Potomac Kempo: Martial Arts for All Ages

Chris Dyer sat on the balance ball at his desk while talking to another instructor during the quiet time between classes at Potomac Kempo.

Tucked away on the relatively quiet side street between World Market and Famous Footwear in the Kingstowne Shopping Center, Potomac Kempo is an existing business with an updated affiliation. After several years as a United Studios of Self Defense location, it branched off almost a year ago and now teaches a unique version of Shaolin Kempo Karate which uses Chinese and Japanese martial arts techniques.

“Different styles lend themselves toward different body types very much,” said Dyer, who is the manager of the Kingstowne location. There are other locations in Old Town Alexandria and at the Shops of Foxchase shopping center on Duke Street.

“[Kempo] draws from so many different styles and it’s got so much into it so in depth that there’s always something you can find that works really well for you,” he said.

Kempo worked really well for Dyer. Born in Washington, DC, Dyer moved to Georgia when he was in the 7th grade. He has travelled extensively, especially to pursue his studies of “philosophies and things like that, and how it was portrayed in art of the Italian renaissance.” His undergraduate work was in English and History, but he smiled and said, “I took an art appreciation class as a requirement, and I learned to appreciate it very much.” But he doesn’t actually paint. “I have in the past,” he said. “I’m not very good at it.”

Dyer returned to this area about seven years ago and became what his wife and others might call “obsessive” about Kempo.

“This has actually been it for the last couple of years. I haven’t had a lot of time to do other artistic forms,” Dyer said. “I still study art history, all kinds of different forms of art. And the cool thing about what I do is this is an art form. There’s a lot of history to it, so it’s a combination of the things I was interested in before and what I’m doing now.”

According to Dyer, almost anyone can practice Kempo. “We have kids starting at four. We have students that are in their 70’s,” he said. “The great thing about the martial arts is as you progress you get better. You can start off being a fantastic athlete and you can train in the martial arts and you’ll get better.”

Dyer also said, “With the martial arts there is that calm, I suppose, that people get out of it and some people even have spiritual connections toward the martial arts. We don’t teach any of that in our system. There’s no religious aspect.” However, Dyer said his practice has given him an “overall total sense of calm, well-being, and appreciation for living things.”

Other Kempo students have also had results well beyond fitness. “Parents come in and say [their child is] doing fantastic in school. They stopped getting in trouble,” Dyer said. “They stopped fighting with their brother and sister. Hooray! The kids benefit tremendously from the discipline and focus

Apparently the same is true for adults, too. "Especially in our day and age, our society, where there is so much sedentary lifestyle," Dyer said. "This is an outlet for both conversation and for meeting friends, for exercise, all of it.”

Then, naturally, he got up. It was time to stop talking about Kempo and start teaching.

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Potomac Kempo

5958 Kingstowne Ctr., #110, 703-922-4900, http://potomackempo.com/

 Monday-Thursday: Noon-9:00 p.m.; Friday: Noon-7:00 p.m.; Saturday: 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.