Dan Novak is currently serving as EMA Owner & Head Instructor.  Dan is also serving on the Board of Directors for Muay Thai Canada under Canadian National Coach Ajahn Suchart, developing and implementing teaching criteria, curriculums and  teaching standards for Canadian Muay Thai.  In fulfilling these positions, Dan has certified many of the industry's top Krav Maga and Muay Thai instructors, who have successfully gone on to open their own schools in Canada, USA and beyond with the credentials they have earned from Elite. Dan is a lifelong student of Martial Arts. Before founding Elite Martial Arts in 2013, Dan spent 15 years working as a Correctional Officer for the Province of Ontario. It was through this experience that Dan realized for a method of self-defense to be effective in the real world, an individual must train for real world situations. His search for a realistic form of self defense led him to Krav Maga. Dan is a 2nd Degree Black Belt & an Expert Level 6 Krav Maga Instructor under Edward Wood of The Krav Maga Association of Canada. In addition to his extensive Krav Maga credentials, Dan boasts a very impressive Muay Thai resume.  He has successfully competed in both local and international shows.  He has received his Muay Thai training/education in both Canada and Thailand.  In 2016, Dan earned the highly regarded Instructor rank Kru under Ajahn Suchart and later was promoted to Kru Yai in 2022. Dan is the only individual in Canada to simultaneous hold the rank of 2^nd Degree Black Belt in Krav Maga and Muay Thai Kru Yai Many Instructors promote that they have trained those who work in the field of Law Enforcement, Military and Security. Dan has actually lived it.  Dan sincerely cares about the students he teaches and is willing to do all in his power to help them succeed and reach their individual training goals. “Krav Maga is very effective! If anything, it’s more effective for self defense than MMA. Krav is practical and simple. The objective is to eliminate the threat, not dance around and flick out a couple of jabs. As a Correctional Officer at a maximum security prison, Krav trains me to defend myself in some of the most aggressive environments and prepares me for worst case scenarios. Leave your training needs in the hands of Instructor Novak. You will not be disappointed. He is a highly skilled Krav Maga Practitioner.” F. Larry, Correctional Officer

Matt Bennett is currently fulfilling the role of Senior Lead Instructor at EMA Toronto. In 2019 Matt became the first individual in the school's history to receive the rank of 1st Degree Krav Maga Black belt and Expert level 6 Instructor  from EMA Owner and Head Instructor, Dan Novak.  In addition, Matt is also Muay Thai Blue Shorts. Matt brings with him many years of Martial Arts and boxing experience.   He has also established himself as a very successful actor in feature film and production.  The combination of Matt’s life experiences, both professionally and in Martial Arts comes through  in every class that Matt offers.  He is well spoken and has the unique ability to understand the needs of each of his students and maximizes each student’s potential for success. Matt has recently specialized his training in Weapons Defense techniques.  Such techniques have played a vital role in Matt’s film career in various action roles he has obtained in both Movies and Television.  His active interest in this area of Krav Maga training has developed him into one of the school’s most proficient weapons defense instructors.  Matt his highly respected among EMA students and staff.  Elite is extremely fortunate to have the services of Matt offered at our school. For additional information on Matt, please visit his officially IMBD page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0071922/

EMA Toronto is very pleased to welcome a very experienced and decorated Senior Lead instructor Steve Warnica to our Krav Maga Team!  Steve has over 20 years of Krav Maga experience.  He has previously served as Lead Instructor and Manager at Wood's Premier Martial Arts.  

Today Steve volunteers is time at Elite, leading high energy and educational Krav Maga classes. 

Steve's classes are among the most popular at the school. Steve is still actively training, improving and growing his ever expanding Martial Arts resume.  Elite is in a very fortunate position to welcome such highly trained and Martial Arts instructor on our team for the benefit of all our students.

With experiences comes knowledge and Nick Valentino can serve as the personification of that expression.  Nick comes to Elite with over 10 years Krav Maga experience.  He is a Krav Maga Black Belt under EMA Founder/Head Instructor Dan Novak.  Nick is also a Muay Thai Blue Shorts, which he earned while he was simultaneously training for his Black belt! 

Perhaps even more valuable than his Martial Arts credentials is the fact that Nick has over 25 years of service as a provincial Correctional Officer.  5 of those years were spent as a shift partner to EMA's Dan Novak.  Nick brings a wealth of real world knowledge and experience to every class he teaches.  When Nick provides his classes, students always leave with more knowledge than they had before class.  Nick is a natural teacher who is still active in coaching youth soccer and is currently training fellow offices in staff training for the Ministry of Corrections.  EMA Toronto is very fortunate to welcome such an experienced individual to our team who possesses real world knowledge, in and out of the studio!

