Instructors

karate, jiu jitsu, meriden, ct

My name is Bill Antonitis, and I started The Meriden Martial Arts Club in 2013.

I have trained in Uechi-Ryu/Shohei-Ryu Karate since 1987 under Ed and Jean DeCosta and began studying jiu-jitsu in 2009 with Jay Bell. I hold a sixth-degree black belt (Rokudan) in karate and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Lucky enough to grow up with the martial arts, I have felt their positive influence throughout my life and am especially interested in sharing these experiences with others. Some masters I have learned from include Shintoku Takara, Tsutomu Nakahodo, Hiroshi Inada, Toshio Higa, Shigeru Takamiyagi, Asao Nakasone, Royce Gracie, Rodrigo Gracie, Marco DeLima, Mark DellaGrotte, and Rob Khan.

Not only do I have decades of experience teaching and training, but I am also a professional educator with a Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a Sixth-Year in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University. I have worked over the years to harden my body, sharpen my mind, and develop my spirit, but my strongest passion is to teach martial arts to students of all ages and abilities. I look forward to sharing what I have learned with you.

How to Begin Your Journey

If you would like to learn more about Uechi-ryu/Shohei-ryu Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or mixed martial arts (MMA) please contact me. I currently teach at my home dojo in Meriden, CT. Please call 203-530-5231 or e-mail bill@mma-club.org for more information. I look forward to hearing from you!