultant to some of the top companies in the world, in both physical security and executive protection. He has real-world experience dealing with life-or-death situations and brings that practical understanding into his teaching. He has conducted self-defense seminars internationally.

His Shotokan lineage runs through Sensei Loreth (President of ISKF Canada), Sensei Marr (Chief Technical Director, ITKF Canada) and Sensei Milevsky (Director and Chief Instructor, Japan Karate Association Indiana). He also received instruction from the late Sensei Nishiyama (President of the AAKF and Chairman of the ITKF), under whom he tested; the late Sensei Yaguchi (Chief Instructor and Chairman of the ISKF); and the late Sensei Sugiyama (Master Instructor).

After the passing of Sensei Nishiyama and Sensei Sugiyama, the governing bodies were consumed by political disputes. Rather than take a side, Sensei Rogers chose to keep the dojo independent of any organization. He holds the rank of Sandan, a third-degree black belt (instructor rank), examined in 2019 under Sensei Milevsky.

The President examines kyu grades and chairs Dan examinations. A Dan grade at or above his own rank is examined by an invited external examiner, as the standards require.