Quest Centers were founded by tenth degree black belt Stephen K. Hayes.

Dr. Stack with Stephen and Rumiko Hayes at Mountain Quest 2001 in North Carolina

Dr. Stack with Stephen and Rumiko Hayes at Mountain Quest 2001 in North Carolina

Stephen K. Hayes was the first martial artist in the western world to be taught the secrets of Ninjutsu by the 34th generation Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi in Japan. Mr. Hayes organized these teachings into an easily understandable curriculum called To Shin Do. Mr. Hayes is a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame, and has been named Black Belt Magazine Instructor of the year. He is personal security advisor to Nobel Peace Prize recipient, the Dalai Lama of Tibet. He teaches skills to members of the U.S. Air Force Academy, the FBI Academy, Great Britain's SAS, and law enforcement agencies nationwide. He is a bestselling author, and is well known for his books on the Ninja.

The North Carolina Quest Center is the first to open in North Carolina. It is a unique facility designed by award winning architect Richard Gurlitz to rival the finest dojo training halls in Japan. It is owned by cardiologist and martial artist Richard S. Stack, M.D. Dr. Stack practices Cardiology at Duke and and has lived in Chapel Hill/Durham for the past 20 years. He is a fifth degree black belt and a Master Instructor in Ninjutsu. He is the personal student of both Stephen K. Hayes and Grand Master Masaaki Hatsumi, with whom he has trained extensively in the United States and in Japan for the past 14 years. He serves on the Advanced Curriculum Advisory Board chaired by Stephen K. Hayes.

Dr. Stack was the first to develop an aerobic kickboxing program based on modern fundamentals of cardiovascular exercise physiology. This program was designed to provide the maximum benefit from an aerobic workout while simultaneously practicing effective martial arts techniques. Dr. Stack appears in Who's Who of Professionals and is author of over 300 manuscripts, scientific abstracts and books in Cardiology, and has been recognized by the Japanese Coronary Association for his combined work in Cardiology and the traditional Japanese martial arts.

To learn about Stephen K. Hayes, Click Here.