Our Instructors
Jesse Ohliger
Founder and Head Instructor
Sifu Jesse Ohliger started his training in Jeet Kune Do (JKD) under Sifu Richard Torres of The Jeet Kune Do Martial Arts Institute in 1995 at age 13. He has over 25 years experience and became a fully certified JKD instructor in 2010. Jesse is a third generation Bruce Lee student. The lineage goes as follows; Bruce Lee, Ted Wong, Richard Torres, Jesse Ohliger. Jesse has had the honor to travel around the United States and receive supplemental training by many of Bruce Lees’ original students including; Ted Wong, Taky Kimura, Steve Golden, Greglon Lee, Jesse Glover, Jerry Poteet, Leo Fong and Danny Inosanto.
Pursuing a holistic approach to martial arts development that includes elements of mind, body and spirit, Jesse became a certified BreathTribe Breathwork Instructor and a Level 1 BodyBell Method Instructor. He is committed to continued learning to bring the best education to his students.
Jesse holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and works as a registered nurse in mental health for military veterans. He has extensive experience in acute psychiatric settings under high stress crisis situations where using developed skills in verbal de-escalation and personal safety is required. Jesse provides workplace violence prevention and management training to federal employees and serves as part of the code team for behavioral crisis situations in the hospital setting.
Michael Pagano
Assistant Instructor
Mike brings over 14 years of dedication to Jeet Kune Do, including years of teaching. He is a third-generation instructor under Sifu Richard Torres.
To complement his martial arts training, he also got certified as a Level 1 BodyBell Method instructor.
Mike is a proud father of two and an auto technician by trade who’s driven by disciplined practice and real-world application. His mission is simple and uncompromising: keep Jeet Kune Do alive and meaningful.