We (Angela & Arissan) started Seattle Self-Defense in 2017 because we saw a need to make self-defense skills more digestible and accessible to the greater public. Over the years, our classes have evolved to not only focus on self-defense principles and the importance of being self-aware, but also how true confidence is achieved when you feel strong and stable in your life. Everyone is a champion of their own well-being and we are here to be a source to support you as you tap into your full potential.

Our founders

Angela Kim

Angela is trained in the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do and is currently a third Dan black belt. She began her Tae Kwon Do career at an early age and learned from her late grandfather, Grand Master Tae Hong Choi, a ninth degree blackbelt. Angela competed on the national and international stage throughout her high school and college years. She also had the opportunity to travel around the world and train with Olympic class athletes. While she does not compete anymore, Angela is still involved with Tae Kwon Do and volunteers as a coach for TKD2XCELL, a non-profit Tae Kwon Do program designed to mentor and develop young children. 

Arissan Ugles

Lured into martial arts by the Pink Power Ranger at a young age, she received her first black-belt nineteen years ago in Tae Kwon Do and never looked back. Arissan is currently a fourth Dan with experiences in both forms of Tae Kwon Do, non-contact and full-contact as well as with Judo. As a teenager, she was an elite Tae Kwon Do athlete that trained and competed at Junior Nationals and internationally throughout her childhood. She has had the honor to train with Olympians from around the world and was the sparring partner of the Princess of the United Arab Emirates in the lead-up to the 2008 Summer Olympics. Nowadays, she still trains in Tae Kwon Do but prefers coaching kids in the sport with TKD2XCELL at Garfield Community Center. Through Seattle Self-Defense she hopes to coach and empower individuals to be confident and fearless in the face of everyday evils.