Punok WKF Approved Karate Punches

THE PUNOK STORY
Thirteen-year-old Ricardo  Guerrero stood in his family’s ransacked living room, holding back  tears. The robbers had been thorough – most of the families’ valuables  had been carried off, but it was one of the smallest things missing that  devastated Ricardo most: a single white envelope labeled “Boleto para  Japón.”
“Ticket for Japan.”
Ricardo was a skilled karate  competitor. Just recently, he had been selected to compete an elite  international tournament in Japan. Coming from a middle-class Venezuelan  family, he couldn’t just ask his parents to buy him a ticket. Money was  too tight. But he had worked so hard to qualify for tournament, and he  wasn’t about give up. For weeks, Ricardo did whatever a 13-year-old  could to make money: he washed cars, held raffles, and did chores around  the neighborhood. Scraping and saving, he was able to gather the money  he needed. As you can imagine, he was ecstatic!
Then, two days before  he would have visited a travel agent, the robbery happened. There was  no way for Ricardo to get enough money – again – and so he dropped out  of the tournament.
Although this was a terrible experience for  Ricardo at the time, it was also inspiring. He decided that he wanted to  make a difference in helping other young karate athletes achieve their  dreams, even if his had been taken.

However,  there is a happy ending to this story! Although he faced other ups and  downs throughout life, 30 years later, Ricardo founded Punok. This  karate gear company has a simple goal: to craft and sell high-quality  karate gear for less, so more kids and families can afford nice training  equipment. The company does this by only offering a few items and  focusing on quality over quantity.
 
PUNOK’S ATHLETES
Punok  also has a special place in its heart for karate competitors, both  adults and youth. Although Punok is a young company itself, it’s  sponsored over a dozen athletes, including the ones below.
These are just a few of the amazing athletes Punok sponsors! Check out their Facebook page to learn more and get updates!
 
Ariel Torres is a high-level competitor who’s been competing ever since he moved to  the US from Cuba. He’s a four-time member of the Junior US Team and won  gold in the 2013 Pan American Semifinals.
 
 
Also representing Team USA is Jenna Brown,  a competitor and coach. She is a multi-time champion in various kumite  events. Bonus: Brown was born in Duncan, Oklahoma, less than two hours  away from Century Martial Arts!
 
 
Adrian Galvan of  Team USA is a competitor. His training began at the age of three, with  his father, Master Juan Galvan. These days, he teaches at the same  school he trained at when he’s not competing!
 
 
Claire Overfelt is  a member of Junior Team USA and a proud member of Punok’s team! The  15-year-old has been training since she was eight, and has traveled  around the world competing in high-level tournaments.
 
 
PUNOK IN THE OLYMPICS
Punok  was born from the dreams of a young athlete, so naturally, Guerrero  wanted to make products that could be used in competition – even at the  highest level. The Punok Kata and Kumite gis and competition belts are  World Karate Federation- (WKF) approved. Since the WKF is the group in  charge of overseeing and regulating karate in the Olympics, you’ll see  Punok gear worn by many athletes in the 2020 games!
Punok  sparring/protective gear is Pan-American Karate Federation- (PKF)  approved, so you’ll see it all over the American continents.
 
PUNOK AND CENTURY
Century  Martial Arts is proud to announce that we’re now the official US  distributor of Punok gear! We’re excited to work with such an amazing  company, and we can’t wait to see what this partnership brings in the  future (and we’re ready to watch some great karate from Punok’s athletes  in the 2020 Olympics).