A man who has spent the last 16 years developing and running a martial arts school in Whitefish with his wife is now furthering his passion and bringing a new skill to the Whitefish Police Department.

Texas native Jeff Green, 56, works in records at the department and is also its defense tactics instructor. It was both to that end and to increase the offerings at his school that he recently took a week-long course certifying him to train both police officers and civilians in the Israeli martial art of Krav Maga.

Green said the style, which was developed in the 1930s and 40s and shortly thereafter became part of standard training for the Israeli Defense Force, is workout-based, effective and straight to the point.

“It works really well for law enforcement and the military, but it also works really well for the civilian population, too — men, women and even children, the older ones,” he said.

And with his recent training, Green may be the only person in the state certified to teach the art to law enforcement.

“There might be a possibility of one being down in Billings, but I have not found a law enforcement-certified Krav Maga instructor in the state,” Green said.

He was able to take the training after he floated it by Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial, who previously had heard about the style. So the department paid the course fees and Green paid for his travel and lodging.

But it wasn’t easy, despite the fact he is a fourth-degree black belt in traditional tae kwon do.

“It was the hardest week I ever went through,” Green said. “After the first couple of days I thought ‘man, can I make it through three more days?’”

The style already has made it onto the summer schedule at Green’s school, the American Karate Academy.

RUNNING THE school has been a joy for Green and his wife, Janie, who is also a fourth-degree black belt and works in parking enforcement for the police department. It was a dream of theirs for several years before they moved to Montana.

“The school’s a passion for us,” Green said. “There’s easier ways to make a living, I know that, and we both work for the police department, but I don’t think there’s anything that could top it as far as the rewards we get out of it.”

He said those rewards are not only physical benefits.

“The most rewarding thing is the effect we have on people’s lives,” Green said.

That goes for children as they learn confidence and discipline, but it also goes for adults. Green said there have been a couple of women who trained there for years and eventually used their newfound confidence to get out of abusive relationships.

“That’s a really rewarding deal,” he said. “With the help of coming through here, they’ve gained the self-confidence to take control of their lives.”

Green also has a message he tries to impart in the younger students at the academy.

“As far as the children and even all the way up into the teens we’re big on life skills and teaching them a can-do attitude, and also letting them know that respect and manners aren’t outdated,” he said.

The school, however, is open to people of widely varying ages. Green said the academy has a 60-year-old student who has now been training there for several months.

In a direct benefit, Green said the school keeps him young.

“I still feel like I can do a lot of things,” Green said. “I may not be as quick as the 20- and 30-somethings, but I can still hold my own.”

GREEN’S personal philosophy about martial arts is that it is not only a great life skill but a great way of life.

He said martial arts keeps people in shape, cultivates a mind-body focus and teaches some practical self-defense skills along the way.

“And it’s not always just the skill of what do you do when somebody throws a punch or grabs you, there’s a lot of things that happen leading up to that, so we even cover that,” Green said. “Overall, it prepares people for life and it’s good for all ages.”

Living such a lifestyle in tandem with a spouse also has its own benefits. This September, Green and Janie will celebrate their 27th wedding anniversary. He said their joint training, along with running the school together and both working for the police department, has been fruitful for their relationship.

“It has strengthened it, big time,” Green said. “It’s kept our relationship really strong over the years, and we have a lot in common.”

One remaining goal for the couple is to earn their fifth-degree black belts. Green said the time between degrees at that level is measured in years, as evidenced by the fact that he and Janie reached the fourth degree in 2005.

Their children have also been influenced by the martial arts lifestyle.

Nate, their oldest child at 26, lives in Portland, Ore., and runs the “Scrawny to Brawny” program online for Precision Nutrition. He previously worked as a personal trainer. Middle child Jordan, 24, recently moved to Havre with his girlfriend.

Austin, their youngest child, at 20, is finishing his second year at the University of Montana in Missoula, where he is majoring in journalism.

All three earned their black belts at a young age and all continue to work out and stay in shape.

The pursuit of martial arts is an endeavor Green highly suggests for anyone interested. His biggest suggestion was to just get out there, find a school no matter which style it teaches and start training.

“They need to just go for it,” Green said. “Sometimes, as adults especially, we have a hard time stepping out of our comfort zone.”

To learn more about the American Karate Academy, visit www.akawhitefishkarate.com or call the school at 862-7722.

Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.