The walls of Grand Master Dan Klenda’s karate studio say a lot about its 20-year history.
Faded group portraits show karate students beaming during the annual Christmas party. Framed photos include whole families dressed in their gis and belts. Plaques bear the names of more than 200 black belts who earned their certification under Klenda’s supervision.
“What keeps me going is knowing how much work these people have put in and seeing where they are now,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know how much it takes to become a black belt.”
Klenda has spent more than 20 years coaching young karate students to become better martial artists and leaders. A-West Karate celebrates its 20th anniversary 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the studio, 6156 Simms St. The event will feature karate demonstrations, free food and a visit from past karate students.
Jerrod Sell has been a member of A-West Karate since 1994, where he started as a student. Now, he is known as Master Sell.
Karate helped Sell learn focus and discipline, which were attributes that made his transition into the military much easier, he said.
“I just have fun in here,” he said. “I always feel welcomed.”
Klenda said he enjoys watching young students grow up, refine their skills and then pass the knowledge along when they become instructors themselves.
“They’re learning to become leaders in here,” he said.
Klenda said he is proud to see his studio and its instructors grow throughout the years. Klenda has been at the studio’s helm since the beginning, but his career spans long before that.
As a teenager growing up in “the worst parts of Denver,” Klenda turned to martial arts to help defend himself. He never planned to make karate a career — it just happened.
“This wasn’t something I planned, but now it’s all I know,” he said with a smile.
Because karate helped him so much as a youth, Klenda has worked to make his studio a family-friendly, accessible place, he said.
A-West’s karate classes are set up by ability level, not by age. That means students as young as five could be taking classes with adult students, he said.
“It gives families an opportunity to take the classes together,” he said.
The class system works well for the Prey family. Sisters Haley, 9, Makena, 11, and 12-year-old Sydney all have black belts and practice their techniques together about twice a week. Their father, Hank Prey, said the studio has been a great after-school activity for his children.
“The schedule always works for us,” he said. “When our oldest son came here years ago, we knew we would come back.”