"Honor the Art, Respect the Journey and Fight with Integrity"
About Us
Who We Are
Elite Martial Arts Association was created by our president and first promoter, Thomas Gardner. Thomas grew up in Roanoke, Virginia studying under renowned black belt Carson Hurley in the style of American Karate where as a youth he won many forms tournaments and then later studied as an adult under 8th degree Associate Professor Chris Ragone at his Universal Kempo Karate School in Daleville, Virginia. Thomas also promotes, along with his wife, Shelly, natural bodybuilding shows for the NANBF (North American Natural Bodybuilding Federation) and the IPE (International Pro Elite). Elite Martial Arts Association was created to empower local schools who still teach traditional martial arts and to spread the word to the community about the importance of martial arts training from a young age.