The roots of the Scranton Martial Arts Center (SMAC) TM stem from one of the first Chinese martial arts schools to open in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Academy of Chinese Martial Arts or better known as the Chinese Martial Arts Academy (CMAA) TM

The CMAA first opened its doors in 1981 and remained centrally located on Adams Avenue in downtown Scranton, PA for over 23 years.  The Academy was know for its top notch instruction, hard training, and for producing highly skilled martial arts practitioners of all levels in the styles of Bai Lung Chuan Fa (Pai Lum Tao) and Northern Long Fist Kung Fu.  The Academy had a long standing tradition of offering quality expert martial arts training, producing exceptionally skilled students and helping better the lives of members of the community. The Academy had a very strong presence in the Scranton area for over 23 years by participating in many local, national and international Kung Fu & Karate competitions, hosting special events, participating in fundraisers and holding membership in various national & international organizations over its long history.

Training at the Academy was very hard and disciplined.  Of the tens of thousands of students that held membership at the Academy, only few have achieved their 1st Level Black Sash and some have gone on beyond the levels of black to receive an Instructors Certification at that school.  Though the Academy's existence has ended and some students and instructors may have moved on to other endeavors, we offer this page as a salute to the CMAA and its Black Sashes. 

This is a partial list of black sashes and Instructors Certifications that were awarded from the Chinese Martial Arts Academy in the 25 year history of that institution...

 
Sifu Kenneth Brown   Sifu Phil Cummings
Sifu George Trumbo   Sifu Conrad Blasko
Sifu Holly Butrymouicz-Bardzel   Sifu Ronda Klosky-Ferrance
Sifu David Slaughter   Sifu Pete Paone
Sifu Bill McAuliffe   Sifu Bobby Earl
Sifu Jack Lawrence   Sifu Scott Tomkins
Sifu Martin Zelsnack   Sifu John Morrison
Sifu William Bird   Sifu Arnold Chiodo
Sifu Paul Conforti   Sifu Don Strasburger
Sifu Dan Scholonas   Sifu Chris Woytas
Sifu Bobby Herne   Sifu PJ Zippittelli
SiHing Sav Amendola   SiHing Brian Gates
SiHing Pat Granahan   Sifu Pete Gumbolini
Sifu Kyle Hosier