EMA Toronto has a long history of developing the very best Krav Maga students and Instructors, not only locally in Toronto/GTA, but among all of North America.  With such a large network of professional Instructors, Jeff is a standout, working his way from beginner to Black Belt to Head Instructor for the Krav Maga program at EMA Mississauga. 

Jeff came to the school little over 7 years ago with limited Martial Arts experience. Since then Jeff has enjoy the most rapid progression in the history of the school.  Jeff currently holds an L5 Instructor Certification & earned his Krav Maga Black belt in 2022. In addition to his Krav Maga credentials, he obtained his PC Kru Certification for Muay Thai in 2023.

With a bight teaching career ahead of him, Jeff has an extremely high ceiling and possesses all the intangibles to be one of the best in the industry.  

Among EMA's long history of talented Krav Maga Instructors, Ashlely is certainly among the top tier!  She brings an infectious energy and positivity to all of her classes, along with the talent and knowledge to conduct some of our most popular classes at our school. Ashely came to Elite years ago with prior Martial Arts experience and focused her energy on perfecting her Krav Maga skills, both as a student and developing instructor.  She earned her Black belt in 2025 and has since continued at the school both as a student and instructor.  Ashley is an L3 instructor with a very brought future ahead as a valued member of our staffing team.

Jamie is currently serving as one of our Lead Instructors in the Krav Maga program.  Talented and tactful in all the classes he teaches, he as been a true asset to the school since he first came to Elite. Jamie has always been a dedicated student who has also developed himself into one of the best instructors at the school.  He is a regular in the staffing rotation, leading weekly classes for beginners and advanced Krav Maga students. Jamie received his Black Belt in 2025 and recently obtained his L4 Instructor Certification.  In addition, he is the 2023 Award winner for the "Ed Wood Award" given to our most talented and dedicated Krav Maga student.  All of these credentials are well earned and deserved.  We are fortunate to have Jamie on our team and thankful for all he brings to our school.

Tiana has been a true jack of all trades in her training and the classes she leads.  She began at Elite with a primary focus on her Krav Maga training.  During her preparation for Black Belt, she took a very active interest in Muay Thai training and the conditioning aspects of Martial Arts Training. The result of this is her specialization in leading both Krav Maga classes and some great conditioning classes! She recently obtained her Level 4 Instructor certification and was a member of the Black belt class of 2025.  In addition to her work at Elite, she is serving as Head Instructor for the Women's Self Defense program at Kingdom Muay Thai.  It has been a true pleasure to see her continued growth and we look forward to seeing what the future has in store for her teaching career .

With hard comes improvement and Pranay Chand is proof of that!  Pranay is a former Award winner at Elite during his time as a student.  He has set the bar extremely high for how much a student can improve if they dedicate themselves and put the work in.  He is a true example to students and staff alike in the way he conducts himself in class and when he leads classes as an instructor.  He is a Black Belt member of the 2025 class and an L4 Instructor.  His classes are both high energy, enjoyable and educational for students.  We are very fortunate to have him on our team.  His ceiling is extremely high with no real limit on what he can achieve at Elite.

Ed is full of intangibles that just cannot be taught.  He is extremely personable in his classes, tactful and engaging with students.  He is currently an advance level practitioner on track to be in the Black belt class of 2026 and a L2 instructor.  He currently leads classes in our day class program and select Fridays.  Every year he has been with Elite, he has taken huge steps forward as both an advance level student and instructor.  His dedication and talent is without question and he has earned every opportunity he has obtained at Elite.

One of our best and most dedicated talents, Mehdi Azouay has been a pillar of the school for over 4 years.  Although he came to Elite with a wealth of prior Martial Arts experience, he also came in with zero ego, ready to learn, grown and improve himself.  The results are a man who has worked his way up the ranks and is in schedule to be in the Black Belt class of 2026 with an L3 Instructor certification.  He is a regular in the staffing rotation leading classes for all levels.  With his talent, experience and dedication, it is hard to put a cap on what Mehdi will achieve as he continues his ascent through the ranks. He is a true example for our students.

Gerene Goco was one of the founding students at EMA Mississauga back in 2023.  She was a standout at one of our Women's Self Defense seminars and was approached to continue training at Elite.  Upon officially beginning her training, she continued to excel in class and was then invited to attend the Krav Maga certification program as a Purple Belt (Intermediate Rank).  At this rank, she scored the highest of all participants at our 2025 course.  She is now an advance level practitioner and L2 Instructor.  She is a regular in the staffing rotation leading both coed Krav Maga classes and specialized in leading the Women's Self Defense program the very program she was discovered in.  She is extremely talented and dedicated to her training and teaching.  We are very luck to have her at our Mississauga location.  She is and will continue to be a bit part of EMA Mississauga's future!

