Villari's Martial Arts of Williamstown Marks 25 Years
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Villari’s Martial Arts Centers of Williamstown has been serving the region for a quarter century, and to celebrate, it is offering a special $25 introductory rate.
For a limited time, new students age 5 and up will pay just $25 for one month of unlimited group lessons, an official uniform and school patch for martial arts students and gloves and hand wraps for Kempo Fit clients.
Scott Levesque opened Villari’s of Williamstown in 1989 to provide martial arts training to men, women and children of Northern Berkshire County and Southern Vermont. In 2002, master level instructor and 5th Degree Black Belt Nathan Sumner took over the dojo.
“It’s been a pleasure working with the hundreds and hundreds of people that have walked through our doors,” Sumner said. “I look forward to the next 25 years.”
In addition to the regular group and private Shaolin Kempo Karate classes available, the studio has introduced a number of new programs and ideas. In 2003, it started a card kickboxing class for women, which is being relaunched as an at-your-own-pace, mini-circuit style workout for men and women called Kempo Fit.
More recently, it has started offering self-healing Medical Qi Gong courses where participants learn how to use gentle movements and postures combined with breath and creative visualization to strengthen and balance the body’s energy.
Five days a week, the dojo is packed with children from kindergarten through high school, learning the self-defense based art of Shaolin Kempo Karate. Children also develop principles of respect, discipline and self-control in a fun, healthy atmosphere.
Sumner and Chief Instructor Deborah Huether also teach a number of women’s self-defense seminars each year, donating either their time or the funds raised to charity.
“We are always telling our students, especially the kids, that Black Belts are supposed to be leaders both inside and outside of the dojo,” Sumner said. “We’re in a position to help a few charities throughout the year, so we do. The martial arts are about more than just kicking and punching.”
Besides the seminars, Villari’s of Williamstown instructors and students recently have donated their time to help UCP of the Berkshires, the Second Chance Animal Center of Shaftsbury, Vt., and a local family whose mom is battling cancer.
For more information on Villari’s Martial Arts Centers of Williamstown, call 413-458-2472 or visit villarisofwilliamstown.com.
