Our Instructors & Staff Members

Our Instructors have spent many years devoted to training in the martial arts and have attained a certain level of expertise to qualify them as teachers and also mentors.

Through extensive testing, certification and tournament level competition, our staff has attained mastery in this martial art and now enjoy sharing their skill and passing it on to their students. Here are a few of Personal Best Martial Arts's instructors and other staff members, starting with Kevin Doerksen:

Kevin Doerksen  (Master)  Master D (Kevin Doerksen) Has been training in the Martial Arts Since 1981, He received his Black Belt at Divine Winds Martial Arts (a mix of TKD, Hapkido, and Wally J. Jiujitsu) in 1986 He began Teaching For his Instructor in 1985. Throughout the Years Master D has been On Team Canada, Won Numerous Titles in The Sport Karate World.. Tiger Balms, World Games, International Tournaments. And through the Years has continued his Training Achieving his 3rd Degree in Tae kwon do, and also training Arnis (With Fred Shadian) and Explosive Fist Hapkido (with Karl Cantek) and has been training Brazilian Jiujitsu on and off (due to Slight Injury) for the last 5yrs. What Master D is most Proud of is his school Personal Best Martial Arts Right Here in Coquitlam!! He has created a GREAT program that is very Challenging, structured and effective but most of all very Safe to learn! Having a Degree Fitness and Nutrition, and Training in Early Childhood Education, Made for a great match. Our award winning Children’s Programs are recommended by numerous Elementary and High schools and Parents!! In the Tri-City Area.

Ryan Ponte  (Sensai) Ryan Ponte has numerous credentials and accomplishments. We will be updating this section shortly to detail them.

Don Whitefield  (Brizilian Jiujitsu Instructor) Don Whitefield grew up in Germany where he studied Judo in his youth. As an adult he practiced boxing before moving to Canada, where he started to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Fighting in 1997. Since then Don has had the opportunity to train with some of the greatest BJJ teachers in the world, such as Rickson Gracie, Carlson Gracie and Ricardo De La Riva, who awarded Don his Jiu-Jitsu black belt in his main academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Don is the official Canadian de la Riva Jiu-Jitsu representative and a certified Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instructor. He believes that an instructor's teaching skills are as important as his BJJ skills and he has a College Instructor Diploma, allowing him to pass on his knowledge and experience with ease. Don teaches in all locations being completely dedicated to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He lives a Jiu-Jitsu life.

For more information about the Personal Best Martial Arts staff or training programs, please contact us at 604-472-1111 or by clicking here.