A Month at the New Dojo

Well, I've been at the new dojo now for one month. There's lots to say about it; in some ways it is much better, in other ways it is not. The largest impression that I've received so far is that it is much more "fight-oriented". That is, there is less focus on the "art" and more on the application of the art. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is different.

The new school (Knapp Martial Arts) shares my name, but there is no relation. The instructor is a fifth-degree back belt who goes back to the pre-Valari days of Professor Cerio, making it about as authentic as you can get for east-coast American Kenpo (certainly for New Hampshire Kennpo). It is also much more physically intensive than my previous school — which is great! I need all the forced-conditioning I can get, seeing as how I have very little self-motivation when it comes to prolonged exercise. Each class will start with about a hundred each of crunches/pushups/jumping jacks, and once warmed up we are expected to keep the energy level high for the next hour.

Overall, I like it. The instructor is excellent; he is precise and fluid and takes the time to correct and instruct students properly. While I was saddened by the unfortunate demise of my previous school, this has turned out to be a silver lining.