Please note that we’ve made some adjustments to our class schedule.  These include the following:
 
¨ Adult classes will be one hour in duration.  This includes all Adult Karate, Muay Thai and Jiu-jitsu classes.  Monday evening Strength & Conditioning will remain at a 45 minute duration.
¨ The time between classes will generally be reduced to 15 minutes.  This is due to further reduction in sanitizing the rooms between classes.
¨ A ‘Tigers’ children’s Karate class will be added on Mondays at 4:15 PM.  This is to accommodate the current demand for that group.
¨ A ‘LEJJ’ or Law Enforcement Jiu-jitsu class will be added on Fridays at 9:15 AM.  This is to accommodate the expansion of that program and offer another alternative for those students.
 
Our children’s classes will remain at a 45 minute duration.  This is based on the proven success of this class length and consideration of relative attention spans of children in the modern era. 
Some of the adjustments made are a return to ‘pre-pandemic’ practices at ZenQuest.  With COVID metrics trending down, and minor strains dominating new cases, we are comfortable with relaxing some restrictions put in place during the height of the pandemic. 
These adjustments are in effect following the Labor Day holiday on Tuesday, September 6th.  The updated class schedule is available on our website and at the front desk.  For any questions or changes in students’ classes, please contact us.

The ‘back-to-school’ season is upon us again and at ZenQuest that means organizing our children’s classes for the fall.  We do this in order to keep reasonable limits on these classes and insure a positive experience for each student.  After an unusually busy summer it is more important than ever for parents and older students to help us with this at this time.
Parents of younger students (and older students) should notify us at their earliest convenience if they will be continuing with classes in the fall season.  Essentially, we need to know which classes students would like to reserve during this time in order to get you onto the appropriate class lists.  Students aged thirteen years or older are eligible to transition to Adult classes (including Karate, Jiu-jitsu, Thai Kickboxing, and Strength & Conditioning.)  These classes do not need to be reserved. 
With the pandemic metrics and restrictions way down, we are returning to our pre-pandemic approach to class limits on classes this season.  These vary slightly from class to class based on the age-ranges and number of instructors available for each class.  Ultimately, these limits are optimized based on many years of experience on the matter.   
Students and parents can reserve their classes by any of the following ways:
 
¨    By speaking to someone directly at the front desk
¨    By sending an email to [email protected]
¨    By calling us at 413-637-0656
 
Please remember that class reservations and lists are made on a ‘first come first served’ basis.  Waiting lists will be generated for classes that exceed their set limit.  Students who are not able to attend their first choice for classes right away are encouraged to choose alternative classes until space opens up in their preferred classes.
Also, remember that class reservations will only be effective with an active student enrollment.  Reservations for students not currently enrolled must be accompanied with tuition payment to restart the student’s membership.  Remember, too, that ‘Partial Participation’ discounts are reserved for students age seven years old and younger.
Although the pandemic seems to be winding down, we are continuing to exercise some caution in the gym.  This includes sanitizing, extra cleaning, intelligent personal care, and students refraining from attending when sick.  Face coverings will remain optional and students who are more comfortable wearing them are encouraged to do so.  With these precautions students CAN reap the benefits of the learning, physical activity, and socialization at ZenQuest. 
New class schedules are now available via our website and at our front desk.  Please see page 2 for a summary of the schedule adjustments.  The new schedule takes affect on Tuesday, September 6th.  As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns going forward. We will look forward to another great season of fun and learning at the oldest and best martial arts school in the Berkshires!!

We recently started replacing the ‘old school’ florescent light fixtures in the building with LED fixtures.  The new fixtures will provide the same amount of light but use as much as 70% less electricity when compared to the 40+ year old fixtures.  Additionally, the new fixtures do not require bulbs or ’ballast’ like the old ones, which needed replacement periodically.  Having over 70 fixtures throughout the building resulted in a constant battle in keeping up with these replacements.  Overall the new LED lights will be much more efficient and low maintenance going forward.
The plan is to replace the old lights in stages.  Essentially, we will be doing this one room at a time.  This will lessen the burden of the costs of the new lights, and provide an opportunity to recycle parts from the old lights in maintaining those remaining.  We expect that it will take about one year to complete this project. 
ZenQuest is also focusing on some other upgrades for the future.  We recently installed a new air conditioning  system on the east side of the building.  After delays due to supply chain and labor force issues we are happy to report that a new system was installed on August 6th.  This will greatly improve the cooling in the reception area and men’s locker room, and relieve the stress on the system on the other side of the building. 
We are also still perusing the permitting required for expansion of the back training room.  The plans for the work have already been completed and we will begin work as soon as the permits are secured. Once that is in place the actual work should only take days to complete.   
Essentially, the space between the training rooms that was our fitness room pre-pandemic will become part of the room primarily used for Jiu-jitsu and Thai Kickboxing classes.  This is because of the fact that the fitness room was historically under utilized and the growing need for additional training space. 
The work will be done in a way that does not disrupt the class schedule at all.  Based on the timing of the permits the project will likely be completed some time in October of this year.

Karate is a traditional ‘striking’ martial art where the basic idea is to stay on your feet and use footwork, blocking, and striking for self-defense.  Part of being able to make that work is also having the ability to escape common holds.  So, in each of our Uechi-Ryu Karate based programs we include strategies to counter common self-defense situations.
In recent times we have included escape techniques in our ’Kyu’ or pre black belt rank tests.  Each rank level would have two strategies that the student would learn and demonstrate during each of their rank tests.  The intent was to have a systematic way to insure that students received this important part of their training.  However, this proved to be a bit awkward in formal testing and resulted in extending the time required for these events. 
Going forward we will restructure the way that these strategies are taught at ZenQuest.  Now, each student will be given a list of self-defense situations complete with a brief description of the counter strategy.  We will cover these strategies more frequently in classes to insure each student learns them well.  This will be a more thorough way to cover these strategies and save time in formal rank testing.
Copies are now being distributed to students and are available upon request.  For more information feel free to speak to or contact us.

Demian Maia spent several days here in the Berkshires back in August.  The Jiu-jitsu master was in town to hold the first instructor training for his north American affiliates since 2019.  This is normally a annual occurrence but, like so many other in-person activities, was put on hold during the COVID pandemic.  ZenQuest was honored to help get this important tradition back on track!
The instructor training consisted of three days of intensive training between August 11th and 14th.  Among the strategies covered in the four sessions held were: stand up grappling, grip fighting, leg entanglements, pressure in positioning, and advanced submission details.
This is a great way to insure consistency and high quality instruction in Demian’s affiliated schools.  Several of ZenQuest’s assistant instructors attended the training which ultimately benefits all of our own students directly.
In addition to the instructor training Demian offered a three hour open seminar on Saturday, August 13th.  For this the master grappler let the participants choose the material to cover.  Then, for each strategy chosen the 5 time world champion focused on important principles for success.  Over forty students attended the clinic and walked away with a few points added to their BJJ IQ.
      At the end of Demian’s visit he surprised Professors Connie and Mark with promotions.  Professor (teacher in Brazilian) Connie was promoted to 1-stripe  or ‘1st grade’ Black Belt, while Professor Mark was promoted to 2-stripe  or ‘2nd grade’ Black Belt.  These had also been delayed by the pandemic.
      Thanks to everyone who supported the seminar and training, and special thanks to Demian Maia for making the trip!  Congratulations to Professors Connie and Mark on leveling up!!