Saturday, May 16th, 8am to 5pm
Sunday, May 17th, 8am to 1 pm
Holiday Inn, Saratoga Springs NY
Join us for two days of hands-on martial arts workshops covering striking, grappling, weapons, self defense, and more! There's also a Saturday Night Banquet with the Instructional Staff.
Martial Artists of all backgrounds, styles, and experience levels are welcome and encourage to take part in the festival
Jump to: Instructors | Lodging | Registration
The Saratoga Martial Arts Festival has been the Capital
Region's Premier Martial Arts Gathering for over 20 years!
Festival Updates
January 20th, 2026
The 2026 Site And Ticketing Goes Live!
First three instructors announced:
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Teaching for the first time this year:
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🆕Ken Casamento
Kyokushin Karate & Krav Maga
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Returning Instructors:
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William Luciano
Pai Family Boxing & Eighteen Bronze Man Method -
May & Michael Williams
Filipino & Indonesian Martial Arts
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Meet the 2026 SMAF Instructors
We will be adding more instructors as we get closer to SMAF
Irish and Japanese Arts
John Borter &
Trish Chiovari
John Borter and Trish Chiovari are ambassadors for the Irish martial arts and personal self defense.
John has been training in the martial arts for more than 35 years and holds blackbelt ranks in multiple systems with a high rank of 6th degree blackbelt. He is the founder of Modern Self-Defense Concepts and the creator of the ABC Women's Self-Defense program, a renowned program taught in 12 countries. He teaches martials arts, self-defense, knife, tomahawk, Kubotan, and Irish stick classes and seminars to hundreds of people a year. and has worked as a training consultant for law enforcement.
Trish Chiovari has been training in the martial arts for more than a decade. She is an instructor in Modern Self-Defense Concepts and the co-instructor of the ABC Women's Self-Defense program. She effectively utilizes both her experience in the martial arts as well as her training as a certified social worker to bring her unique and highly valuable insight to teaching women's self-defense and personal safety.
John and Trish were among the first instructors to be certified in the Doyle system in the US under Bernie Leddy, the Chieftain of the Doyle system. Both have been widely featured in articles, newscasts, and videos for their Irish stick fighting teaching.
Pai Family Boxing & Eighteen Bronze Man Method
William Luciano
William Luciano is a senior-level instructor in both the Pai Family Martial Arts and the Eighteen Bronze Man Method of Chinese martial arts. Mr. Luciano is a lineage disciple and is licensed to teach both of these methods.
William is well versed in the techniques, martial theories and histories of a number of arts. In addition to the arts listed above, he has had extensive training in the arts of Hsing-I Ch’uan, Pa-Kua Chang, T’ai-Chi Ch’uan, Okinawan Kempo, and Southern Fukien Lohan (Shaolin kung fu).
Kyokushin Karate and Krav Maga
Ken Casamento
🆕 New SMAF Instructor 🆕
Ken Casamento has been training in martial arts for over 15 years, specializing in Kyokushin Karate at Fighting Spirit Karate. He holds a Black belt (Shodan) in Kyokushin Karate and Krav Maga.
Ken is an experienced Kyokushin instructor and a USA Boxing–certified coach working closely with world champion fighters and students to develop strong fundamentals, effective striking, and mental toughness. He takes pride in preparing students for Kyokushin competition while fostering discipline, confidence, and respect both inside and outside the dojo.
As a Krav Maga instructor, Ken focuses on practical self-defense, situational awareness, and realistic combat scenarios. His teaching emphasizes composure under pressure and developing the skills needed to respond effectively in real-world situations.
Japanese, Chinese, and Burmese Arts
Steven Pearlman
Dr. Steve Pearlman is a highly respected author, instructor, and thought leader in the martial arts community. Training since 1983, Steve has studied a range of martial arts from around the world and is the author of The Book of Martial Power and the recently released On Martial Theory. He also started the Saratoga Martial Arts Festival and runs the online Martial Theory University.
Steve's expertise focuses on the hidden scientific, biomechanical, and psychological forces that drive combative effectiveness across stylistic and national boundaries. His approach focuses on the universal principles that connect all martial arts, emphasizing combative and anatomical insights that transcend individual styles.
He teaches his personal “family style” of martial arts to a small group of students at the Avon Kempo Aikido Academy in Connecticut. In addition to SMAF, Steve has taught at Martial Arts seminars and festivals across the north eastern US.
Japanese Arts
Anthony Quatrochi
Shihan Quatrochi has been training in the martial arts since 1987, and has over 30 years as an instructor.
Being a student of many martial art systems and styles, it was not until he met his JuJitsu instructor that he realized that he had found the style for him.
Shihan Quatrochi's form, Kokoro Kai, is unique in its approach to Japanese JuJitsu.
The school does not teach one modality of the discipline but focuses on the Martial Movements of the complete Art.
Anthony Quatrochi's Martial Arts Institute is in Wappingers Falls, New York
Filipino & Indonesian Martial Arts
May & Michael Williams
The Williams Family has a long history of martial and healing arts, dating back three generations. Michael and May Williams met while training in the Philippines. In 1996 they established the Martial Arts Research Institute in Salem, Massachusetts.
May Williams holds upper and teaching ranks in a variety of martial arts, including:
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Baringin Sakti Pencak Silat, Pendekar Muda
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Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali, Master Instructor
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Kyushinryu Kenpo Jujutsu, Sho Dan
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Oido De Caburata Arnis, Grandmaster
Michael Williams has an extensive history of training in martial arts. He holds upper and teaching ranks in a number of martial arts including:
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Kuntao Silat de Thouars, Chuan Shu Sifu
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Dekiti Tirsia Siradas Kali, Grandmaster
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Oido De Caburata Arnis, Grandmaster
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Modern Arnis, Lakan Isa (1st degree black belt)
The Williams Family has been traveling to and hosting martial arts camps in Southeast Asia with Grandmasters for over two decades.
Stay tuned to this page for more staff announcements!
Venue and Lodging
This year's festival will be held at the Holiday Inn located at 232 Broadway, Saratoga Springs. It's just down the street from the heart of downtown with plenty of restaurants and shops in walking distance.
Book now to get the $179/night special SMAF rate and save 50% over the normal room rate! No prepayment necessary and there are a limited number of rooms available.
Preregistration is open! Save up to $50!
Registering before the event helps us with planning and saves you money over registering at the door. There are a number of registration options, including:
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A full package, including big savings on admission, meals, and t-shirts (save $50)
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Registering for both days and a t-shirt (save $30)
For complete pricing, visit our registration page.