The statement above "Developing the Intellectual Warrior Within" has very deep meaning for the founders of the Golden Tempest Studio.  We are firm believer's in the idea that, while training our bodies in the art of self-defense, we must also train our minds, which is always the greatest weapon in any arsenal.  Just as with the greeting salute in American Kenpo, the Scholar and Warrior must go forward into battle.
 
 

       The head instructor of Golden Tempest, 1st Degree Black Belt Shawn Moore (the guy on the right in the photo), has been involved in American Kenpo Karate since 1991, yet has been training in the Martial Arts since 1986.  Upon receiving the rank of Black Belt in 1997 and moving to the Boise area, he has chosen to teach on an individual level from "The Laboratory," and continue training when available while on hiatus.  During this time he has been instrumental in the creation of Martial Fusion, a merchandise facility specializing in American Kenpo products.  He is also, now, the head writer within the Dragon Tales website, an American Kenpo E-zine covering almost everything Kenpo. 

        His background in American Kenpo training is more universal to the Martial Arts in general.  A training attitude coined from a few of his teaching associates “Learning Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, from Anyone” has been both beneficial and educational for Mr. Moore.  This attitude has also redesigned his teaching methods, and is a freedom of thought he has tried to impart to his students.  However, his loyalty does lie with the family group and now organization he has trained with for many years, the American Kenpo Karate International association.  With the end of his hiatus at hand, Mr. Moore set about creating a Kenpo studio outside of "The Lab."  After finally determining how the studio would operate, and settling on the designs and name of the studio, the Golden Tempest Kenpo Studio was created in the Boise, Idaho area.

        Mr. Moore’s intentions and goals for the Golden Tempest Kenpo Studio are to create a learning environment that is easy to comprehend, positive, constructive, and encompasses all of the constructive traits prevalent in martial arts training.  Those prevalent traits being the development of the mind, body, and spirit of each student;  thus creating enhanced self-esteem, self-confidence, self-awareness, discipline, and increased physical fitness through self-defense training in American Kenpo.  There are many methods utilized within the Golden Tempest studio to ensure this is possible.  From the most basic concept of teaching to the level of the student not at them, to more advanced methods such as affirming basics as the foundation of Kenpo instead of techniques.  All of which under the idea that Kenpo is an ongoing process, an endless journey if you will, not a destination.

        Since 1994 Shawn Moore has been involved emphatically with the Paul Mills Kenpo Family Group within the International Kenpo Karate Association (IKKA), founded by Senior Grandmaster of the Arts Ed Parker.  This family group officially became the American Kenpo Karate International (AKKI) organization in 1997, under founder and Master of the Arts, Mr. Paul Mills.  While studying under this association, Mr. Moore achieved a strong understanding of the new training material and concepts within the AKKI.  Yet, even with knowledge and understanding of the new and evolved information, Mr. Moore continues to teach the self-defense information from the original association founded by Mr. Parker.  This is done out of respect to Mr. Paul Mills, until an official and registered club or studio under the AKKI is established.
 
 

  The quick definition of American Kenpo Karate, found within several martial arts literary references, is:

A modern term describing one of the more innovative systems of the Martial Arts, originally taught academically in Hawaii, is heavily practiced in the Americas, and has now spread worldwide.  Ken means Fist, and Po means Law when translated.  Kenpo is based on logic and practicality utilizing circular and linear motion and is designed to be as effective as possible within it's own environment.

        The American Kenpo Karate International organization (AKKI) was created for the same purpose.  Founded in 1997 by Master of the Arts Paul Mills, a student of Mr. Parker’s, the AKKI was established to perpetuate and continue the refinement of American Kenpo to maintain its effectiveness as a self-defense system.  The material from Mr. Parker’s association was utilized as a base for the new curriculum within the AKKI, yet, incorporated with Mr. Mills’ own concepts, ideas, and experiences.  This base ensures the effectiveness of the new information as a self-defense system, as one could not have existed without the other.  All of these elements taking the new training concepts and material in a different direction, however, maintaining the same goals.

        Mr. Moore has studied quite extensively within the IKKA, and has trained and taught at length the self-defense techniques, forms, sets, and other curriculum pertaining to the system.  He is also qualified and competent in a great deal of the new AKKI methods of operation, motion concepts, and training material to maintain a high level of instruction.  As far as the different courses and teaching methods found within the Studio, we at Golden Tempest have developed these ideas and teaching methods to work within the AKKI, and have been instated from our own personal teaching styles.  They should not be considered competitive, nor strictly used within the AKKI, for neither are the case whatsoever.  These are just our personal teaching methods we have found success with.