While most six year-olds were watching cartoons and playing video games, martial arts champion Craig Henningsen began training with instructors and mentors John Sharkey and Matthew Mullins at the world-renowned Shorei-Ryu school, Sharkey's Karate Studio, in Naperville, Illinois. Training alongside Mullins, a five-time world champion, influenced Craig to hit the competition circuit.

Dominating in musical forms, musical weapons, point and continuous fighting divisions, Craig won his first national championship when he was twelve. For his innovation and contribution to the sport at such a young age, Craig has received several Hall of Fame awards. At that time, Craig was chosen to represent America as a member of Team USA, competing in Vienna, Austria for the WKA World Championships. While a purple belt at Sharkey's Karate, Craig traveled the national/international circuits competing with black belts since 2000; he recently earned his black belt in Shorei-Ryu, November 2005.

Since 2001, Craig has helped run John Sharkey's Boot Camp, a 30-day martial art camp improving national level competitors, training and teaching students to push their limits and reach their highest goals. What started with five campers has grown to twenty in its four years. Boot Camp '05 campers joined Craig at the Audition Studios, an acting school downtown Chicago. "Acting lessons will improve the martial art competitor's performance throughout their routines," Craig states.

Now 18, Craig currently holds ten national and three world titles, and is the three-time defending champion of the coveted AKA Grand Nationals Warrior Cup. He is the only youth in the forty-year history of this tournament to win back-to-back championships. Craig was featured on ESPN2, winning the US OPEN/ISKA World Championships two years in a row.

Apart from competition, Craig has been featured in countless martial arts demonstrations across the country. Longtime friend and mentor Matt Mullins recruited him to be on his Sideswipe Performance Team, entertaining audiences across the country. Sideswipe's performances blend traditional Karate and Tae Kwon Do with gymnastics and acrobatics in an amazing display of talent. Craig and Sideswipe have appeared on The Steve Harvey Show, The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon 2004, and half-time shows for the NBA's Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks, among others.

Craig's excellent attention to detail, choice trick combinations and explosive techniques also earned him a spot on Mike Chatarantabut's new competition team, XMA (Xtreme Martial Arts). As part of this elite team, Craig has the opportunity to introduce the public to a new side of martial arts, combining traditional styles with exciting new high-flying kicks and leaps. On November 2003, Craig made his television debut on the award winning XMA, Discovery Channel's intriguing documentary inside the martial arts. Broadcasted around world, XMA is the fifth-largest selling DVD in Discovery's catalog.

"One of my biggest dreams is to see XMA in the Olympics! All of us on Sideswipe are working together towards the similar goal of exposing XMA to the World." Craig says. "I want martial arts to help and encourage people, as I have experienced growing up."

Craig graduated early from Waubonsie Valley High School in January 2005. An aspiring actor and performer, Craig relocated to Los Angeles from Chicago rooming with friend Matt Mullins.