School History

Prior to July 9th, 1984, the Lower East Side building that houses Village Martial Arts was a haven of drug dealers, prostitutes, and transients. Sifu/Guro Doug Pierre attempted to rent the building's empty ground floor

store front in order to open the school. After threats on his life by drug dealers, attempts to rob him, and various physical altercations, police and marshals closed the building in July 1984. Guro Pierre single handedly took

over the now abandoned building for two years, working to clean it and renovate it in order to realize his dream of having an international martial arts school. After unsuccessfully approaching many of his friends and family, he finally convinced a small group to join him in tearing down the insides of the building and rebuilding it. After 13 hard, long years of struggle, the building was finished and Sifu/Guro Pierre was able to realize his dream.

The renovation was finally complete in 1996. The Village Martial Arts Institute is located on the ground floor of the building, while the apartments above are owned by the group that participated in the renovation, including Pierre.

The Institute includes a lower level with changing rooms and showers. There is also a backyard, which is used for practice during the spring and summer. Equipment in the school includes movable heavy bags, a speed bag, various stretching and weight resistance equipment, and protective gear for sparring.