Ground n' Pound for Kids

The vision of Little Johnny straddling Little Jimmy and beating the Cheerios out of him is certainly an image that conjures bullies from the 70's - but is this where MMA Kids Classes are heading?

No. Emphatically NO! MMA at the professional level has transformed itself from the no holds barred brawls of the early 90's into a submission fighting challenge that has weight classes, safety equipment, plenty of rules and good referees to enforce them. The participants have transformed from uncouth street scrappers to sophisticated combatants with a healthy respect for conditioning, diet, safety - and their fellow fighters.

And that's what MMA for kids is all about: Safely and effectively learning the skills of standup kickboxing as well as the takedowns and submission holds of grappling.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of one-on-one contests from Boxing to Pro-wrestling, there is always the "testosterone factor", the name calling and baiting that television producers have latched onto as an integral part of the sport. Grudge Matches are played up, nasty language abounds and the audience is convinced that the fighters are full of hatred and vengeance. It's part of the excitement of the contest - but the reality is often far from the hype. All fighters have a lot of respect for their opponents despite what they may say. Fighting professionally is a career, a potentially lucrative career that can be cut short by injury. Every fighter is concerned with safety - no matter what the rhetoric.

This concern for safety has to start with kids. Good MMA classes are based on safety - the best make it a part of every class. If nothing else, a school unconcerned with safety will shortly lose all of it's students through needless injury - and the reputation for carelessness that follows.

The Pro-Star Mixed Martial Arts system addresses safety concerns by it's very design. The 3 year program starts students with kickboxing and Muay Thai skills with contact between students strictly controlled with Limited Sparring Drills. In Year 2, grappling and ground fighting skills are introduced and again, Limited Grappling Drills are at the core of the curriculum. In Year 3, students are allowed more opportunities for sparring. Both standup skills and grappling skills are employed, but the majority of this sparring utilizes sophisticated combinations that are drilled with students learning both offensive and appropriate defensive techniques.

Padded equipment protects against unwanted contact for both sutdents - a fighter's knuckles need protection as much as his partner's ribs. Proper gloves are required - both MMA style grappling gloves and the more padded Kickboxing style gloves should be utilized depending on the situation. Shin guards and foot protection are also a must as are mouth guards and helmets. Good schools offer rib guards as well, particularly with knee drills.

Mixed Martial Arts is a potentially devastating blend of fighting styles from around the world and has quickly become the top draw for Pay-Per-View audiences, cable viewers and even network television sports fans. And, despite the pre-fight posturing, it's a rare fight that doesn't end in a handshake or hug, with an amazing outpouring of respect for fellow fighters.

Should kids be a part of all of this? With the right school, the right teachers and a healthy dose of safety and respect, my answer is YES!

WMMA wins at NAGA!

The Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts High Intensity Team grappled with schools from across the nation at the North American Grappling Association's Midwest Grappling Championship on Saturday. This Nationally Ranked event saw the 8 member Team WMMA bring home two First Place wins, seven Second Place medals, and three Third Place medals for a total of 12 awards, besting their May outing by eight more medals!
















Pro-Star Director Joe Brignoli made the trip from Tampa, florida to lead a special training session and to help cheer our students to victory. The Pro-Star program has sparked the team's successes at NAGA and Pro-Star schools, led by Grappling Director Jerry Jones' Ultimate Fighting School, are currently ranked #3 in the nation at NAGA contests.

Mr. Brignoli will be in town through Thursday. All students are encouraged to attend as many classes as possible this week in order to take advantage of his incredible MMA knowledge and experience as well as his high energy teaching style, guaranteed to renew each student's excitement about the Mixed Martial Arts!




Reminder: The school will be closed next week (Nov 24 -29) for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Classes will be back to the normal schedule on Monday, Dec 1.

Testing Week Schedules and our Christmas Holiday Schedule will be available at the school soon. We're going to have some special review sessions and lots of free sparring and grappling both the week before Christmas and the week after. Plan on spending some of those Christmas vacation days working off some of those Holiday cookies!

Busy Times!

The election is over... and the real work of righting our country has begun. Just be aware, when politicians say that "we" need to work, they're talking about YOU! And, seeing as how most of us don't work for the government directly, they're usually talking about collecting more MONEY from you - in lieu of you grabbing a shovel or a calculator!

Many of us are already tightening our belts a bit (and more than a few of us could use it!), but I fear that the worst is yet to come. The last world wide depression was more than a decade long and I suspect that this one will not be measured in months.

Trust in your abilities, trust your family and friends and take as long a view as you possibly can. It's just as important for all of us to keep our eyes on the future as it is to live day to day. Set a well-reasoned goal and keep on track. Adapt as you must to make the goal a reality, but keep your head up!

Our S.T.O.R.M. class is starting to get a food drive organized. Check with a leadership team member to see how you can help.

When we train as athletes, we are always aware that no matter how good we get, there's always somebody a little faster, a little stronger - a little luckier. As we come into hard times, remember that no matter how bad things get, there's always somebody in a worse position.