Karate Quest Kicks Off Birch Bay Square’s Block Party

This was a great event with a lot of public excitement.  What a great community we live in.  Birch Bay Square is the newly remodeled outlet mall just off I-5 at Birch Bay Lynden Road.

The performers had fun too!  Thank you to all the school members that came to see the show as well.  Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY!!!!!

Get Fit and Safe in 2009

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.

Come by and see us.   Remember, stay Fit and Safe!

Grandmaster Remy Presas, Jr. at Karate Quest

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.

Remy Presas: A Big Modern Arnis Hit!

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!

 

 

Remy Presas is Coming to Karate Quest

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.

Bandalan, Doce Pares and and WEKAF

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.

 

Respectfully,

 

Patrick Armijo

 

Philipino Martial Arts Digest Editor Steven Dowd Does the First Karate Quest Seminar!

We have had a lot of excitement at the school since it opened just about three weeks ago. Well as if getting open and getting going wasn’t exciting enough we were treated to a special visit by Professor Steven Dowd who not only serves as the editor Filipino Martial Arts Digest, but is also the current Grand Master of Arnis Balite. While the Karate Quest school is brand new, with many students that have little or no martial arts training prior to joining Karate Quest as well as a handful of seasoned martial artist, Professor Dowd taught a fantastic seminar covering the basic principles of the art that he loves so much.

Professor Dowd learned about Karate Quest throuh our own Mr. Pat Armijo who is the senior most Modern Arnis instructor in the region having trained under Master Remy Presas and Remy Presas Junior. However, with Mr. Armijo’s eclectic background as an advanced black-belt in Kenpo Karate among other arts he is always on the lookout for things that other accomplished martial artist are doing that he can learn from. That said, over the years Professor Dowd and Mr. Armijo have struck up a friendship that continues to grow with the arts.

All in all it was a well attended and definitely well worth while event for all.