About the Author: Ryan Wheaton has been teaching American Kenpo since 1991 and is the chief instructor at Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is an internationally certified 6th degree black belt and personal student of 10th degree black belt Paul Mills. Ryan sits on the Board of Directors for the American Kenpo Karate International (AKKI) and is also a regular seminar presenter at AKKI National & International events.
WELCOME TO MY MARTIAL ARTS BLOG! Keep up to date on all the latest news, tips and ideas from Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio by subscribing to my RSS feed or you can receive email updates right to your inbox. Thanks for visiting! -- Ryan Wheaton
Please join me in congratulating the following people on their recent belt promotions:
Yellow Belt
Purple Belt
Blue Belt
I just got back from the AKKI Camp and wanted to give everyone a quick update.
First, it was great to have so many people there attending the camp. Thank you to all who made it. For those who didn’t, start saving your nickels and dimes for the next one! I will post the dates of the next camp as soon as they’re available.
Second, congratulations to Christine, Jess and Rex on their advancement to 2nd degree brown belt. Next stop, black belt! You represented our studio well and, as always, you did an outstanding job out on the test.
Third, I can’t believe all of the “secrets” that were taught in the seminars. There were definitely some things let out of the bag, as it were. I know I came back with a ton of notes on new ideas and things to work on.
Fourth, the banquet was outstanding. The slide show that Mr. Jacob put together was fun to watch. There were a ton of photos from 1966 on up of Mr. Mills and Mr. Parker. I even made it in a few of them. I will post some of these photos at some point. For some reason, everyone seemed to like the one of Mr. Mills putting my head through the wall … I wonder why that is?!
I will be posting photos and details of the event shortly to our website. More soon!
Here is a video of my instructor, 10th degree black belt Mr. Paul Mills, teaching in Las Vegas in September 2006. Mr. Mills is a world champion fast draw artist and former protege of Mr. Ed Parker. These videos are of him teaching and demonstrating various AKKI American Kenpo principles of motion and techniques.
P.S. He was 59 when this video was taken.
We will be closed on Thursday March 22, 20007 due to the Paul Mills Las Vegas Kenpo Camp being held in Las Vegas, Nevada. All of our instructors and many of students will be attending this once in a lifetime event.
For those who don’t yet have a copy of the Las Vegas Camp schedule, here is a copy:
Paul Mills Las Vegas Kenpo Camp Schedule (March 22-24, 2007)
For more information on the Las Vegas Kenpo camp, please visit the official March Kenpo Camp webpage. There is a great video of Mr. Mills there you don’t want to miss!
It’s been six years since Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio began. We started out as a small, humble group of Kenpoists in a small room in the basement of a gym in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. I can’t believe how time flies. It’s amazing how much things have changed in that time.
I started this studio not to have the most students, rather, to have a place to train my students to become the most proficient and knowledgeable Kenpoist possible. I wanted an adult friendly environment with smaller and more personalized classes … open communication … a safe training environment … a place where people weren’t going to be nickle and dimed. I wanted a studio where students and instructors became friends, had a good time, but were still focused when training. A place where students felt comfortable asking questions, got spot on answers, and knew each time they came to class it was going to be an experience they didn’t want to miss. I’m as committed to these ideals today as I was the day we opened. I will never compromise these ideals for anything or anyone. You have my word.
To this day, I’m still excited to come to class, see everyone, and teach. I miss it when I’m on vacation or sick and wish I could be there. It’s an unbelievable feeling to walk into a place and know that everyone there is committed and dedicated to the art of AKKI Kenpo. Our students truly have a passion for learning and understanding this practical, effective martial art.
When I first started in the martial arts, things were very different than the way things are in our studio. In fact, I’m pretty much doing the exact opposite of what things were like when I started. There were so many things I were different when I started (I felt like a number in class … no one knew my name … I didn’t receive a lot of personal instruction … etc) and made a vow that if ever I had my own studio, I would do things differently. Well, now that I do, I have created the martial arts training environment I wished I always had.
Thank you for your continued support of our martial arts studio and for helping me make it one of the best martial arts studios in Salt Lake City Utah over the last six years. Frankly, I couldn’t do this without you.
Ryan Wheaton
Chief Instructor
Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio
Salt Lake City, Utah
Going to the Las Vegas Paul Mills American Kenpo Karate International camp March 22-24th? Here are 5 money saving tips so you can spend you money on taking as many seminars as you can:
1) Car Pool - Not going to fly? There are other people who are already driving. Ask around in class and see who you can ride with to save on gas. Save $150 by driving.
2) Share a Room - This is where you’ll be able to save the most, next to not having to buy a plane ticket. You can save over $200+ here alone.
3) Eat Wisely- Sam’s Town offers several great food options including a buffet. They also have McDonalds, Sbarro, and Panda Express that are all low cost food options. There is also a cafe there with low cost breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.
4) Don’t Gamble! Or just set aside a small amount of money to spend. Set a limit and once you reach it, stop.
5) Forgo a Show - Instead of dropping a $100 on a Vegas show, cut back and just go see a movie. There is a movie theater at Sam’s Town. with all the latest movies.
For those that haven’t yet heard here is additional information on the camp:
DATE
March 22-24, 2007
ROOM DISCOUNTS
Be Sure To Ask For “The Paul Mills American Kenpo Karate International Group” To Receive Discounted Room Rates.
Sun - Thurs = $49.99/night
Fri - Sat = $120.00/night
Sam’s Town
5111 Boulder Highway
Las Vegas, NV 89122
(800) 634-6371
DEPOSIT POLICY
Sam’s Towns requires at least 14 days prior to arrival to guarantee a room. AKKI Members can send their deposit to Sam’s Town or charge it over the phone. To receive a full refund on a cancelled room, it must be made 48 hours in advance. No exceptions. Saturday check-in requires Sales Office approval.
CHECK-IN PROCEDURE
All guests will be required to present picture I.D. upon check-in. NO ONE UNDER 21 YEARS OF AGE WILL BE ALLOWED TO CHECK INTO A ROOM. Deposits are required to place long distance calls and order in room movies.
If rooms are sold out, please try the following neighboring hotels:
Arizona Charlies: 1-800-342-2695
Boulder Station: 1-800-683-777
CAMP Schedule
Will be posted ASAP.
