Our Teachers
Our group is led by Ken & Terri Graig.
Ken Graig
Martial arts have been an important part of my life since I started training at the age of 20, which was 30 years ago. I didn’t actually train consistently for 30 years, though, I always returned to martial arts as my exercise of choice. That 30 years involved some distractions that occurred in approximately the following order: having children, getting married, graduating college, moving to Hawaii, teaching English, moving to Oneonta, being unemployed, starting graduate school, moving to Long Island, finishing Graduate School, teaching Special Education, making a home, getting out of shape, raising children, moving to Oneonta, teaching Special Education, making a home, raising teenagers, getting in shape, putting kids through college, celebrating my 50th birthday, and probably some things I forgot. Never-the-less, over the years, I managed to train in some form of martial arts sprinkled inconsistently with bouts of running, weightlifting, mountain biking, yoga, canoe racing, skiing, hiking, swimming and hunting. I have done some training in karate, kung fu, kenpo, aikido, tae-kwon-do, and jujitsu, earning black belts in karate and taekwondo. Although I enjoyed training in traditional martial arts, my interest gravitated toward competition. In my 20’s I competed in point-sparring matches held by traditional karate and tae-kwon-do schools. In my 30’s I began competing in full contact kickboxing matches, in my late forties I began training in Brazilian Ju-jitsu, competing in local grappling events. Now as I start my 50’s, my goals are to maintain my cardiovascular health, minimize fat growth, maximize muscle mass retention, increase flexibility and slow the physical aging process through exercise. Also, I’ve been having recent inclinations of competing in the geriatric divisions of mixed martial arts. For me, kickboxing is the most well rounded total body workout I have ever experienced. Strength, speed, concentration, coordination, flexibility, balance, aerobic & anaerobic conditioning, endurance and stamina not to mention the emphasis on core strength and development—kickboxing builds abs, shapes butts, and burns fat. And you can beat-up-people in the gym, if you are into that sort of thing.
Terri Graig
Hi. I am a 48 year old mother of two grown children. Six years ago when my daughter went off to college I began to get into running because I had some extra time. My training didn't begin until I joined our fabulous community running group; ORG in 2011.
Several years earlier my husband Ken renewed his training in martial arts. I trained with Ken and loved the exercise, but did not enjoy the belt tests. Kickboxing classes provide all the physical benefits of traditional martial arts without the commitment and pressure of testing.
I now alternate my training between kickboxing and running. Kickboxing requires using your entire body, allowing you to burn more calories. The cardio workout is intensfied by using the upper body (arms, abs, shoulder and back as well as butt!)
The best part of kickboxing is punching and kicking the bags. After a stressful day, I quickly get lost in the kickboxing workouts, sometimes taking a moment to socialize between rounds. I also believe the balance, flexibility and strength I've developed through kickboxing has helped me remain a healthy runner.
Shannon Stockdale
Hi! My name is Shannon and I am 33 years old. I discovered my love for kickboxing when I started taking classes with Ken & Terri. That was over a year ago and I never looked back! I enjoy training at the facility and improving upon the techniques and cardi workouts.
These kickboxing workouts have increased my strength and endurance, induced toning and definition in my muscles and increased my confidence overall.
I assist Terri in teaching the KOGA class on Mondays! I hope to see you soon!