Team Z will be entering the cage again in the AMMO Fight League’s “No Man’s Land” event!  Both Neil “Beast Mode” Von Flatern and Matt “Machine” Bienia are scheduled to fight for title belts in their divisions on Saturday, October 7.  This should be an exciting night of MMA action in Springfield, Massachusetts, with a full card of additional bouts lined up.

Neil will face Jesse Koslakowski for the 170 division title.  Jesse is a grappler with submission wins in each of his three previous bouts.  Neil is looking to use his rounded package of striking, wrestling and Jiu-jitsu, and focus under pressure to grab the win and improve his record of 4-1.

Matt will square off with Swagath Pillai for the 155 division belt. Pillai is a strong striker with a record of 4-1.  Matt is also a rounded fighter with strong cardio and gritty determination.

Tickets are available at ZenQuest for this exciting event.  So, mark your calendars and come out to support the team!  As always, thanks to our sponsors including: A-List Luxury Car Services, Digitsu, Clayton Creative Media, Victory Force Options Training, Quest Martial Arts, and Jedd L. Hall Attorney at Law.

ZenQuest will host a special "Shugyo" or spirt training in honor of Master Shigeru Takamiyagi on Sunday, October 15th.  The event will be from 1:30 to 3:00 PM to celebrate a lifetime of training, teaching and advancement of Uechi-Ryu Karate.  This is open to all teen and adult students of Uechi-Ryu Karate Do.
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Master Takamiyagi became ill in 2011, and passed away on October 12th , 2014.  He was Sensei Connie’s and Mark’s primary teacher,  and was the owner of the legendary Chatan Dojo in Okinawa.  Sensei Takamiyagi made significant contributions to the development of Uechi-Ryu/ Shohei-Ryu Karate, and has students scattered around the world.  He was also instrumental in organizing the Okinawa Karatedo Kyokai, which is ZenQuest’s parent organization for Karate.

​After the Shugyo training, participants are encouraged to go for some dinner together.  There is no cost associated with the training and meals will be ordered from the menu at the dinner.  This is open to all experience levels.  Please come lend your energy and spirit for some great training and discussion!

Demian Maia is jumping right back into the Octagon after his recent disappointing loss to Tyron Woodley.  The Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard will take on rising prospect Colby Covington in his hometown of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 28. 

Maia, now 25-7, was defeated by unanimous decision when he challenged for Tyron Woodley’s title in his last outing. The loss snapped a seven-fight winning streak with wins over notable names such as Jorge Masvidal, Carlos Condit, Gunnar Nelson and Neil Magny.

Covington, 12-1, comes into the fight on a four-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Dong Hyun Kim in June.  His only loss came via guillotine choke to Warlley Alves, in December 2015.

Demian Maia is expected to meet Colby Covington at UFC Fight Night 119.  The card will be headlined by a middleweight bout between Lyoto Machida and Derek Brunson.  Demian is expected to drop by ZenQuest about two weeks after this fight to provide another amazing seminar.  Stay tuned for more information on that. 

Good luck to Professor Demian as he continues his MMA journey!
 

​It’s Back-to-School season again, and time for our younger students to recommit to the skills of success!  At ZenQuest, we are recommitting ourselves to helping our students in reaching their goals and learning important life-skills like focus, self-control, preparedness, fitness, and perseverance. 
During our busiest time we do our best to organize our classes to ensure a healthy and positive environment for everyone.  This includes limiting the size of classes, so students and parents are asked to designate which classes they will be attending during this time. 
By now, students of our children’s programs should have received a “Fall Registration” packet in the mail.  In it is everything you need to make your “Back-To-School” registration easy, including Class-Selection forms.  Submitting these is the best way to insure reservation of your most preferred classes during this time.  Please remember that waiting lists will be generated for students whose forms are received after their chosen classes are filled, or who are not properly enrolled. 
The mailed Class Selection forms indicate the most appropriate programs for each youth student based on their age, size and experience level.  Please remember that students ages nine and older must enroll on a Full Participation basis (regardless of attendance.)  This means that they may attend unlimited classes per week in Karate, Jiu-jitsu, and HSD appropriate for their age and skill levels.  If you did not receive this packet, you can access a Class Selection form by clicking HERE.
When completing your Class-Selection Forms, be sure to select your preferred classes within appropriate age groupings.  Also, you may underline any secondary or “back-up” choices.  You can assume that you have been assigned your first choice of classes, unless contacted otherwise.  Students who have continued throughout the summer will be given priority on class selections.  However, Selection Forms must also be submitted for these students for this to be effective.  Remember to be prompt in submitting your completed selection forms as class lists are generated on a first-come-first-served basis.    
Please call us if you have any questions.  We look forward to having you for another great season of fun and learning at the oldest and best martial arts school in the Berkshires!!

We've been voted “Best Martial Arts Academy” in the Berkshire Eagle’s Berkshires Best Awards for 2017!  The Eagle has been the area’s premier newspaper for decades with a large local following, and these awards are considered of special merit. 
The honor came as a surprise as we were not aware that this was a “thing”, or of the voting.  In spite of not knowing about the voting process or encouraging people to participate, WE WON!  The award is especially sweet because it is based on the “Readers’ Choice.”  The school had to be nominated, and then voted on via mail-in and online ballads.
A “gala” for this year’s award winners was held on Thursday, August 3rd.  The party featured dozens of displays from local businesses who had received honors in their field.  This included ZenQuest’s neighbor “Chocolate Springs”, and our competition team sponsor “A-List Luxury Car Services.” 
Tremendous gratitude goes to everyone who voted for us, as well as everyone who supports us from week to week, and the Berkshire Eagle!  Arigato gozaimas, muito obrigado, sawadee krup...and THANK YOU ALL!  We are very honored, and we will continue to provide the absolute best facility, instruction and training environment that we can in the future.
 

