Focusing on Fun and Family Fitness

Only About 20 More Days...

2010-03-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

…before the Big Move! Yep, as of April 1st, we’re going to be moving to our new building at 701 S. Eastwood Dr (next door to Goodyear, in the same building as State Farm Insurance).

It’s VERY exciting. We’re going to have a larger mat area, more room altogether and a Parking Lot! We’re in a busier area, too, with lots more shopping and many more choices in eating as well. (There’s a Quizno’s, Jimmy John’s, Burger King, and Dunkin’ Donuts all within a short walk on our side of Rt. 47.)

The new building will also enable us to expand our fitness classes, too. We’re committed to making fitness part of our student’s lives – and having room for more fitness equipment really adds to the fun. More fun = more fitness.

Our Mixed Martial Arts classes will benefit from more continuous room for sparring and grappling. Our new BLUE mat should be arriving this week.

There’s lots of work to be done still, but we’re very close. Jim Zei, of Zei Decorating, has been working on the painting this week and it’s looking GREAT!

We’re going to have an Grand Opening Weekend Party, too. It will be a chance to see the new place, try a new class, work out on some different equipment - and maybe even win some FREE classes!

Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption

2010-02-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

There appears to be some misunderstanding about whether or not exercise actually continues to burn calories after you're through with your workout. The answer, as near as science can tell, is an unequivocal "Yes".

The scientific term for the phenomena is EPOC - Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. At the finish of your workout, your body attempts to return to it's previous resting state - as well as adapting it to the exercise performed by repairing muscles, building new muscles, increasing bone density (if you lifted weights!) and refueling those muscles by replenishing glycogen stores.

Glycogen is the form of sugar that's actually stored in your muscles. It's the "gas" for your "engine". It powers the brain, heart, other involuntary muscles - just about everything.

During exercise, when more energy is needed, your body converts fat into free fatty acids that get dumped into the blood stream where they can be used as fuel (along with the glycogen). At the end of the workout, they help energize the repair process, helping the body rebuild and recover. Any unused free fatty acids are reconverted back into fat for later use.

(Or storage. Sigh.)

Studies have shown that the EPOC effect is greatest immediately after exercise and slowly tapers away. This raised metabolism, in one study, was still observable as long as 38 hours after the workout, but in general the effect has diminished substantially by between 3 to 14 hours after your exercise.

Anaerobic exercise seems to cause EPOC to a greater extent than aerobic exercise does. That means that lifting causes it more than running. And, it appears that increasing either the length of time spent exercising or the intensity of the exercise (or both!) increases the EPOC effect.

Bottom line? Exercise not only burns calories NOW, but it continues to burn them at a better than resting rate for several hours after your workout. And... stored fat IS used for fuel during your exercise - but whatever isn't needed for muscle repair and rejuvenation is sent back into storage.

Our Kids Won't Outlive Us?

2010-02-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

Wow. I heard that on the news this morning. With the rising obesity rates among children, their projected lifespans are MUCH shorter. Fat kids become fat adults that not only die younger, but have many more health problems along the way, dooming themselves to a lesser quality life than what our generation had.

Luckily, there's still time, but it's going to need a large shift in thinking among parents. Years ago, kids just got up and ran around the neighborhood for 6, 7 or even 8 hours a day. We climbed trees, crawled under bushes, played tag and even "ghost in the graveyard" if we could get the whole neighborhood to stay out after dark.

Has your kid ever climbed a tree?

The thinking shift that's needed by parents is to realize that THEY have to get their kids involved in as much physical activity as possible. It's simply NOT happening by itself - and school gym classes alone are NOT doing the job.

I almost hate to see Michelle Obama's new "Let's Move" initiative, not because it's not needed (it is!) but because it will probably politicize the whole thing and Republican kids (Are there such things? Really?) won't be allowed by their parents to participate. Sigh. What a world.

We started offering a Kid's Fitness program several months ago, allowing our Demo Team to test drive the exercises and activities. They are having a blast - and really challenging themselves with body weight exercises, throwing and lifting kid-size weights and balls - and plenty of running, stretching and jumping, too.

Designed by owner/instructor (and Registered Nurse!) Carolyn Schulenburg, Kid Fitness is 45 minutes of solid exercise. There is also some solid nutrition information - along with a few recipes for sharing Good Food with parents. Our BootCamp Fitness program is based around a large nutrition component and we're presenting this same information in a Kid Friendly format with weekly handouts and Mat Chats.