Another founding member at our Mississauga location that has become a key member of our school is Quan Tu.  She has a kind and laid back nature to her but once she trains, that all goes away and her intensity, technique and skill come through with authority.  All who have trained with her can attest to that.  She is active in volunteering her time leading classes in our Child and Youth program.  She is patient, caring and supportive in providing quality classes to our EMA Kids.  She is currently an advance level practitioner and L2 Instructor.  We look forward to seeing where Quan takes her potential.  We have no doubt she will be among EMA Mississauga's first Black belts in the very near future.

Azka has been with EMA Mississauga since 2023 and has always taken advantage of every opportunity presented to her.  She has always put forth effort and dedication in every class she has attended and in 2025, she was successfully accepted into our Instructor Certification program.  Upon completion of her L1 certification, she has offered her time as a volunteer in our Child and Youth program.  She specializes in both Krav Maga and Muay Thai, holding the Muay Thai rank of Blue Shorts and is an Advance level Krav Maga practitioner.  Recently she has obtained her L2 certification.  Her specialization in both Krav Maga and Muay Thai makes her a very valuable asset to our team today and into the future.

Kru Yai Harold Mah has been training, teaching, fighting, and officiating in the art of Muay Thai and other traditional martial arts for over 25 years.  He takes great pride in developing students to bring out their warrior spirit and resilience they never knew they had in them.  In his past, Kru Yai Harold has guided and trained high altitude trekkers throughout Nepal, Asia and summated Mt. Kilimanjaro.  He is a three time Ironman and has run marathons throughout North America.

In addition to his very impressive Muay Thai credentials, Kru Yai Harold trained for and earned a Krav Maga Black Belt in 2022, as well as his level 5 instructor rank.  This has resulted in Kru Yai Harold being an  instrumental part of the Krav Maga program offered at Elite. He is also a certified Instructor with ASP Tactical Weapons and the Blauer Tactical Spear System as well as recently obtaining his Fitness Instructor certification by Canfit Pro.

“Never stop enjoying life and finding new experiences everyday.”

It is our pleasure to have Kru Cristian as a key member of our Team.  Kru has a very decorated Muay Thai resume as both a Kru and competitor.  He has a long, successful history of training and cornering fighters.  He is a key member of our school and often leads our sparring classes so he can share his experience and knowledge with our recreational and casual students alike.  His classes are extremely well thought out and offers something for students of all levels. He is frequently found at local shows, cornering fighters and supporting events both in Ontario and internationally.  Having an instructor of Kru Cristian's stature is a blessing for our school and we are truly appreciative to have him on the EMA team!

Nadine Donald is currently serving as our school’s most senior Instructor for the EMA Muay Thai program. Nadine comes to our school with a great variety of Martial Arts experience that makes her a true asset to our team. Before finding her way to Mauy Thai, Nadine acquired years of experience, holding the rank of Karate Brown Belt and an established  Kickboxing background. When she arrived at SiamNo1 Muay Thai, she truly found her final calling in Martial Arts. She quickly worked her way up the rankings at SiamNo1. She possesses the rank of Muay Thai Blue Shorts and the highly regarded Instructor rank of Kru. Along with her extensive Martial Arts credentials, she impressively won the “Student of the year” award at SiamNo1 in 2015. Her Muay Thai classes are a favorite among EMA students for her up-tempo, effective workouts.  In addition to the excellent workouts, she possess the ability to clearly break down Muay Thai techniques so that skills can be effectively transferred from teacher to student. Students who attend her classes are excelling in our Muay Thai program and are also acquiring transferable skills that are making their Krav Maga techniques more proficient. As Nadine continues to contribute her expertise and abilities to our school, our students will truly be the beneficiaries of the excellent Muay Thai classes she provides!

PCK Emily is a very long time and valued member of the EMA Community.  She has been with us for over 10 years. In that time she has won multiple awards for her dedication to training and teaching Muay Thai.  She truly loves Muay Thai in all ways, the training, culture and history of the sport. No one has more passion for Muay Thai then Emily.  She is a senior PCK that is on track to obtain her Kru status in the very near future.  She has successfully competed in the ring and brings that knowledge and experience into her classes.  She is often on the floor leading coed classes, the Women's only Muay Thai classes and participates in weekly sparring classes when she has been in camp for her fights.  We are grateful to have a PCK that has such passion for Muay Thai.  She is a big part of the history and future of our school.

Grit, toughness mixed with intelligence would be a good way to describe PCK Mitch as both a fighter and Instructor.  Mitch as proudly represented Elite in live competition and has made us proud on multiple occasions.  He has used this experience to make himself a very knowledgeable and helpful instructor at Elite.  His classes are well structured and catered to all levels from complete beginner to members of our Fight team.  Recently Mitch has become a certified Cornerman, qualified by both Elite and Muay Thai Ontario.  In addition to his fight history and credentials, he is also a proud multiple award winner at our school. We support Mitch with all his future goals, both in competition and on the floor leading classes.