Two free self-defense seminars were held at ZenQuest on Sunday, August 6.  These were provided as a community service, aimed in part at preparing kids and young adults for transitioning to new modes of school or college.  In all, over thirty participants took advantage of the opportunity to learn some important skills that can last a lifetime.
The first seminar, called “Kid Safe”, was for ages 7 to 13.  This focused on the best strategies for children to deal with issues like bullying, assault and abduction.  The kids learned basic strategies for using their voices, blocking strikes, returning fire if needed and escaping common grabs and holds.  The kids learned a lot in the short time given AND had fun in the process.
The second clinic was for ages 13 and up and called “Be Safe.”  This focused on proven strategies from around the world for avoidance and dealing directly with harassment, assault, abduction, and date-rape.  These participants also learned basic strategies blocking and striking, and escaping common grabs, holds and attacks.  Of course, the intensity of the topics covered was scaled to be appropriate for the different age groups.
Big thanks to the participants and parents, and a special thanks to Kathy Petrucci for helping with the children’s workshop.
 

After an impressive run in the UFC’s welterweight division Demian Maia got his title shot in in “UFC 214.”  The opportunity came against champion Tyron Woodley on Saturday, July 29 in Anaheim, California.  Unfortunately, Maia’s seven fight win-streak against many of the toughest guys in the 170 pound division came to an end in this second attempt at a championship belt. 
The athletic and explosive Woodley, known for using his speed to knock out the best, had done his homework.  He was able to deny Demian in 21 takedown attempts in the center of the octagon via strength and sharp technique.  The champ also defended some takedowns against the cage, but not without controversy as he grabbed the fence in desperation at least twice.  This is an illegal way to stop a takedown, and should have resulted in point deductions after the first incidence. 
The normally animated Woodley was criticized for not pressing the action during the fight, but commented after that he was careful not to give Demian a chance to implement his own game plan.  Basically, he did the MMA equivalent of walking a home-run hitter.  To Maia’s credit, he also shut down the champ’s strength, which is lightning fast punches. Except for a well timed uppercut on Demian’s second takedown attempt, the champ landed a record low number of strikes in the fight. After five rounds, Woodley pulled a unanimous decision, in spite of Maia pushing the action and seeming to control the space most of the time.     
       This bout was tainted with controversy right from the beginning.  With the fight announcement coming on June 28th, Maia was only given four weeks to prepare for what was likely the most important fight of his life.  Normally, fighters are given much more notice for a title fight, allowing them to have training camps for ten to twelve weeks.  Some people believe that the short notice was an attempt to stack the cards in Woodley’s favor, and that he may have been given more notice than was Demian.
In any case, we are proud of everything that Demian has accomplished both on the Jiu-jitsu mat and in the octagon, and happy to have him as our Professor/ Master.
#TeamDemian #Team Z

ZenQuest recently conducted “Advanced Concepts” workshops for both it’s Uechi-Ryu Karate and Demian Maia Jiu-jitsu programs.  These clinics are provided every three to four months to aid intermediate and advanced students in learning advanced techniques and strategies in their respective arts.  This latest edition of trainings covered some great training! 
First, “Advanced Concepts in Uechi-Ryu” was held on Saturday, July 29.  This was open to all Black-Belts in that traditional program.  The gathering began with some discussion about leadership, and personal development in long term training.  Then the training focused on “harvesting” information from common drills, and using rhythm and timing to optimize efficiency and effectiveness in movement.  
     On Saturday, August 5 we had Advanced Concepts in Jiu-jitsu for all students ranked Blue-Belt or higher.  This AC training also started with discussion about leadership, and personal development in long term training.  Then the physical material included defense against kicks, knives and guns.  The strategies taught are the simplest and most reliable for common types of these attacks. 
     At the conclusion of the Jiu-jitsu seminar seven students received  well deserved promotions, including:  Keith Sansoucy, Chris Brouse, and Dennis Fougere to 1-Stripe Blue Belt; Robert Haywood to 2-Stripe Blue Belt; Neil Von Flatern to 1-Stripe Purple Belt; Tim Somerville and Herb Gregg to 3-Stripe Purple Belt.  Congratulations to all!
One more Advanced Concepts clinic is coming for Muay Thai students.   This is scheduled for Saturday, August 19 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM, and is open to  all students Blue-Prajiad or higher.  For those who qualify, please mark your calendars!
 

BIG thanks goes to everyone who helped with our annual cleaning day back on June 25th.  A small army of dedicated students dusted, cleaned, disinfected, repaired, and improved the facilities both inside and out.  Among the improvements were re-mulching and mounting of the “Bob” target  in the playground area for kids to enjoy.  Everything from the walls to the floors…to individual pieces of training equipment were cleaned, too.
Special thanks to Neil, Matt, Chris, Brennon, Robert, Fernanda, Michelle, Herb, Lucy, Elizabeth, Gabrielle, Russell, and Jackie for being so generous with your time and doing such a great job!! 

​New t-shirts have arrived and are now available!  These are “walkout” style shirts with the ZenQuest logo, and our parent affiliation logos on the front.  The back features all of the sponsors for the ZenQuest fight team.  These are very colorful and made of a comfortable material that can be worn for training, or just to kick around in.  This is the perfect shirt to show your pride for your gym and team!
We also just received more of our custom training-shirts/ rashguards.  These feature the gym logo on the front, and our parent group logos on the back, including the Okinawa Karate Association, Demian Maia Jiu-jitsu, and Sityodtong Muay Thai.  These are perfect to wear for any class at the school, and can last for years!
There are a limited amount of each of these, as-well-as our custom training shorts and custom uniforms.  Get yours while you can!