We've started with a single class (Saturday mornings) and will expand as needed to help kids get more exercise and help with learning to eat better.

Please give Carolyn a call at 815-334-9662 to schedule your trial class. There is no charge for the introductory lesson, simply come prepared in workout clothes.

You Are What You Eat...

2010-01-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

If you want a doughy body - eat dough.

Rule #1. You CAN'T out-train a bad diet.

One Twinkie is 150 Calories. A bottle of Budweiser is close to that at 140 calories.

Each one would cost you about 20 minutes of jogging on the treadmill (for someone in the 180 - 200 lb size).

How about a Whopper with Cheese, french fries and a Chocolate Shake? That combo contains about 1363 calories... and you're on that treadmill for 2 hours and 20 minutes!

About 70 to 80% of any weight loss program is about dieting, not working out. However, good health is isn't just about losing fat - and no amount of dieting is going to improve strength, flexibility - or improve your heart and lungs.

Home treadmills are a great place to hang your laundry - gym memberships can leave you lost, confused, waiting in line - and ultimately vowing to start again next week. Or month.

Our BootCamp guarantees that you will get 3 hours of workout per week - Carolyn will be on the phone if you miss a class, scheduling a make-up session.

It's all good stuff, too. Intelligent exercises that will work you without hurting you in a class designed so you can work at your own speed, pacing yourself or pushing yourself as you need to!

And you will get a huge notebook packed with nutritional information that's updated every class - and supplemented with weekly emails!

Check out the websites - we've got our local one at WoodstockFitness.com and our national one at WoodstockBootcamp.com

We currently meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 7:15PM and Saturday at 11:00AM. We're going to be adding classes in February, too, so please call Carolyn and let her know that you're interested: 815-334-9662. She'll be more than happy to talk with you about your fitness goals for this year and answer any questions you might have as well.

Woodstock BootCamp Video

2010-01-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

We've pulled together a quick look at several of our BootCamp Fitness Classes - and if you're curious about what goes on at BootCamp, take a minute to watch:

These days, many of us are concerned about our health, particularly as we grow older. I'm not a medical professional (that's Carolyn's job!) but one opinion I'm pretty confident about is that people were NOT designed to sit around watching TV and eating ice cream.

Been there, done that.

I wish I could tell you that our BootCamp program was as easy as "a bag o' chips and the Sports Network" - but honestly, while not easy, it can be even more fun.

And, with the way Carolyn has designed our program, it's NOT that hard either. You get to work at your own pace, your own intensity level, doing exercises that you feel comfortable with.

Getting up, getting involved, getting a handle on your own fitness is very empowering. Quite simply, it makes you feel good, makes you feel like you're getting something done.

The people that make up our classes are great, too. They are fun, they can be loud, they're always enthusiastic - and they're about as non-judgmental a group that you can imagine.

We've had people that were as young as 15, as old as 72. We've had skinny people looking to build some muscle - and we've had heavy people looking to slim down. We've had people that were trainers themselves - and we've had people that had never touched a fitness band or even heard of a kettlebell.

Come join us - give Carolyn a call at 815-334-9662. She's not going to try and talk you into anything that you're not interested in. (To my knowledge, she's never sold used cars!) She's simply there to answer your questions and offer you the chance to give a BootCamp class a try - for FREE! No pressure, no commitment, just an opportunity to decide if this is a place and a program that you'd be comfortable with and that could give you the support and fun time you're looking for on your road to better health!

Kid's Fun Fitness Program

2010-01-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

Our BootCamp program has really taken off, bringing fitness and nutritional information to the nearly 50 adults who have enjoyed working out with us over the last year. But what about the younger crowd? Can kids do a BootCamp style fitness workout?

Yes - and we're pleased to be offering a Fun Fitness class for students from ages 6 - 16 on Saturday mornings at 9:30 AM - 10:15 AM.

Students will run, jump and roll through a variety of fun exercises designed to not only build strength and coordination, but to help offset the sedentary lifestyle that many children have these days. In other words, get 'em off the couch and have them put down the game controller for at least a little while each week!

Each class has been designed under the supervision of Carolyn Schulenburg, WMMA owner and Medical Professional. Each exercise MUST be safe and have proven health benefits for children in order to be considered for the program.

The students will work at their own pace - based on their level of fitness - and every exercise will be presented in a way that allows kids to "ramp it up" when they are ready. Exercises will target endurance, strength building as well as balance and coordination.

