Shawn and Rebecca Knight are 7th degree black belts and senior professors in the lineage of Sigung Stephen LaBounty. They have over 55 combined years in (and more importantly at) the art of Kenpo Karate. Alongside their top-notch staff, they serve their students, whom they proudly call their “Kenpo Family.”
Shawn Knight studied under the direction of Bill Packer for 15 years. With a background in wrestling, he found Kenpo to be exactly what he needed to balance his knowledge. From his very first lesson, he knew that Kenpo would become his primary focus. Mr. Knight began teaching at the age of 17 and found his life’s passion therein.
Rebecca Knight attended her first Kenpo lesson in 1996, and immediately felt something that she had never felt before – a small and delicate sense of worth, which grew over the years to an overwhelming feeling of confidence and strength. That feeling that was cultivated in her is why she trains, and why she teaches…to see that bloom in the hearts of the students, to show each and every one of them what they are truly capable of – and that is ANYTHING they put their mind and heart into!
Over the years, Mr. Knight has been involved in many schools. In 2001 Mr. Knight opened the Broadway School in Tucson, Arizona where he met his wife, Rebecca. This school has continued to be their flagship operation and hosts all the Winter Training Camps and Black Belt Tests. In June of 2016 Shawn and Rebecca purchased a building within the same plaza and their school was transformed into the 4,000 square foot training center that it is today. In September of 2023, Knight Method Kenpo celebrated its 22nd anniversary.
In 2006 Mr. & Mrs. Knight met Sigung Stephen LaBounty in a seminar class and immediately respected his training ethic and Rough N’ Tumble Drills! After seeking (many) training opportunities with Sigung over several years, the Knights asked him (repeatedly) to be their personal teacher. To which Sigung always replied, “No…, but you can ask me again later.” Then on September 18, 2010, Sigung finally said yes!
In 2019 Mrs. Knight was an honoree in Tom Bleecker’s The Journey – Book 3, and Mr. Knight was inducted into the Master’s Hall of fame by Mr. Bob White.
In addition to teaching across the country, Mr. and Mrs. Knight host a yearly training camp where they bring in the top instructors from various disciplines to expand their knowledge base and share with the martial arts community. All events are non-political and all are welcome who wish to learn and share.