TORRINGTON – After establishing Genesys Martial Arts three years ago, growing it to a healthy number of students and earning a solid reputation in the community, instructor Kevin Parish is moving on – to college. 

The third-degree black belt in tae kwon do graduates from home school this weekend, and then he’s off to Chadron State College to study business. He taught his last class of young martial artists Wednesday evening at GitFit Fitness Club. He sold the dojo’s equipment to Isaac Falen, who will take over Parish’s classes. 

“The plan was to keep it in the family,” Parish said. “That didn’t work out because there wasn’t a lot of interest from my younger sister. She just wanted to do other things, so we decided to sell it and pass it on to one of our other instructors. It’s always hard to let something like this go, but it’s for the future and I’m looking forward to that.”

Palen brings a wealth of experience to the gym. He’s a black belt tae kwon do, a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a seasoned veteran of martial arts competitions. 

“I do a lot of martial arts,” he said. “I’ve won several state titles for jiu-jitsu, and I’ve competed a lot down in Colorado. I’m trained with people from all over the world. It’s a pretty diverse background.”

Tae kwon do, which is a martial art mostly based on kicking, will still be the focal point for Palen’s classes, but he said he would eventually like to mix in some BJJ, which is a grappling martial art, and focus on the practical aspects of martial arts training. 

“I’m going to start by doing a lot of the regular tae kwon do,” he said. “Then I’m going to start putting other stuff in, because a lot of it blends together so smoothly. I like to teach more the practical part than the art part.

“I believe in teaching stuff that works,” Falen said. “I’m going to look into getting some mats and getting into some of the jiu-jitsu stuff. I think it’s important for a lot of people, especially the younger girls, to learn how to defend themselves if they ever get into a situation.”

Falen knows he has big shoes to fill, now that Parish, the school’s founder, is moving on. 

For his part, Parish said he will miss teaching his classes in Torrington. 

“It’s been a great journey,” Parish said. “My favorite part is raising the leaders. That has always been my favorite part.”