Top sports coaches around the country understand that general conditioning during the off season is a necessary component of a successful game season - particularly when it comes to kids. Getting them in shape so that they can learn to compete in a particular sport is not only a winning idea, it helps to cut down on injuries and makes every sport a little safer.

Whether your child is a couch potato in need of some regular exercise or a budding champion wanting to stay in shape in the off season, our Fun Fitness classes are the answer. Please call Mrs. Schulenburg at 815-334-9662 (WMMA) to try a FREE CLASS!

Progress!

2009-12-15T07:52:00.001-08:00

We've made a lot of progress on the new building: we're ready to move the furnace now (currently, it's right in the way!). We've started patching drywall - and lots more repairs and fixes in that department need to be done. We've got a Fitness BootCamp Banner out front. We've removed a bunch of walls. New lights will be ordered soon. Lot's of painting to be done - but that will be after Christmas sometime.

There's still a whole lot on the Wish List - moving doors and adding a Parents Room window - but that will all come in due time.

Currently, the best way to help is to get some friends to sign up for our many classes. Starting in January, we're going to be adding Kids Fitness classes to our lineup. Patterned after our BootCamp, these classes will be fun, fast paced activities that will really give our younger members a good, healthy workout. The classes will meet twice a week, but only for 1/2 hour sessions as they will be packed with exercises and workouts. If your kids spend a little too much time in front of the screen, this is a fun way to build some muscle and burn off some energy!

Keep in mind that we also offer Fitness BootCamp, KickBoxing and Self-defense Black Belt classes for adults. If you're feeling tired, getting in better shape is the best way to look and feel better!

And, of course, Mixed Martial Arts is still hot, still a GREAT way to burn calories as well as learn some skills that just might come in handy one day!

Depending on many factors including weather, free time and delivery schedules, we're still hoping to be moving in early next year. Stay tuned!

Destruction Underway!

2009-11-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

We've been working on the new building with every spare moment we've got. Saturday, Mr. Schulenburg put in about 6 hours tearing down walls - and Sunday we had a crew of four working on walls and ceilings. Thanks to Jim Zei, Izzy Ayala and, of course, Carolyn Schulenburg for all their work on this Huge Project!

We're aiming for a January Opening date... but that's tentative, based on the problems we run into as we discover what needs to be done. As always, we're looking to create the safest and most usable area we can - and it certainly won't hurt if it's immaculately clean, well lit and simply fun to work out in!

Here's a photo from the entryway: the walls are starting to come down and shortly we'll have a large workout area!

(This shot is a little deceptive - we're actually going to have a total area larger than we currently have.)

More to come!

Fighting Fit2 BootCamp

2009-09-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our Fitness BootCamp program is based around the nationally acclaimed Fighting Fit2 curriculum designed by personal trainer and Black Belt instructor Mike Massie. We've trained with Mike several times in the last 12 months, learning new exercises as well as new nutritional ideas.

BootCamp, run by Mrs. Schulenburg (herself a Black Belt instructor as well as a Registered Nurse!) has always kept on top of the latest developments in both Sports Medicine and Nutritional Health. It's a self-paced program designed to meet the needs of those just starting out in fitness (c'mon, step away from that TV!) to those that have been working towards marathons or matches.

This is NOT a health club where you casually stare at bizarre machines, waiting your turn. This is dynamic exercise, practical movements that enhance your life by building the strength and endurance that make each and everyday a lot more fun! While YOU control the intensity, "drill sergeant" Carolyn is there to push you to do your best.

Whether it's the functional power gained through kettle bells or the core strength developed by the gentle instability of sand bags, you will build lean muscle and lose flab with our BootCamp program. We've just added those giant balance balls to our arsenal which also includes dumb bells, resistance bands, jump ropes, medicine balls and all sorts of floor exercises and stretches.

The other aspect of BootCamp is the nutritional end of things. While certainly not a proscribed diet, you will know how many calories to consume each day, how much water to drink and how often to eat. You'll learn how to really decipher nutrition labels and learn what ratios of Carbs, Fats and Protein are best for getting in shape. You'll learn which foods to eat more of... and which to eat less of. And maybe even some to avoid entirely!

Give us a call at 815-334-9662 to schedule a Free Trial workout and to find out more about our Fitness Programs!

Building Values

2009-09-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here's an article I stumbled across in the last couple of weeks (lots of people surf the Internet... I stumble!). It's about a year old, but the sentiment is good and sums up the way a lot of our parents feel.

