Barbara LeBlanc is a second-degree Black Belt who began training in American Filipino Kun Tao under Grand Master Ralph Bergamo in 2005, after several years of supporting her two sons in their martial arts training. AFKT is a highly realistic style of self defense that emphasizes striking to defend and destroy. Barbara earned her Black Belt in this demanding style in 2016. She has been competing in USBA/WBA and ISKA tournaments in breaking, self-defense, and demo team events since 2010. In November 2017, Barbara won the ISKA North American Creative Breaking Championship against an all-male field. The following July she became the ISKA Female Creative Breaking World Champion at the U.S. Open in Orlando, Florida. In 2019, along with Mary Kennedy, she set a USBA/WBA World Record for most concrete patio blocks broken by a female team in 15 seconds. In 2020, she won the USBA/WBA Female Black Belt Challenge held at the Massachusetts State Breaking Championships.
Barbara is the Head Youth Instructor and director of children’s programs at Bergamo’s Martial Arts in Cheshire, CT, under Grand Master Ralph Bergamo. Along with her son and fellow instructor Nathan LeBlanc, she leads the Team Bergamo Demo Team, which has placed first at the Northeast Open Championships for 3 of the last 5 years. She is an official for the USBA/WBA. She loves working with very young martial artists, particularly with neurodivergent students, and she teaches 8 classes per week, including self-defense classes for women and girls. Becoming a martial artist changed her life through personal empowerment, and she wants to bring that same feeling to as many others as possible.
Barb has been married to Michael LeBlanc for 31 years. Their two sons Joshua and Nathan also earned Black Belts under GM Bergamo. Barb has been a public school teacher in New Haven, CT for over 30 years. When she is not at school or the martial arts studio, she can usually be found enjoying the outdoors or curled up with a cat and a good book.
