8 Paths Dojo

8 Paths Dojo Ba Shen Zhang Kung Fu | Self-Defense | Personal Growth | Respect • Honor • Balance • Service

Service is part of the path. This past Sunday, that wasn't just a motto it was work. 🙏Master Jonathen Talbott, Grandmast...
09/01/2026

Service is part of the path. This past Sunday, that wasn't just a motto it was work. 🙏

Master Jonathen Talbott, Grandmaster Ray Pridgen, Kohai Lynden Fox, Josh Biggins from 8 Paths Dojo, joined by our brothers in the martial arts, Senior Instructor JJ Moll and Instructor Danny Metzger, alongside Hanna Askren, came together to help the DEan family with some lawncare that had gotten out of hand.

For those who may not know the DEan family: Rev. Rick DEan served this community faithfully for years, preaching at Freedom General Baptist Church. His son Jason now preaches at Main Street United Methodist Church in Boonville. Pastor Jason is also a Master in Kung Fu and is a brother of ours as well. Rick's eldest son, Grandmaster James Christopher DEan, is one of the three core Grandmasters whose wisdom and example directly inspired the creation of Ba Shen Zhang. The DEan family has given so much love to this community, and to the martial arts world.

Rick has recently moved in with his daughter Kelly and son-in-law Daniel Shade. Kelly reached out and asked if we could help with the yard. It had become more than they could handle on their own, and the family has been through a great deal in recent years.

So we showed up. We worked. And we were honored to do it.

This is what the Eight Paths are really about. Not just what you can do on the mat, but what you bring into the world when you step off it. Strength in service. Skill put to use for others. A community that shows up when it matters.

To the DEan family: thank you for everything you have given us. The Love, the Laughs, the Stories, the Food, and the Memories. It was truly our privilege.

08/31/2026

Hey due to the Heat advisory and no AC. The Kids class is canceled this week for their safety.

The Black Sash is not the bottom rung of a ladder. It is the foundation of a house. 🥋In Ba Shen Zhang, Black represents ...
08/31/2026

The Black Sash is not the bottom rung of a ladder. It is the foundation of a house. 🥋

In Ba Shen Zhang, Black represents the Earth trigram — K'un (☷). The most receptive energy in the I Ching. Pure yielding. Pure openness. The capacity to receive everything that is about to be placed into you.

Most students come in wanting to skip this part. They want to get to the powerful stuff. The strikes, the throws, the forms that look impressive.

But the Earth teaches something more valuable than any technique: how to begin well.

A practitioner who begins with genuine humility, genuine openness, and genuine willingness to be shaped — that person will grow beyond anything they can currently imagine. A practitioner who fights the beginning because they're impatient to reach the end... never really learns anything at all.

Where you start is not a measure of where you'll go. It is simply the first honest step.

Your first class is FREE. No experience needed. Just show up ready to begin.

Adult Kung Fu (Ba Shen Zhang) — Saturdays, 5:00–7:00 PM
Ages 14 and up.

📍 123 W. Main St., Boonville, IN 47601 (2nd Floor)
📞 (812) 329-0040
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.8pathsdojo.com

The Tao Te Ching says: "Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexibl...
08/28/2026

The Tao Te Ching says: "Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it."

Watch water long enough and you start to understand a lot about martial arts.

Water does not force its way. It finds the path of least resistance, shapes itself to whatever it encounters, and over time... it moves mountains. On the mat, we call this Wu Wei — effortless action. The idea that true power doesn't come from brute force, but from alignment, timing, and flow.

It sounds simple. It is one of the hardest things to actually learn.

In Ba Shen Zhang, this principle is woven into every class. We practice forms that teach the body to move without tension. We study the I Ching to understand when to yield and when to advance. We train not just muscles, but instincts.

The student who learns to flow doesn't just become harder to defeat. They become easier to live around.

Come find out what that feels like. Your first class is FREE.

Adult Kung Fu (Ba Shen Zhang) — Saturdays, 5:00–7:00 PM
Ages 14 and up. All fitness levels welcome.

📍 123 W. Main St., Boonville, IN 47601 (2nd Floor)
📞 (812) 329-0040
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.8pathsdojo.com

Most adults don't quit martial arts because it's too hard. They quit because nobody told them what it was actually for.I...
08/25/2026

Most adults don't quit martial arts because it's too hard. They quit because nobody told them what it was actually for.

It's not just self-defense. It's not just fitness. It's not just stress relief — though it absolutely helps with all of that.

What Ba Shen Zhang offers adults is a structured path of self-mastery. A place where the discipline you build on the mat follows you home, into your work, into how you carry yourself, into how you handle hard moments. The ancient texts we study — the Tao Te Ching, the Art of War, the I Ching — aren't decorations. They're tools for living.

