Jim Redel
Jim was first introduced to the meditative disciplines in 1974. In 1988, he added a physical dimension to his path and started studying Aikido, the traditional Japanese sword and the short staff. The following year, Jim added the Zen path to his training and, over the next 20 years, attended over a dozen 7-day silent retreats with the late Zen master Joshu Sasaki. In addition to countless hours of meditation, these retreats included countless formal talks on both stillness and clarity and also included another 350 personal meetings with Sasaki. Finally, in 1993, Jim’s Aikido teacher relocated to Washington, D.C., and Jim started down the teaching path – a path he continues to walk today.
A retired systems engineer, Jim continually strives to find the essence in what we do and how we do it, realizing that, at some level, both training and life can be approached from the persistent introspection of “what am I thinking,” “what am I seeing,” and “what am I doing?”
Robert Sanchez
Robert first saw a kettlebell in 1986 as part of his martial arts study. In 2002, he became a certified instructor, adding both Progressive and Strength Calisthenics certifications in 2014.
As a retired firefighter, avid outdoorsman, and martial arts student, Robert has grown to appreciate the effectiveness of kettlebell training. In his words, they are “brutally efficient”.