Our Teachers
Savannah
Teacher Savannah has been an instructor of Wing Chun, social and emotional learning and fitness since 2012. She has worked with children for over 10 years and loves the adventure of teaching kids! She has also written the curriculum for KFM since 2015.
She practiced Wing Chun Kung Fu for over 8 years training in the advanced forms including the muk yong chong, wooden dummy form, and has earned a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
When Savannah first began teaching anti-bullying seminars in 2012, she was emotionally struck by one of her younger students’ reactions to a scenario about someone grabbing your backpack and throwing it on the ground at school. Her student’s eyes welled up with tears as if the scenario happened to her. Feeling her student’s sadness fueled Savannah to empower her with self defense techniques, coming from a place of love and self-worth. Her student practiced these techniques with focus and discipline. By the end of class, her mood shifted to one of determination and confidence. This inspired Savannah to expand the anti-bullying seminar into a 10 week program called Compassionate Leaders and share the skills of self defense and empathy with as many children as possible.
Savannah also studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and is the Signature Technique Instructor at About The Work Actors Studio. She is passionate about social and environmental justice. She also makes beautiful wreaths on Etsy!
Hamid
Teacher Hamid has been a Wing Chun fundamentals fitness and wellness instructor since 2015 with Kung Fu Moves! He has been a teacher for over two decades now. WOW! He has also taught children and adults music, math and science.
He has practiced Self Defense for 6 years and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 3 years.
He is super passionate about the mission of Kung Fu Moves because, when Teacher Hamid was a child, he experienced a lot of racially motivated bullying and violence. He wishes he had a program like KFM when he was a kid, for him and his family, because it would have taught him self love and the confidence to stand up for himself. He also knows it would have given him the strength to ask for help as well as handle big emotions when they came up.
As a grassroots and family-run business, when Kung Fu Moves went online, Hamid learned how to use video and animation editing software. So far, he has edited and animated all the fun graphics and videos in our Mindful Martial Arts Series. He is very excited to share his labor of love with your family and continue to help the virtual platform grow with his technical skills and creativity.
Teacher Hamid also loves writing/playing/listening to music, hiking, basketball, good storytelling, as well as, social and environmental justice. The kids deserve better… always… no excuses.
The Kung Fu Move(ment)
The Kung Fu Move(ment) aims to help society educate children, so they choose to grow up to become Compassionate Leaders for their family and in their communities. It starts with education. We provide in-person and virtual spaces for children to safely express their feelings, make constructive choices, practice cognitive and motor skills, and implement self-love exercises. Our complex world challenges kids with feelings of self-doubt, failure, fear and disappointment, etc. Now more than ever, they need our help to learn simple and effective tools that build resilience, empathy and awareness (both personal & public).
The Kung Fu Move(ment) is fueled by the power of love and positive action. We are honored for your family to Join Us.
Our Mindful Friends
Our History
Kung Fu Moves was founded in 2015 by Savannah Schoenecker and Hamid Assian as an extracurricular social, emotional & physical wellness program designed for preschool to middle school age children. Our curriculum is rooted in over 30 years of combined teaching experience with children and adults, as well as more than 16 years of martial arts, mindfulness and self-defense training. Thus far, KFM has
brought its successful curriculum to over 20 schools in the Greater Los Angeles area, serving over 1,400 students, with most continuing in our sessions for years!
However, on Friday, the 13th of March, 2020 (Yikes!), California went into a state-mandated lockdown because of the now all too familiar, COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, KFM wanted to keep our students and staff at schools safe. So, what did we do? KFM stopped teaching in-person classes and made our lessons available online! This way, our students stuck at home could continue learning KFM lessons from their favorite teachers! The result? Whole families started practicing Kung Fu moves and exercises together.
And then we got really creative. KFM transformed our in-person Mindful Martial Arts Session into an exciting and magical virtual series. With compassionate and mindful friends, like Mrs. Heart and Smiley, we filled the series with colorful characters, interactive games, martial arts techniques and self
empowerment lessons to continue helping families grow their social, emotional and physical mindfulness.
Now KFM offers this successful online series to kids and families around the globe. And we look forward to expanding our content to include all our incredible programs: Compassionate Leaders, Street Safety, Kung Fu Fitness, Martial Arts Around the World and beyond…
We welcome you with open arms to our #KFMFam.