MEET YOUR COACHES
Raymond Wong
Raymond was born into the family business of Leo Wong’s Tae Kwon Do. He started his traditional Taekwondo training when he was 3 years old and has been teaching Taekwondo since the early 1990s. In addition, Raymond became the lead instructor for Krav Maga in 2001, making it Leo Wong’s Tae Kwon Do & Krav Maga. His experience, professionalism and passion for teaching all ages from 4 and up are unmatched.
Some of Raymond’s past Martial Arts accomplishments include:
- Over 35 years of various martial arts training
- Nationally ranked competitor in open-style Martial Arts tournaments for over 20 years, competing all over Canada and the United States
- 3rd Degree Black Belt Instructor Level with Krav Maga Worldwide
- 3rd Degree Black Belt Instructor Level with the World Traditional Taekwondo Union
- Certified Law Enforcement Instructor under the Krav Maga Worldwide Force Training Division
- Part of the Train-the-Trainer Team to certify other Krav Maga Worldwide instructors
In 2015, Raymond won the Marni Levine Fighting Spirit Award. This award is presented to the instructor who demonstrates a tenacious spirit, determined mind and fearless heart, which embody the traits of renowned Krav Maga practitioner and mentor, Marni Levine (1969-2006). This award recognizes the resilient instructor who has overcome insurmountable challenges while exceeding the expectations of a Krav Maga practitioner.
In 2017, Raymond was promoted to 3rd Degree Black Belt by Krav Maga Worldwide making him the world’s youngest and highest-ranked KMW instructor in Canada. He has trained and taught with some of the top instructors from KMW such as Darren Levine, Kelly Campbell, Jon Pascal, A. J. Draven and Dave Bluestein.
In the years 2022 and 2023, Raymond won the Oshawa/Whitby Reader Choice Award for Best Martial Arts Instructor. In 2024, he branched out on his own to create Raymond Wong’s Krav Maga with his partner Sara.
Sara Salam
Sara has more than 30 years of athletic experience, including being a competitive athlete and a Division I Starter for the University of Maryland’s field hockey team. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland in College Park with a major in psychology, and she earned an MBA from Georgetown University.
Sara has been a certified Krav Maga Worldwide Instructor since 2007. Her focus is on practical self defences and scenario-based training that address the entire continuum of self defence: from awareness, to avoidance, to self defence, and self-care.
In 2009, Sara pioneered an integrated approach to self defence training called Luminous Warrior that combines the effectiveness of Krav Maga with practical tools for trauma-free training and self-healing. For nearly a decade Sara taught and trained students, instructors, members of the military and veterans in the DC area in the Luminous Warrior approach to self defence.
From 2012 to 2016 Sara also served as the Senior Trainer for Personal Safety and Emotional Self Care for Global Journalist Security (GJS). During her time with GJS, she helped activists, human rights defenders, aid workers, and numerous individuals from NGOs prepare for travelling to potentially hostile environments. Upon their return, Sara also helped these individuals with healing any trauma they may have experienced during such deployments.
Some of Sara’s qualifications include:
- Expert-II Krav Maga Instructor, certified by Krav Maga Worldwide
- Fit-to-Fight Coach, certified by Ryan Hoover’s Fit-To-Fight Republic
- From-The-Ground-Up Coach, certified by Ryan Hoover’s Fit-To-Fight Republic
- Certified Rape Crisis Counsellor in the state of California
- Master Practitioner in Energy Medicine, certified by the Four Winds Society
As a California-State certified rape crisis counselor in the Bay Area, Sara supported survivors directly as part of the Sexual Assault Response Team, which included post-attack survivor support as well as providing training and educating for the Special Victims Units of the police. Upon her return to DC, she continued her support and offered several workshops for survivors as well as for the staff of the DC Rape Crisis Center in Washington DC.
Sara has conducted personal safety, risk reduction, self defence and healing workshops and seminars all over the world, including the US, Europe, Mexico and Canada. In 2023 she relocated to Canada to be with her partner and long term friend Raymond Wong.