On August 9th based on a significant uptick in the COVID metrics the CDC designated Berkshire county as ‘high risk’ for COVID19 transmission.  The Center for Disease Control, the nation’s leading authority on infectious diseases, also recommends that people in high risk areas wear masks indoors in public areas to reduce the risk of transmission of the new ’Delta Variant’ of the disease.  Based on this we will, once again and unfortunately, require all students to wear face coverings indoors at ZenQuest (effective August 10th.)
All Students should also sanitize frequently and be mindful of 'respectful distancing'.  This means keeping some space between themselves and other students and refraining from any unnecessary touching.  We are not returning to ‘social distancing’ areas at this time, but instead adopting a ’pod training’ strategy.  So, all students will be limited in their partner work to a maximum of two partners (including for drills and sparring.)
This is all very frustrating for everyone.  After months of slow and steady progress going backwards with the disease and the safety measures to counter it can conjure up anxiety, despair and anger.  However, the best thing to do is to try to stay relaxed and focused, and keep moving forward.  One way to battle the frustration is to make sure that we are all doing EVERYTHING possible to get control of the virus so that we can all return to normal ASAP.  
Students and parents with remaining concerns about this situation may choose to exercise additional precautions like opting out of partner drills or other parts of classes that they are uncomfortable with for now.  Students not comfortable with face coverings or any other aspect of the current situation may also choose to pause their membership until things return back to normal again.  Of course, any student experiencing ‘flu like’ symptoms (or any other illness) should not attend classes until the issue has passed.
We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed.  We are hopeful that things improve again soon and no additional safety measures are needed.  
As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns going forward. Thanks for your continued cooperation and support.

For sparring in our striking programs students are required to wear a minimal amount of protective gear.  This includes our children’s and adult’s Karate and Muay Thai classes, and our adult’s team sparring.  The required gear varies slightly based on the specific program. Here are the requirements for each program:
 
·   Children's Karate - A full set of sparring gear for any of our children's Karate classes includes gloves, boots, headgear, mouthpiece and cup. Purchased as a set the cost is $116 plus tax. Students can wear additional protection for sparring such as shin or chest guards if they want.
·   Adult's Karate - Adults are only required to wear gloves, foot protection, mouthpiece and cup for sparring. The price varies for this depending on exactly what they get, but a set of standard gear costs about $83 plus tax. Students can wear additional protection for sparring such as headgear and shin guards if they prefer.
·   Muay Thai - For Muay Thai sparring students are required to wear gloves, shin guards, mouthpiece and cup. A set of these will cost about $68. Muay Thai students also need to wear gloves and shin guards for day to day classes.
·   MMA - Since our MMA sparring training sessions consist of a mix of different martial arts happening in that session the gear required can vary.  Generally, if the focus is actual MMA, students wear smaller fingerless MMA style gloves, shin guards, cup and mouthpiece.  When the focus is on ’stand-up’ sparring students default to that required for Muay Thai sparring.  In grappling mode ‘no-gi’ clothing is worn along with MMA style gloves, cup and mouthpiece.  
 
At present we are returning to focusing on sparring or Kumite the third full week of every month in our Karate classes.  In Muay Thai we are returning to sparring or 'technical sparring' more often at the end of classes.  Team sparring will also be held on a weekly basis.
Students who may not already have the required gear for their classes need to make sure that they have a properly fitting set of the required gear.  Remember that we provide big discounts on all gear purchased at ZenQuest. Plus, we are more than happy to steer you toward the right equipment and insuring the proper fit.
Please let us know if you have any questions going forward. Once again thanks for your continued support!