About Us

Mr. Thai N. Le, Master Instructor and founder of Spirit Taekwondo Academy, is a 5th Degree Certified Black Belt with the World Taekwondo Federation.

Master Le has over 20 years of training in the Martial Arts, and has himself, trained many people, both adults and children, to Black Belt excellence.

Master Le is a former 3 time Canadian National Champion and International Silver Medallist. In 1995 he was honored with the Most Valuable Player Award at the Canadian National Taekwondo Team Trials. Having represented Canada at the World Championships and placing in the top 16 at the world championships in Manila, Philippines, Master Le knows what it takes to be a champion. He now dedicates his time to training champions. His lastest achievement has been training Bill Chahal to 2 National Championships.

Master Le has developed an excellent program that will improve your attitude, concentration, grades and teach you self-discipline! He not only teaches Martial Arts but valuable life skills that will help you grow to become a leader in the community.

His dedication and love for the Martial Arts has made him pursue a Martial Arts career to teach his knowledge and skills to all. His goal is to have each of his students sweating, smiling and learning in every class.

He is also a husband and father to 2 wonderful children, all of whom train in Taekwondo. Both his wife and son are Black Belts and his daughter is just starting out in our PeeWee program. Taekwondo has helped his family bond closer and hope that you will join our Taekwondo family.

I started training Judo when I was 5 years old with my father, Geraldo Resende. As soon as I started to get interested in competition, he took me to train with his master, sensei Takeshi Miura, who is 9th degree black belt in Judo. When I was 13 years old I also started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes to help me improve my Judo ground work. Ever since then, Jiu jitsu became part of my training routine as well. I moved from Brasília to Salvador for a year and I also trained with the BJJ masters Edson Carvalho and Ricardo Carvalho. After that, I moved to São Paulo and Belo Horizonte for a couple of years in order to get in a training center for Judo athletes. I represented my State, my University and also my Country a couple of times before and after I get back home. My first contact with Companhia Paulista BJJ Team was with sensei Carlos “Português”, in Brasília. He’s always had open arms with anybody who really wanted to train. He’s got awesome skills in BJJ, and is also an amazing person. “Good blooded”, like we would say in Brazil. After that a friend Edgard Luck from Judo as well and also a BJJ Black Belt under Master Milton Maximiano (one of the Cia Paulista Masters), invited me to be part of the team. Today I am 3rd degree Judo Black Belt and 2nd degree BJJ Black Belt, under masters Takeshi Miura (9th degree Judo red belt) and Milton Maximiano (5th degree Bjj black belt and 3th degree Judo black belt), and proud to be the leader of Companhia Paulista Canada Team in Edmonton, Alberta.

Tammy is the PeeWee (ages 4-6) instructor at Spirit Taekwondo. She has been teaching the little Spirits for over 8 years, a Black Belt certified by the World Taekwondo Federation and a Level 2 coach in the National Coaches Certification Program.

Her highest qualification to be the PeeWee’s Instructor is being a mother to her son and daughter. She fully understands what it takes to be patient and understanding for her peewees. The same life skills she teaches to the Little Spirits (Patience, Integrity, Respect, etc) are the same values she and her husband teach their children.

She hopes that you join our extended family here at Spirit Taekwondo; she knows that Taekwondo has brought their family closer together.

Bill has been participating in Taekwondo for over 8 years, and has been an instructor for more than 6 of those years here at Spirit Taekwondo. He is a 2^nd Dan Black Belt with the World Taekwondo Federation.

Bill has been one of the most successful competitors to emerge from Spirit Taekwondo. He is a former 2 time Junior National champion winning in 2007 and 2008 and subsequently became the first Albertan to ever win back to back junior national championships. He has represented Canada abroad, winning a Bronze medal in the 2007 Junior Pan Am Games in Daytona, Florida and placing in the top 8 at the 2008 World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Izmir, Turkey. He also placed third in Poomsae at the 2008 Junior National Championships.

Since then, he has reprioritized his goals and focused on his university education, coaching and community leadership since retiring from competitive taekwondo. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class, has won numerous academic and leadership scholarships and is currently enrolled in his second year of a BSc. in Kinesiology program at the University of Alberta. His future goals for taekwondo include training and coaching the students to become national champions and international level competitors and using his educational background to emphasize taekwondo as a means of achieving optimal health and wellness.

A special thing to know about Mike, is he and his son are the first father and son duo, at Spirit Taekwondo, to test for their Black Belts together. Mike’s dedication to the students doesn’t only stop after class is finished, he volunteers his time video taping many of our special events, like promotion tests and tournaments, and makes DVDs as a keepsake of their special day. 

Mike also prides himself as being the leader of Team Wavemaster! He is always the first to suit up and let the students kick or throw him around in order to perfect their skills and techniques. He is always willing to lend a helping hand.

Cody’s dedication to improving his skills has led him to achieve his Second Degree Black Belt and become a valued part of our instruction team. Cody is both excited and motivated to teach at Spirit Taekwondo Academy, sharing his knowledge and passion of Taekwondo with all who want to learn.

Lucas has been training in Taekwondo since the age of 4 years old. Aside from being a Black Belt he is a big brother and young mentor to our juniors and children. If he is not studying in the office, you will often see Lucas at the gym assisting in all classes from PeeWee to Children’s Advanced classes.

The Junior Leadership Team here at Spirit Taekwondo are kids with attitude, Positive Attitude! Besides physical training, they are training to be leaders, not just in the Dojang but in their communities. These kids are our future of leaders.

Yoga is my medicine. I am humbled and honoured that my life has flowed to this point, where I can share the practice of Yoga with others. By practicing (and teaching), I have learned to listen, I have become more aware, and I have learned how to respond. Yoga helps us to breathe easier, become comfortable in our skin, live more peacefully, and deepen our connection to spirit. Teaching Yoga is my ultimate source of joy. I teach Yoga because I LOVE Yoga.
Practitioners can expect a powerful class, suited for all levels, with an emphasis on being true to yourself and gaining joy, not frustration, from your Yoga practice.
“You must be still in the midst of activity, and be vibrantly alive in response.” Gandhi