You'll learn to move with purpose. To yield when yielding is wisdom, and to act when action is required. You'll build strength, yes. But more than that, you'll build clarity.

There's a reason our students don't quit. This path gives them something real.

Come try it for yourself. Your first class is FREE, no experience necessary.

Adult Kung Fu (Ba Shen Zhang) — Saturdays, 5:00–7:00 PM
Ages 14 and up. All backgrounds welcome.

📍 123 W. Main St., Boonville, IN 47601 (2nd Floor)
📞 (812) 329-0040
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.8pathsdojo.com

Class is TODAY. Doors open at 5:00 PM. 🥋If you've been thinking about it, wondering if it's the right fit, asking yourse...
08/22/2026

Class is TODAY. Doors open at 5:00 PM. 🥋

If you've been thinking about it, wondering if it's the right fit, asking yourself whether you're too old, too out of shape, or too far behind to start — the answer to all of that is: come today and find out.

Adult Kung Fu is not a competition. It's not about who's the strongest in the room. It's about showing up, doing the work, and leaving a little better than you walked in. Every single Saturday.

Ba Shen Zhang was designed for adults who want more than just a workout. It builds practical self-defense skills, yes — but also the kind of calm, focused confidence that carries into every other part of your life.

Your first class is always FREE. No experience needed. Just show up.

Adult Kung Fu (Ba Shen Zhang)
TODAY — Saturday, 5:00–7:00 PM
Ages 14 and up.

📍 123 W. Main St., Boonville, IN 47601 (2nd Floor)
📞 (812) 329-0040
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.8pathsdojo.com

See you on the mat. 🙏

There is a version of you that is stronger, calmer, and more confident than the one who walked through the door today. 🥋...
08/19/2026

There is a version of you that is stronger, calmer, and more confident than the one who walked through the door today. 🥋

The Eight Paths aren't just a curriculum. They're an invitation to grow — not just physically, but in mind, in spirit, in character. Every class, every form, every challenge you face on the mat is a mirror. It shows you exactly where you are... and points toward who you're becoming.

That journey is hard to walk alone. And you don't have to.

At 8 Paths Dojo, we're not just teaching martial arts. We're building a community of people who show up for themselves — and for each other. People who push through the hard days, celebrate each other's wins, and hold each other to a higher standard. Warriors of wisdom. Not because it sounds good, but because that's what we're here to develop. 🙏

Your first class is FREE — no experience needed. Just bring yourself, exactly as you are, and let's see what you're capable of.

📍 123 W. Main St., Boonville, IN 47601 (2nd Floor)
📞 (812) 329-0040
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.8pathsdojo.com

Strength has no age limit. Wisdom is welcome here. Curious if martial arts is for you? Step onto the mat for your free f...
08/15/2026

Strength has no age limit. Wisdom is welcome here.

Curious if martial arts is for you? Step onto the mat for your free first class. No experience needed. No pressure. Just real self-defense and a friendly, judgment-free community.

Ready to try? Message us or call (812) 329-0040 to reserve your spot.

"Yield and overcome.Bend and be straight.Empty and be full.Wear out and be new.Have little and gain."— Lao Tzu, Tao Te C...
08/13/2026

"Yield and overcome.
Bend and be straight.
Empty and be full.
Wear out and be new.
Have little and gain."
— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 22

Most people come to martial arts looking for power. What they find, if they stay long enough, is something deeper — that the greatest force comes from letting go.

In Ba Shen Zhang, we do not teach you to dominate. We teach you to flow, to read, to yield at the right moment so that your opponent's own energy becomes your answer.

This is not weakness. This is mastery.

Are you ready to walk the path? Your first class is free. No experience needed.
📍 123 W Main St, Boonville, IN | (812) 329-0040 | 8pathsdojo.com

Kids who train martial arts learn something most classrooms can't teach: how to face a challenge and keep going.Mighty K...
08/13/2026

Kids who train martial arts learn something most classrooms can't teach: how to face a challenge and keep going.

Mighty Kids Kung Fu (Ages 5–13) meets every Monday 6–7 PM. We build confidence, discipline, and respect through age-appropriate training that's fun, structured, and encouraging.

No prior experience needed. First class is always free.

Come see what your child is capable of.

📍 123 W Main St, Boonville, IN (2nd Floor)
📞 (812) 329-0040 | 8pathsdojo.com

Address

123 W Main Street, 2nd Floor
Boonville, IN
47601

Opening Hours

Monday 6pm - 7pm
Wednesday 6pm - 7:30pm
Friday 6pm - 8pm

Telephone

+18123290040

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when 8 Paths Dojo posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category