Cassandra Haynes

April 2012

In 1965, Sensei Tabassi began training in the martial arts in Iran at the age of 7 under the instruction of his eldest brother.  Soon after, Sensei Tabassi focused on Shotokan karate under the tutelage of Sensei Sharifi. By then, his interest had quickly grown from a simple hobby into a lifetime pursuit of excellence. Sensei Tabassi moved to the United States when he was 17 years old and continued his practice under Sensei Mikami.

Through the years, Sensei Tabassi has trained with many karate masters, including Mikami, Okazaki, Koyama, Kanazawa, and Tanaka, but he feels very fortunateto have trained under the guidance of Sensei Nishiyama. Sensei Tabassi received his Sho Dan (1st degree black belt) from Mr. Mikami, his Ni Dan (2nd degree) and San Dan (3rd degree) from Mr. Okazaki, Yon Dan (4th degree) from Sensei Nakayama and Go Dan (5th degree), Roku Dan (6th degree) and Shichi Dan (7th degree) from Sensei Nishiyama.

Sensei Tabassi and his youngest brother Ali, who presently holds the rank of Go Dan, competed together for several years, on national as well as international levels. During that time they remained the undefeated champions of the East Coast Region in both individual and team kumite (sparring). By the mid-late 80's however, Sensei Tabassi decided to change his focus from competition and direct it solely towards teaching and coaching. Sensei has served as the USA Team Coach several times at national and international Championships. Approximately 50% of the USA Team is consistently comprised of his students, who are past and current national and international champions.

Sensei Tabassi established himself in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, where he has devoted himself to teaching Shotokan karate since the late '70s. Throughout his years of training, he has gained valuable insight and skill that extends beyond the physical aspects of karate. It is the realization of this knowledge that he tries to impart on his students in order to help them reach beyond their own perceived limitations, physically as well as mentally.

In addition to his dedication to karate, Sensei Tabassi has also built a successful professional career as a structural engineer. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1981 from the University of Maryland and his M.S. in Structural Engineering in 1984 from The George Washington University. He is currently a vice-president and partner at the Tadjer-Cohen-Edelson Consulting Engineering Firm and is well known amongst his colleagues as one of the top structural engineers in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.