Tokyo Joe’s provides the
most complete and effective methods to assist our students to reach their full
potential. Tokyo Joe’s instructors are personally selected, not only for their
martial arts skills, but also on their ability to effectively communicate their
knowledge and understanding to students of all ages. They strive daily to be
the best they can be, and are continually upgrading their skills. They are
dedicated to passing along that special quality of assurance and achievement to
each and every student.
Sensei Matt Babine has been studying and teaching martial arts for over 20 years. He holds black belts in both Kempo Karate and Tae Kwon Do. He has been extremely fortunate to study under a number of superb teachers, including: Sensei Lou Hopkins, Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee; Billy Blanks, winner of multiple karate world championships and founder of Tae Bo; Sifu Yao Li, founder of the Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi Institute; and, Grandmaster Robert LaMattina, nationally renowned pioneer of American Shaolin Kempo Karate and founder of the Tokyo Joe System.
Sensei Babine has competed in men’s heavyweight sparring on both a national and international level and is the winner of numerous national and world championships.
Sensei Babine has a passion for martial arts and especially for teaching and motivating young people. His other favorite pastimes include spending time with his family, golf, and fire walking. Sensei Babine is the vice president of sales for North Atlantic Medical Services. He resides in Hudson with his wife and daughter.
Bobby LaMattina (The nickname “Tokyo Joe” was coined by his high school
football coach) began his journey in the martial arts in East Boston in
1971, at the age of 11. He studied Shaolin Kempo Karate, a system with
its roots in the ancient Chinese art of Shaolin Kung Fu and further
developed by Grand Master Fred Villari. Young Bobby studied under Fred
Bagley, one of Grand Master Villari’s chief disciples. At the same
time, he also studied boxing at the Paris Street gym, an influence that
can be seen today in his renowned style of footwork.
The study and incorporation of different disciplines would mark Grand
Master LaMattina’s entire martial arts odyssey. After receiving his
black belt in 1980 and becoming known on the national competitive
circuit, he began training with some of his most accomplished
contemporaries in different forms of martial arts.
One of the biggest influences in Grand Master LaMattina’s life would be
Professor Steve “Madd Dawg” Curran, a World Champion whom Grand Master
LaMattina met at the 1983 National Karate Championship. Curran would
become a friend and mentor to Bobby, and would many years later bestow
on him the rank of eighth degree black belt and the title of Master
Rencho.
By this time, after many years as a chief instructor in the Villari
system, Grand Master LaMattina had founded the first Tokyo Joe’s Studio
of Self Defense, in Nashua, NH. The school, and the many that would
follow in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, exemplified his
dedication to providing a fun and positive atmosphere for students to
develop their minds, bodies and spirits. The Tokyo Joe’s System has
been rated by Sport Karate magazine as one of the top martial arts
schools in the world
On April 22nd, 2005, after graduating a new class of black belts and
promoting others, Bobby got his own promotion. He was invited into the
World Soke Council, an elite international body of martial arts masters
who have made a significant impact on and contribution to their art.
With this honor came the rank of 10th degree black belt--the
highest--and title of Grand Master.
November 19, 2005, Grandmaster Bobby "Tokyo Joe" LaMattina was named Man of the Year by the World Martial Arts Federation, and inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame.
Today, more than three decades after he first began training, Grand
Master LaMattina is as dedicated as ever to the development of skilled
martial artists and outstanding members of the community. For him and
the thousands of students who follow him, the journey is just beginning.
