Underground Self-Defense

Underground Self-Defense operates a cooperative martial arts and empowerment training center at 532 State Street in Madison, WI. Located downstairs behind the red door, the school provides self-defense education, functional striking, and personal development in a body-positive environment. The academy was founded on State Street in 1989 by seventh-degree black belt Master Mary Murphy Edwards, a martial arts pioneer and Wisconsin combat sports commissioner who initially taught Fred Villari's Shaolin Kempo Karate. The school transitioned to cooperative ownership in 2013 and rebranded as Underground Self-Defense in 2021, with instruction guided by co-owner and master instructor Master Ali, a fifth-degree black belt, alongside manager Trisha VanAtta, a third-degree black belt. Programming includes Shaolin Kempo Karate, which combines punching, kicking, grappling, and felling techniques with movements modeled after five traditional kung fu animals. Additional offerings feature fitness kickboxing for adults and teens ages 14 and older, empowerment youth martial arts, and women's self-defense courses.