This Christmas we will be doing a peanut butter and jelly drive as well as that of gifts for those in need during the holiday season. We have all been blessed at one time or another and this is our opportunity to share some of those blessing with others as we give.
When you come in and see the Christmas Tree please consider bringing an item that can be placed under it to assist those of our community that are in need. Be mindful of children of all ages. For example, teenage girls might be thrilled to get some makeup or other such items.
As we do this I am certain that our own spirits will abound as we participate in bringing “Holiday Cheer” to others.
Our after school transportation karate service is now in session.
Being a school that has a lot of great families we make a strong effort to make our schedule work for our members. However, one request that has come up quite a bit lately is that of picking up our younger students after school lets out and bringing them here to Karate Quest where they can gain those valuable skills and attributes that are every bit as important as their academic training. The students have fun, get fit and learn valuable self-defense skills that could save their life someday. This allows mom and dad to finish up their work day without having to make the mad rush to pick their child up after school.
It is here and we are building our enrollments in this special “After School” program. Of course mom and dad can rest easy while their children are enjoying the best of leadership development through the martial arts while developing their attributes of Focus, Discipline, Confidence, Respect and Teamwork along with many others.
Our highly qualified staff has Eagle Scout Candidates, Black Belts, Top Academics and numerous competitive wins among them. With just over two years of service at our present location, we see our students excelling in these areas as well. You can tell a quality program by the great students.
What makes us different? In part it is our individual testing. Students are not automatically awarded a new rank just for showing up. The testing process is not just a test it is a high powered private lesson that helps the student to take it to the next level. Every student is helped along the path to personal mastery while learning valid real world self-defense as well as a lot of things that are just Fun! When they achieve a new rank they feel great about it because they truly earned it.
Stop by or call today so that you can ensure your child’s spot in this exciting opportunity.
School is back in session and schedules are starting to get back to normal. That said, many kids can benefit in their academic endeavors from the attributes of Concentration, Focus, Discipline, Confidence, Teamwork and Family Values that we teach at Karate Quest.
Karate Quest has added additional Fitness classes for 2009. The cool thing is that some of the classes run head to head with the kids classes allowing for busy parents to train on the upper level while their kids train on the lower level. The fitness class is perfect for the person who prefers to work out without the structure of a traditional martial arts class.
Of course we always invite the parents to don a karate uniform and train right alongside their kids. What a cool experience that is. You can’t attend Middle School or graduate from High School with your kids, but you can earn yout Black Belt together. That is one of the most incredible things you can ever do.
For those that take their training even more serous we invite you to participate in our Adult Self-Defense or Modern Arnis class. Best of all you can achieve your fitness goals, have a lot of fun and what you learn can help you save your life.
Professor Remy Presas in a candid interview at Karate Quest talks about his family art of Modern Arnis as the arts Senior Black Belt and system head. The interview took place on June 14th. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed doing it.
The Seminar started off on Friday 13th, and was a big hit. There were individuals attending from a variety of backgrounds from curious civilian to seasoned law enforcement officers. Everyone benefited and was able to take something away from the event and have a greater appreciation for the Modern Arnis that is headed by Grand Master Remy Presas, Jr.
Not only did he prove to be a master of the martial art that he teaches, but he has also mastered the art of being a gentleman. At the end of the day, it is very cool to meet so many remarkable and yet humble people that make up the world of martial arts be it in Chinese Kenpo Karate, Modern Arnis or any of the many other martial arts.
That said, I have met enough martial artist over the years to know that not all are people that I would like to spend my time around off the training floor. I have to say that would not be a concern regarding Remy Presas.
While here he bestowed the rank of 6th degree black belt on Pat Armijo who teaches the Modern Arnis at the Karate Quest Studio. Pat had no idea that he would be promoted. There were three individuals at the event that were testing for various degrees of black belt and Pat was not one of them. Pat accepted the honor graciously and is the newest of a select few 6th degree black belts in the Modern Arnis.
If you missed this one do not worry. I’m certain that Mr. Presas will be returning in the future.
Come by and allow us to introduce you to Karate Quest Excellence!
This Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th we will be privileged to have Remy Presas, Junior, the Senior Black Belt and Grandmaster of Modern Arnis at the Karate Quest Training Center in Ferndale, Washington. Mr. Presas is coming at the invitation of my good friend and fellow martial artist Pat Armijo. How cool is that? There will even be several individuals who will test for their Black Belt status in the art with Grandmaster Presas.
If you do not know the name Remy Presas as it applies to the Martial Arts then you should. As a kid in school I followed the career of Remy Presas, Senior, as he traveled about the United States and abroad with such notables as Walley Jay and Ed Parker promoting the art of Modern Arnis. Since the death of Remy Presas, Senior, his son and first Black Belt in the Modern Arnis, Remy Presas, Junior has carried the torch as the official head of the system.
Just as I observed following the death of Mr. Ed Parker there was a lot of people claiming they were anointed to be the new system head following the death of Remy Presas, Senior. So not to sound too much like a line straight out of the Highlander, “There can only be one.” Grandmaster Remy Presas, Junior, is the one when it comes to Modern Arnis.
How do I apply that same attitude regarding Kenpo Karate and the passing of Mr. Parker you ask? Quite simple. Mr. Parker’s 4th Black Belt was Chuck Sullivan. When you strip away the politics Chuck is the Senior Grandmaster and final word when it comes to Kenpo Karate. Another Kenpo great is that of Vic Leroux who has trained with Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Parker since he was just a kid himself.
That said, come train with Grandmaster Remy Presas this weekend. You will learn a ton and truly enjoy the camaraderie that exist at Karate Quest.
The Bandalan system of Doce Pares Eskrima was developed by Grandmaster Alfredo Bandalan through his studies with both Grandmaster Dionisio “Diony” Canete and Grandmaster Cacoy Canete. GM Bandalan studied Serrada Escrima with GM Angel cabales and Mike Inay. GM Bandalan teaches kenpo and has roots in the C.H.A. 3 kenpo system founded by Professor Marino Tiwanak, in Hawaii.
GM Bandalan is one of the founding members of WEKAF and he presented his system of Doce Pares and WEKAF sparring at Karate Quest, in Ferndale, Washington. There were three sessions; Friday, May 2nd (6:00 pm-8:00 pm), Saturday, May 3rd (10:00 am – noon & 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm). GM Bandalan was accompanied by Guro Loretta Fydrych, Sensei Felix Ordiniza, Tim Keating and current WEKAF world champion, Guro Anthony Ordiniza.
After the seminar, on Friday, GM Bandalan and his team gave a demonstration at the Kalahi Martial Arts Academy, operated by Master Lou M. Faralon, in Mt. Vernon, Washington. The demonstration was entertaining, dynamic, and informative.
GM Bandalan exhibited outstanding expertise in escrima and he has an infectious sense of humor. Our students had a great time learning from GM Bandalan. The response to the WEKAF style of sparring was very positive and we filmed all of the sparring matches. We look forward to having GM Bandalan come back to Karate Quest and thank him for spending time with us.
Well we had another outstanding graduation ceremony at the school. We had approximately 50 rank advancements and awarded the first orange belts since the school opened last September. That was a very exciting thing as all of the people who were awarded a rank earned that rank.
Every person must undergo an individual evaluation. This differentiates it quite a bit from the group test that many schools do. It takes a lot more time and effort, but it yields a better result. The students are generally well prepared for the exam process through the regular class training sessions and their personal training that they do (this karate homework really makes a difference). Also, we generally offer some special open gym times for the school members to come and work on whatever they need to work on while we circulate as instructors to assist and tailor their needs.
However, the best part of the testing is that it works out to be a private lesson where student and instructor can review the techniques and determine an exact plan of action to take the student to the next level of their training. This accelerates the student’s learning process and advances their skill level much more rapidly than the group testing format employed by so many other schools. What’s more is the test can be video taped to allow the student to see their performance from a third party perspective. This is particularly helpful as the students work on advanced concepts in their martial arts progression.
That said, we must congratulate the students for all their hard work. Regarding those students who are still in their youth we must also congratulate their parents who make the training possible for their children. Of course we must also give a shout out of “good job” to the assistant instructors who facilitate a large part of the learning that takes place in the school.
