Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado

Happy Monday my friends!

McDojo Dance Lessons 🕺🕺🕺 ft. @renz_rs + @christophertroyofficial filmed at: @strikers_inc #martialarts #dancing #training #padwork #kungfu #wushu #wingchun #muaythai #defense #boxing #wrestling #sparring #fighting

We don’t often post as much as we should about this incredible group of people in our dojo. Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am, and without their continued dedication the arts Shihan Torrez and I teach and hold dear wouldn’t have the opportunity to thrive and progress into the future beyond our hands. I’m extremely proud of this group of Quest Academy of Martial Art’s Alemany Kenpo and Kamishin Aikijujutsu practitioners for a fantastic double testing. There are a few missing faces from these pictures, we have a handfull of adults that missed picture day, LOL, but I say with full confidence that the future of Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado looks good. The hard work and dedication on all levels from white belt to Nidan is undeniable.

Onward, warriors

❤️🤙🏼

Shinan/Sibok Torrez and Torrez

🌟 New Year, New You! Join Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado 🌟

Are you ready to kick off 2025 with something truly transformative? We’re opening 5 exclusive spots for adult beginners in our Monday night classes starting in January! 🎉

At Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado, we teach traditional Kenpo Karate and Kamishin Ryu Jujitsu with a focus on modern, practical self-defense.

Whether you're looking to improve your fitness, relieve stress, or build confidence, this is the perfect opportunity to start your martial arts journey!

💪 Why choose us?

✅ Expert instruction in a private, supportive setting.
✅ No contracts – quality training at a fair price.
✅ Learn skills that enhance your life on and off the mat.

Spots are limited, and an application is required. Don’t wait to take the first step!

📩 Send us a message today to learn more and reserve your spot!

Let’s make 2025 your year of growth, strength, and empowerment. 🥋

It was such a wonderful day training with Soke Don Phillip, Soke Dai Scott Phillip, and the Kamishin family. We were honored to share our knowledge with the group and even more so proud of our students for showing up and training hard!

It was with great honor that after just over a year of dedicated training, both Tim and I were recently recognized as a level 3 (intermediate) student by Grandmaster Shelley Millspaugh in the Filipino Martial Art of Kombatan Arnis. Tim and I have both been training in Kenpo Karate, Lima Lama, and Kamishin Aiki Jujitsu for 20+ years, and are very familiar with modernized arnis basics as taught for empty hand striking purposes. After all these years of training and teaching our systems we were instructed by our head instructor in Alemany Kenpo Karate, Professor Martin Castro, to seek out GM Millspaugh and fully learn this system as a whole to further develop our knowledge base and broaden our skill range.

Starting under a new instructor in a new system can be really intimidating! However, it was wonderful being immediately welcomed into the Colorado Kombatan family and quickly accepted as a new student. It only took one class for us to fall in love with Kombatan as it aligns with the concepts and principles of our striking and locking arts, and we LOVE being a beginner again! It brings such reprieve from being an instructor and feeling comfortable making silly mistakes in front of others.

It doesn’t matter how long one has trained, doesn’t matter the rank obtained, what matters is the continuation of skills, knowledge, and mostly experiencing humility. We are fully invested now, there’s no looking back. We hope to continue to make both GM Millspaugh and Prof. Castro proud as we journey forward in this art.

There’s a quote by C.S. Louis that rolls around in my mind often, and I feel like it applies to every aspect in our lives, but really drives home the point of martial arts being a lifelong training commitment:

“No one can teach riding so well as a horse”

Until you have really decided to set foot upon path, dig your heels in stubbornly invested your mind, body, and energy into your training day in and day out, through all the starts and stops, through injuries and set backs, through the distance of physical miles between you and your instructors, and find personal growth and breakthroughs in your knowledge base, perhaps just then you begin to embrace all that your journey in martial arts can and will teach you.

The path isn’t easy. It’s not always clear. It’s going to be frustrating and difficult to follow sometimes, but much like the spirit within, the path doesn’t end. You learn to move with it, to blend and flow, to accept that at times it will be an unpredictable aspect of yourself that you must learn to nurture and handle gently. And just when you think you have a handle on it, it will surprise you, humble you, and make you realize that you are still and always a student, if ever a master.

That all being said, there’s something really special about being a part of a student’s martial arts journey, watching them grow and develop outstanding skills throughout years of passion and dedication to their personal development and knowing they trust in you to give them the tools, support, and knowledge they seek.

Though these past few years have been challenging with miles between us, and with injuries to heal from, it was a pleasure to test and promote our student Nathan Barbey to both his green belt in Kanda Ha Kamishin Ryu Aikijujitsu, a requirement set forth by SGM Alemany for any of our Quest Academy students to be recognized as Shodan in our Kenpo art. Meeting his green belt requirement, Nathan has also passed his 8 hour extensive Kenpo exam and has joined the ranks of Shodan (1st degree Black) at Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado.

Through thick and thin Nathan has been on his path with us since 2012, and has explored many arts along his continual journey, currently training and developing his skills by competing internationally with his Kyokushin team in Washington state while calling Quest his home. We couldn’t be more proud of his dedication and commitment.

This truly is the way. 🙏🏻

Due to extreme weather conditions all Monday evening classes are canceled! Please stay safe and be prepared for any outdoor adventures if you must go out, the windchill factor is no joke.

Another fantastic weekend for Team QAMA and the Quest Academy of Martial Arts Colorado family as our boys competed in the USA Pencak Silat National Championship tournament, in Ault, CO. There were competitors from across the nation representing multiple different styles of martial arts, which gave us the opportunity to face new fighters and really test our skills. It also gave us the opportunity for new friendships to be forged and lots of learning to be had. We came home with more friends than we had before the tournament.

Though we are a traditional fighting art, we aren’t a tournament driven school. This learning curve has been sharp for all of us, myself included as I am now a certified judge for the United States Sport Silat Association. What shows is the amount of work and effort these guys have put into their training in these past few months for their second tournament this weekend. They took it seriously.

It doesn’t matter the placement, what matters is the experience. I feel that in order to be a better winner one must lose once in awhile because the experience you gain on the mat facing unknown competitors can’t be taught in class.

That being said, QAMA came home with the following placements:

Matt Ouimet-
Mens Heavyweight Tanding -2nd place
Mens Open Seni Creative forms -4th place

Kaiden Roybal -
Seni Creative forms -1st place National Champion
Ganda (team creative) 2nd place
Middleweight Tanding (class A) -2nd place

Micah Mock-
Mens Middleweight Tanding Class B-2nd place
Open Seni Creative forms-3rd place
Ganda (team Creative) 2nd place

It’s an honor to be coaching for these guys. Timothy Torrez and I have been sharing in the commitment to see them through their journey, and I can’t wait for the next one. They do us proud every time they step up to the challenge.

As always, we are more than grateful to our host and for the brotherhood of Northern Colorado Martial Arts Academy. The traditional arts alliance is strong and well.

🙏🏻🤙🏼❤️