FAQs
What style(s) of martial arts do you teach?
Our Art is called TaiKyoku Kempo 太極拳法 which means the Grand Ultimate Fist Method. It is best described as a combination of Karate, Kungfu, and Jujitsu. The art teaches techniques including fist and hand striking, kicking, locks, holds, chokes, throwing, and ground defenses. It is a complete martial art that covers long, mid, and close-range fighting.
What is Reborn Martial Arts?
Reborn Martial Arts is a small local business run by owner and Headmaster Chris Dyer. The Reborn Martial Arts curriculum is the culmination of Chris’ 15-plus years as a professional martial arts instructor and the actualization of his lifelong dream to run his own martial arts studio. Chris’ background is a mix of Eastern and Western Martial Arts. These include Shaolin Kempo, traditional Japanese Jujitsu, Shorin-Ryu Karate, Wudang Taichi, Bagua, Bareknuckle boxing, Savate, folk wrestling, stick fighting, Bartitsu, Pankration, and a number of martial art weapons systems, from Italian rapier and dagger to the horsehair fly whisk.
Reborn Martial Arts is not a franchise or chain. All classes are taught by Chris or instructors personally trained and certified by Chris to instruct in the Reborn Martial Arts studio. As an independent martial arts school, Reborn ensures instruction of the highest quality. Chris and his instructors can help you reach your individual martial arts goals.
What are the benefits of practicing and training in martial arts?
Reborn Martial Arts works under the belief that almost everyone should study some form of martial arts. We believe many chronic health and lifestyle problems can be improved through the practice of martial arts. These days, a heart attack is more likely to strike than a mugger. Through martial arts training, you will find you have more strength, endurance, and focus, as well as a sense of accomplishment. And, you’ll gain a supportive community. We want you to experience how martial arts training can change your life. This is, after all, why Chris established Reborn Martial Arts.
Have I heard of you before?
If you live in the Alexandria, Virginia area and are familiar with local health, fitness, or martial arts circles, it’s possible. Chris has been training folks in the area for over 15 years. He began as the Senior Instructor of Potomac Kempo and then as the owner of Reborn Fitness, an in-home personal training business. Chris has had the honor of being the Head Instructor of a number of Capital Kunst des Fechtens programs, including Ringen (wrestling), singlehanded weapons, and Cudgel fighting. Chris has given a number of seminars on Bartitsu and bareknuckle boxing and is the author of the self-published text Monomachia: Dueling in Ancient Greece.
Are you a forms-based school or an application-based school?
Actually, we’re both of those! If you want to be good at martial arts for the purpose of self-defense, you have to learn how to apply your techniques in real time, against unwilling opponents. This pressure testing, like competition, real time fight training, and sparring, is vital to be sure you are moving and thinking correctly in your training.
Forms are the highest expression of a martial artist. It’s the union of Mind, Body, and Spirit expressed to the world. Forms are there for you anytime and in them you can hit and throw as hard or as slow as you need to. Forms are a part of everything that we do at Reborn Martial Arts, and application derives from the forms.
Chris related, “On a trip visiting the plains states, my wife and I were on top of the hill of White Butte Trail in North Dakota. The wind was blowing, and we could see for miles in every direction. I began to feel my arms lift and follow the wind’s direction. Soon, I was coiling and flowing with the breeze, stomping the ground after exploding into kicks. I was one with the elements, and the form was the physical expression of that connection. As we were walking back to the car, I told my wife how glad I am to study an art that has forms.”
At Reborn Martial Arts, we believe that good sportsmanship is also vital in your mental approach to martial arts training. Chris says, “When you’re training you should be pushing yourself and your partners to the limits. After a training session, clap each other on the back, and compliment one another.”
What about meditation?
People often ask, “What are you doing while practicing meditation? It looks like people are just sitting there.” There is a saying that the body is still, but the mind is active, and when the body is moving, the mind is still. At Reborn Martial Arts, we teach seated, standing, moving, and static meditation. Each of these emphasizes a different aspect of practice. All methods have been proven to have lasting health benefits and allow you to be calmer and more relaxed.
Will I learn weapons?
Chris has a deep love of martial arts weapons and has a background in full-contact weapons fighting. There is a weapons component to every curriculum taught at Reborn Marital Arts. We keep function first when teaching weapons techniques in the combative classes. We believe you should learn about the weapon’s purpose and how to use the tool to defend against attacks before learning a form. In the meditative classes, you will learn how to use weapons as an extension of your mental focus and to heighten your physical abilities. Youngsters and Juniors will learn use of weapons after showing martial arts maturity and will use the weapon(s) as an expression of their martial arts skills.
Who can take classes?
We like to say that martial arts is for everybody. At Reborn Martial Arts, we have a program that will satisfy 99% of potential clients seeking martial arts training. If you are looking for a traditional art that has a long history and strong cultural ties, we are a perfect fit. If you are looking to possess a complete martial arts profile and may need to defend yourself in real life or in a tournament, we can help you. If you are a senior adult or physically-challenged individual looking for a way to stay active and fit, we have a program for you. Do you want your child(ren) to be more fit and exhibit greater discipline? Bring them to us.
Will I be in a class with children?
Our mission is to make martial arts an enjoyable activity for everyone. It is not always safe or enjoyable to learn with individuals of different ages than you. Therefore, Reborn Martial Arts has separate programs for Young Children, Juniors, and Adults. You will only participate in a class with age-appropriate partners and skill levels.
How long will it take to get my black belt?
The formal belt ranking system that we think today of wasn’t invented until the 1880s. At that time, Jigoro Kano Sensei, the founder of Judo, introduced the idea beginning with white and black sashes. In the 1930-40s, the idea of colored belts entered the martial arts world.
At Reborn Martial Arts, we use belts as a way to help students set easily-defined goals and to help individuals stay on track with clearly-defined progression points. As a Certified Behavioral Change coach, Chris loves this aspect of the ranking system.
Our belt program has been arranged so that from white belt to black belt, we are programing your body’s natural reactions to stimuli, be that an attack, an unexpected fall, or a bad day at work. Reconditioning can take somewhere between three and five years. Much more training can be done after achieving the rank of black belt.
Getting a black belt is only a step in the life-long journey of a true martial artist. We feel that a martial artist should at some point engage in training beyond the external, materialistic- focused goals. Therefore, once black belt status is achieved, we take a further look at martial arts principles, situational factors of training, and martial arts philosophy.