Central Vermont Martial Arts
The Way of Five School (五校の道)
Our Mission
Our school is rooted in 5 keystones:
Integrity - Community - Perseverance - Kindness - Independence
With these keystone principles, we can guide not only the growth and development of our students but the growth and development of our instructors and the school overall.
Integrity - Everything that we teach, do, and encourage is rooted in integrity. Traditionally, Japanese martial artists may refer to having a “code” called Budo. In our school, we use integrity instead, which we define as “Doing the right thing, even when nobody is watching.” We expect our students to act with integrity at all times and will work with them as necessary to provide guidance when this is challenged.
Community - Everything that we do in life requires the efforts of those who came before. We recognize that we are incredibly limited by ourselves, and we celebrate community in all of the many meanings. This includes our region, the town we host classes in, the group of students that come together, and the family members that support them in attending classes and growing as people. We welcome those in our area to train with us, even if finances are tight (please contact us to discuss this if it applies to you). We provide community support by sharing our knowledge, time, and energy when and where appropriate.
Perseverance - Life can be difficult and so is martial arts. The ability to persevere is not simply something we’re born with, it can be trained. We do not undertake tasks simply for the sake of doing them - everything we do in our training has a purpose. We operate with the knowledge that growth does not happen in the comfort zone, and thus we push ourselves and each other to achieve new heights. There are times when we test this skill, within class and during special events, and learn from the results.
Kindness - All of our keystones inter-relate, which is likely best seen within kindness. It is easier to build community when we’re kind to each other. Perseverance seems a bit more attainable when we’re kind to ourselves and those around us. And so on. The martial arts traditions that we come from put a high importance on respect, and when that respect is modeled, it fosters an environment full of kindness, where students are willing to try, struggle, and try again.
Independence - Martial arts can be described as an individual sport, done together. We train together, but each student follows their own path. No two students are ever expected to be the same, and we celebrate that individuality. Some students will gravitate to certain aspects of training more than others, and that’s OK. We do require certain foundational elements and progress but support the individual exploration of those martial arts subjects they find most interesting.
What We Teach
Our school’s curriculum is based on the collective experience of Jeremy’s many years of training. Much of what we teach is rooted in Okinawan and Japanese Karate, but also includes elements of Taekwondo, and other martial arts.
Unlike many martial arts schools, our curriculum is designed not to be a rigid set of movements and sequences, but rather a simple set of building blocks that students learn to assemble through their efforts. This does result in differences in the implementation of techniques, which we believe is an asset, whereas many schools would view that as a liability.
Through this discovery process, students not only learn in ways that make sense to them, but they also learn far more in a shorter period of time. In essence, we are applying modern academic theory to ancient tradition. In the end, we have a martial arts system that is effective for both personal growth and personal defense.
But WHAT does that mean?
Our school has a core curriculum of 5 sets of 5 movements - 5 stances, 5 kicks, 5 punches, 5 strikes, and 5 blocks. These 25 techniques are the roots of all we do, and we practice them together, frequently, regardless of age and rank. We teach kata (forms, pre-arranged movement sets that can best be thought of as a routine, like a choreographed 1-person fight) that combine those movements. We spar, with appropriate levels of intensity that always prioritize safety because it allows for the free-form combination of movements and it’s a lot of fun. We work through age-appropriate self-defense scenarios because we want to make sure we can always get home.
We teach all of these things with a philosophy of serious fun - because if we enjoy what we do, we learn it better. Classes are not easy - they’re challenging. In any given class we’ll work on a variety of techniques, drills, physical skills, and more. Each class is different and moves students further down the path of progress.
Who We Teach
To get started, we recommend lightweight, comfortable clothing - similar to what you’d wear for a gym workout. The major issue to watch for is that you don’t step on your pants! Shorts and a tee shirt are just fine.
Once you’ve got your feet under you, so to speak, we can help you with securing a traditional karate gi that fits you well. Students are permitted to wear an all-white or all-black gi (also called a dogi) while instructors might wear other colors, or even mix white and black.
If you have prior experience, or you’re dropping in for a class or two, feel free to wear your martial arts uniform and rank belt. If you’re committed to training with us, feel free to show up with a white belt - but if you don’t have one handy, don’t sweat it. The most important thing to us is that you show up - what you wear is secondary, and we’ll figure all of that out as you get acclimated.
Please wear as little jewelry as possible. Earrings that hang, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, or any element that could get caught on something or scratch someone is prohibited. We recommend silicone wedding rings in place of metal rings. if you choose to wear earrings, rings, nose piercings (etc) that have any sharp edges, please cover them in medical tape for the duration of class.
Is there anything more recognized about martial arts than the belts? In our school, we use belts and skill evaluations to track progress. Our belt system looks fairly typical for a karate school: white > yellow > blue > green > brown > black. Skill evaluations, while not completely unique to our school, are quite uncommon in the traditional martial arts world. By evaluating our students skills in detail, it gives us a clearer picture of their progress while simultaneously better helping them understand what skills are progressing well, and what might need more work.
We teach everyone, regardless of who they are and where they come from. Our youth classes start at 6 years old. Adult classes are for (most) 12-year-old children and up. We do our best to accommodate all learning and physical situations, but please note that our current facility does not have an elevator.
What to Wear
(Dress Code)
who we are
Jeremy Lesniak
Owner/Head Instructor
Jeremy Lesniak is a lifelong martial artist, with black belts in karate, taekwondo, and Superfoot Kickboxing. Having started very young, his 40+ years of training includes schools all over New England, in a variety of styles. He is also the author of several martial art books as well as the founder of the martial arts lifestyle brand Whistlekick. Through his work with Whistlekick over the past decade, he has taught seminars all over the US, connecting with martial artists of all styles, both in-person and as host of the top-rated podcast, Martial Arts Radio.
He lives in Moretown.
Cory AndersoN
Senior Student/Asst Instructor
Cory Anderson has eight years of taekwondo training resulting in earning her black belt, as well as seven years of amateur boxing (Golden Gloves). A passionate teacher, she’s spent significant time teaching martial arts classes and works professionally with higher-needs children.
She lives in Waterbury.