PC Kru Jan is one of Elite's unique talents that has taken advantage of both the Krav Maga and Muay Thai training offered at Elite.  He has experience in Muay Thai competition before he came to Elite and while at Elite, he obtained his PC Kru ranking and then went on to become a Krav Maga Black belt and Level 3 Instructor.  This makes Jan extremely valuable to our school as he is proficient in 2 Martial Arts with so much knowledge and experience to share with our students.  He is friendly and engaging in his classes.  His classes are organized, structed and among the most popular options at our school.  He is an award winning instructor that has been dedicated to Elite in both the Krav Maga and Muay Thai programs for over 6 years.  We are very proud of PCK Jan and are lucky to have him on our team.

Kru Marin is the first and only student that started his training at Elite with zero previous Muay Thai experience and worked his way from Yellow Shorts, Blue Shorts to PC Kru to full Kru status! This achievement was done through hard work and consistency of training, as well as the commitment he made to Elite and all the students at our schools.  He is actively involved in training our fighters and students of all levels.  Particularly proficient in the traditional aspects of Muay Thai training, his classes are always technically solid. Moving forward, Kru Marvin will be playing an active role in cornering our fighters and helping with fighter camp/prep work.  We appreciate his effort.  Kru Marvin is a key member of our team today and moving forward for the future of the school.

PCK Howard is a long time pillar in the GTA Muay Thai community.  He has a wide range of Muay Thai experience he brings to his classes.  Among his most known assets are ring experience in competition, cornering/coaching fighters and he works with Muay Thai Ontario as a long-time official.  It is common to see him working local and provincial events at live fights. Given his wealth of experience, he has successfully opened his own Muay Thai training Centre, Big Bang Muay Thai in Etobicoke.  He are fortunate to have him on our instructor team and we support all of PCK's ambitions for his school and continued professional development.

PCK Jon Careless is literally the living example of the impact a commitment to training can make to one's personal health and rapid progression in skill and ability. PCK Jon came to us with no Martial Arts experience.  His goal was never to become a member of our instructor team. He aspired to simply get in better shape and learn some valuable self defense skills.  As each year passed, PCK Jon got better and better.  Consistency was the approach he took, day in and day out.  In 2023 to 2025, PCK Jon made some huge jumps and took things to a new level that could not be ignored.  He went on a fitness journey that got him in the best shape of his life through a commitment to himself and through that commitment, his skill level increased to the point where he was approached by EMA to enroll himself as a PCK. He successfully completed the PCK course in 2025 and is now an active and valued member on our team.  He bring a positive energy to each class he brings and truly has a way of motivating our students to improve themselves.  Jon is not only teaching Muay Thai, he has lived the process and serves as an inspiration for others to live their own journey.  We are very proud of him and value his position on our team.

PC Kru Shirin has a true passion and love for Muay Thai and Martial Arts in general.  She always considers herself a "Student First" and is always trying to take advantage of every learning opportunity possible.  She has successfully enrolled in and passed her PCK training, as well as working as an active Muay Thai Ontario official and judge.  In addition to her Muay Thai credentials, she is also actively involved in the Krav Maga program at Elite as an advance level practitioner. Over the past year, she has offered her time and skill to help with our Women's Only Muay Thai classes, providing educational and enjoyable classes to our EMA Ladies.  We are thankful to have her on our team and appreciate all she contributes to our school.

With great experience, comes great knowledge and nothing could be more true as it applies EMA East Coast Co-Founder and Head Instructor Fredrick Johnston!  Fredrick has proven himself to an excellent Krav Maga practitioner, earning his Black Belt with the graduating class of 2018.   Shortly thereafter, Fredrick co-founded EMA East Coast, proving Krav Maga and Fitness training to Canada's East Coast Provinces.   Fredrick currently holds the rank of Krav Maga 1st Degree Black Belt under EMA Founder Dan Novak and is an Expert Level 6 Krav Maga Instructor with the Martial Arts International Union.  In addition to his Krav Maga credentials, Fredrick is also a Muay Thai Blue Shorts, which he earned in 2016. Fredrick takes his years of Martial Arts experience, as well as a patient and helpful approach in all of his classes.  His lessons as well constructed, easy to follow and each of his classes provides our students a great learning environment to bring out the best in each of our students.  EMA is very fortunate to have him on our team and we look forward to seeing where he takes his teaching career.

Billie Johnston has established herself as a constant pillar in the EMA Community.  In 2018 She received her Krav Maga 1st Degree Black belt from EMA Head Instructor Dan Novak.  Billie is also a qualified Expert Level 6 Krav Maga instructor with the MAIU, providing her the highest instructor rank possible. In 2019 Billie successfully co-founded EMA East Coast, providing ongoing Krav Maga and Fitness workshops to communities in Canada's eastern provinces.  Billie has a great future with our organization.  Both staff and students greatly appreciates all of Billie's hard work and efforts.