Adult Kenpo Classes

Students and enthusiasts of Kenpo have many reasons for their interest in this and other martial art styles. Some are drawn to the physical fitness and weight-loss aspects of training. Others seek to add discipline and self control to their lives. While still others are concerned about safety and self-defense.

Whether you are interested in our programs for mental or physical well being, PKA Karate Academy offers a number of programs that will fit your developmental needs and your busy schedule as well.

Kenpo is one of the first true mixed martial arts (punches, kicks, elbows and knees dealing with standing, kneeling and prone positions.) And Ed Parker’s American Kenpo (EPAK) is a self-defense martial art based upon how the body moves naturally, Newtonian physics principles and BOTH circular and linear motion.

EPAK is a complete system which covers an endless myriad of scenarios beginning with basics and progressing through every conceivable option of attack and catalyst that a student can find oneself:

Classes are specifically designed for each level of martial artists. Traditional drills such as: stances, kicks, punches, movement drills, combinations, self-defense, pad drills, forms, sparring and ground work are developed based on what the student needs for current progression. All classes are fun, fast paced and high energy.

All sparring and contact in all adult Kenpo classes are continuous contact with emphasis on safety. All students wear protective gear including: mouthpieces, hand and foot gear, cup / supporters. Forearm / shin pads are also always made available and suggested for adult classes.

Once students are on a designed training program all individuals have access to the Academy for practice and workouts anytime the school is open without additional mat-fees, provided there is no interference with any group or private lessons being taught.

All students progress at their own speed and level. Students are not required to test until the instructors, as well as, the students are confident with all information that needs to be demonstrated prior to advancement. The Academy is closed on the last Thursday of each month for those students in the school that are ready to test. There are NO GROUP CLASSES on testing days.

Pre-Teen Kenpo (11-15 yrs)

With close to four decades of professional instruction and experience, we at PKA Karate Academy realize that teenagers are a very special group of individuals that both warrant and deserve some extra attention.

Most schools just “throw” teens into either their adult program, or even worse lump their teens into a children’s program. Which is the reason why the “others” do not have a successful teen program.

During these teen years, students are normally finding themselves “stuck” between getting out of the mold of a child, yet still maturing and entering into adulthood in a positive manner. With peer pressure and the enormous additional stressors that teenagers have in their daily lives, offering them their OWN class is only going to help them grow into the mature, positive role models and leaders that we KNOW they can be. (And that we EXPECT and NEED them to be.) Being placed into an adult class can be scary for a 13 or 14 year old in a group setting that is physically harder and faster paced. Besides drilling and training with students double or triple their ages, keeping up can be quite overwhelming.

Also, when a teen is placed in a class with seven or eight year olds, they quickly loose interest by being slowed down in order to keep pace with the natural flow of much younger students. Their age and size is also counterproductive to the younger children in the same manner that a teen may feel training with a 35-45 year old.

Our Pre-Teen Program is used to develop leaders while maintaining the standards of our curriculum and keeping discipline a solid constant.

We at PKA Karate realize that there are a LOT of diamonds in the rough in this group of students and many future teachers can emerge from seeds planted during these years.

The bar in this class is set very high, the discipline is solid, but there is certainly a TON of fun to be had here as well. It is certainly one of the most exciting groups during the week to work with in regards to energy and output. This group is the epitome of the word family.

Again with this group, all students have a bound syllabus, which they must bring to every class. It contains their material and notebook. When they are ready to progress, the instructor will sign off and they are then permitted to participate in the monthly testing which takes place on the last Thursday of each month. There are NO GROUP CLASSES on testing days.

Applied Tactical Training (A.T.T.)

Anyone who has been involved in the Martial Arts for any substantial period of time knows that fads come and go and for valid and easy to understand reasons.

A new hit craze will always come around and these do eventually fizzle out. Also and more importantly, there will always be safety issues or concerns.

Over the past few years, we have had a tremendous amount of new students, as well as, students with experience from the martial arts community (students from other schools and locations, students relocating from other areas, older students, inquiries, and just plain old educated parents or adults) call with very specific questions.

In tracking these inquiries and listening to the community a certain THEME emerged…

Over the years, in the Martial Arts industy there have been students that have gotten burned out from the “kickboxing…gym fitness style…air work type” training which was a HUGE fad in the early 90s.

Also a very large group of the market due to safety concerns, increase injury, re-occurring injury, age factor, current surgical conditions due to a more pound and ground style of art are simply no longer looking for this type of class which was again another very large fad during the 80s/90s/00s.

The Applied Tactial Training class came about for just these reasons.

A.T.T. Or Applied Tactical Training is the culmination of hands-on cutting edge street scenarios. In this offensive and defensive class, we work in a very safe, yet dynamic group atmosphere combining the best of Kenpo, JKD, Muy Thai, Krav Maga, Aikido, & BJJ Concepts, as well as Military Special Forces Training brought to us from our own Retired Sgt. Major.

This class moves from natural weapons to man-made weapons, blunt to bladed to firearms. (Standing, kneeling and prone positions)

A.T.T. IS the next evolution in training and quick for those that don’t have the time to invest into the study of a science behind a fighting Art.

The training is done in a controlled, safe, exciting and fun class setting, without the traditional mindset of pounding, pounding and pounding, especially on the joints that today we all tend to hear surgical stories about whether it’s in the news or through a family, friend or someone at work. (neck, shoulders, spine, knees, ankles, elbows)