BOARD OF DIRECTORS -- Sensei James and Jean Zimmermann

Senseis James & Jean ZimmermannNanadan

James Zimmermann is affectionately known as Mr. Z. This is due to the children not being able to pronounce Zimmermann. They began to call him Mr. Z and it has stuck. He is the Director of the Zimmermann Karate Schools. He is on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Eastern Wado-Ryu Federation and he holds the rank of 7^th Dan. He is also on the Executive Board of the  Regional Sport Karate Circuit (RSKC) and is the tournament evaluator for the RSKC tournaments. He holds an open karate tournament, which is in its 21^st year and before that he held inner school tournaments for quite a few years.

Mr. Z began his martial arts training in June of 1966 in Nashville at the Franklin Road location under the instruction of Sensei Cecil T. Patterson. He also studied under Rikuo Takizawa. In 1967, Mr. Z opened a karate school in Hohenwald with Mr. Cecil T. Patterson and Mr. Charles K. Parrish as the instructors. Mr. Z became an instructor in his own school after receiving his black belt. He is the Director of schools in Hohenwald, Savannah, Decatur County and Lexington. 

He is married to Jean Coop Zimmermann who also holds a 7^th Dan and is the Chief Instructor for Zimmermann Karate Schools.

She was born in 1945 in Tullahoma, TN. She began her Wado training in 1975 receiving her instruction originally from Jerry Potts, James Zimmermann and later Sensei Patterson. 

She attended brown and black belt classes in Nashville every Sunday night under the direction or Sensei Patterson from 1977 until he ceased to teach those classes and instead began teaching them in Hohenwald, TN. where she continued to work out until those classes also ceased. She has also received instruction through seminars under Grand Master Otsuka, Grand Master Otsuka II, Kazutaka Otsuka, Rikuo Takizawa, M. Shiomitsu, Charles Parrish, John Patterson, and David Deaton, and many others. She holds a black belt in the Sword under Dale Kirby. She is also on the U. S. Eastern Wado-Ryu Board of Examiners and is on the Executive Board of the RSKC. You can find her busy at their annual tournament and setting up Sensei Patterson’s tournament each year. Her experience is next to none.

They are both devoted to the martial arts, their students and each other and can be found at most tournaments.

 

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