Kenpo karate instructor Jhan Yaple and fellow instructor Sean Morey pose for a photo inside of Yaples’s Adult Kenpo Karate business.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
Jhan Yaple’s Kenpo martial arts studio has been his pride and his business since he bought the building about 11 years ago.
A recently retired attorney, Yaple slowly wound down from his day job into an ideal retirement opportunity in an art he’s studied for 45 years.
“Opening this studio was a dream for me,” said Yaple. “This wasn’t what I was looking for, but it fit my needs. I had my law office in the back. … I love the martial arts, I love to dance and I have to be an attorney.”
Yaple first learned jujitsu where he became a second-degree black belt, but as he got older he realized the physicality of being tossed around was too much for his body.
He turned to Kenpo Karate in or AKKI (American Kenpo Karate International) in 2001 to practice a new style of the art he loved, without as much wear and tear on his body.
“I’m doing an art that 70-year-olds can do. They way we do it, is a way older people can do. A lot of our students are black belts from other styles. They come in and go, ‘oh I can’t do my style anymore,’” said Yaple. “I go down to the floor really easy, but getting up is a real pain.”
Prior to the pandemic, Yaple said he had an average of 8-12 students but was happy to take in more pupils looking to learn a new martial art.
He’s hoping as he begins to fully reopen, he can draw in students interested in learning new styles.
There wasn’t a financial struggle to keep the studio open during the pandemic as Yaple owns the building, his main philosophies revolve around teaching others an art he’s fallen in love with.
Both Yaple, and fellow instructor Sean Morey, have been teaching martial arts for 25-plus years between learning skills in a recreational way or through military service.
“I’ve known Jhan for a long time,” said Morey.
“We really met each other out at a dojo 20 years ago,” Yaple added. “He kicked me in the head a few times and I thought, ‘he must be pretty cool,’ and we became buddies from that point.”
Most of the teachings of Kenpo revolve around two-man drills designed to teach technique, which in turn leads to speed and power over practice and repetition.
“Every strike we throw, every elbow we throw, every grab we do is designed to keep us in a line while we are practicing. The older you get, the much more important that is,” said Yaple. “Everyone has to go to work tomorrow.”
“We’re not here to prove who is the toughest,” said Morey. “If I work with you, I’m not worried about you hurting me, and you shouldn’t be worried about me hurting you.”
Seeing their students have things ‘click’ as they learn, drives the two longtime martial arts instructors.
Other class opportunities
There’s more to the studio than Kenpo Karate, as classes and times are also available for dancing with silks, poles, ballroom, waltz and other types of styles through a couple of teachers.
Star Nixdorf teaches belly dancing classes while Tiffany Alm instructs the other dancing courses.
Ben Pierson also instructs MMA and kickboxing at the studio, along with a kids’ karate class geared toward kids six years old and up.
With pandemic restrictions loosening in Carson City and across the state, Yaple wants anyone interested in any of the classes provided downtown to call ahead of time to set up potential instruction.
Yaple said Kenpo Karate classes run $50 per month, which typically covers three classes per week.
Yaple’s studio is located at 315 N. Carson Street.
Jhan Yaple – 775-461-3262
Tiffany Alm – 775-400-2952
Star Nixdorf – 775-450-7484
Ben Pierson – 775-527-3733
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