Safety IS our number one priority - and learning the confidence that comes with mastering your own body is a close second.

John McCain calls it "human cockfighting." It's violent, controversial ...

And yet every day, parents are encouraging their kids to try it. It's Mixed Martial Arts -- MMA to us fans -- and it's becoming a worldwide phenomenon. To the untrained eye, it looks like two people are beating each other to a pulp without regard or remorse. But that's just not true. Yes, a professional bout can get a little bloody, but MMA fighters generally have the utmost respect for themselves and each other. That's part of the reason parents shouldn't be afraid to let their kids kick, punch and grapple.

Nobody seems to have a problem with Karate or Tae Kwon Do classes for youths, but throw in some actual bodily contact and folks get nervous. (Even though football and hockey players routinely get smashed around.) I'm not saying I want my little girl fighting, but if you talk to any MMA fighter, he (or she) will tell you that it's a way for them to challenge and discover themselves physically and mentally. It's also an incredible confidence-booster, especially for smaller kids: The ground fighting technique called Jiu-Jitsu is all about using leverage against an opponent, not brute muscular strength -- so quite often, the little guys win. How refreshing!

Before having a son, my friend thought she was against letting kids fight. Now with a four-year-old ball of energy who instinctively wants to wrestle and punch, she figures, "why not let him learn the proper way?" I add to that what I've witnessed first-hand: the self-awareness that comes with knowing how to fight tends to make people turn the other cheek when provoked outside of the gym. I don't know if that's true for chickens Mr. McCain, but it is for humans.

Karyn Bryant is a television personality who's hosted shows on networks such as CNN, TNT, VH1, and MTV. She's currently a reporter for Showtime Championship Boxing and CBS' Saturday Night Fights, and the EVP/Director of MMAheat.com, an online destination for fans of MMA and pop culture. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

Self Defense Black Belt

2009-08-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

We are now forming our Self-Defense Black Belt classes: Simple... Easy To Learn... And Designed So Almost Anyone Can Do It...

Our Licensed Self Defense Black Belt Program™ Facility is designed with real world self defense in mind, no ineffective moves or wasted time.

This program was specifically created so that just about anyone at any fitness or experience level can learn the techniques needed for effective self-defense!

Check out the video (and, yes, that IS Mrs. Schulenburg dishing out those punches!) and learn more about our program!

Call us at 815-334-WMMA (9662) to find out more!

Training in Hutto, Texas

2009-08-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Schulenburg and I have just returned from a weekend of tough training in Hutto, Texas (Home of the Hutto Hippos!). Renowned Martial Arts Instructor and Certified Trainer Mike Massie put us through our paces with both a Fitness BootCamp and his new endeavor, Black Belt Self-Defense, a program designed to bring real world self-defense skills to adult students without putting them at risk of injury in their workouts. Both are exciting programs and are perfect for our Fitness Students as well as our older MMA students.

For those of you who haven't experienced a Fitness BootCamp as yet - we're starting another session of our Fitness Fun classes on Aug 25. This is an opportunity to experience the workout part of our BootCamp without the nutrition component - at a bargain price! Classes will meet for the next two weeks on Tuesday and Thursday at 7:15PM and will be an introduction to some of the exercises that we do with our BootCamp classes. If you're interested, please call Carolyn at 815-334-9662. Call soon because we do limit class size to 12 participants.

And... we've got some great new ideas from Mr. Massie. I'd tell you more, but I'm too sore to type anymore! :-)

Just Another Day...

2009-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a wonderfully cool summer thus far. A little too rainy perhaps, but we've not seen the 90's and 100's (with lots of humidity!) that many summers in this area seem to be built around!

This has made training a lot more fun - we don't have to hide behind air-conditioned doors and instead can let the cool breezes blow through our studio!

It's been a good summer for not only our MMA students, but for our Fitness KickBoxing and Fitness BootCamp students, too.

If you're still looking for a way to have some fun while working out, our Fitness classes truly are a great mix of great times and great workouts. Programmed by Mrs. Schulenburg, each class is a little different, each brings something new to the mix - and students are truly motivated by both the good times and the results!

Come join us! We've got special summer rates in effect through August and family members of our MMA students can save even more!

It's a great time to get in shape... and have a whole lot of fun doing it!

Summer Schedules!

2009-06-16T10:22:00.000-07:00

Our Summer Schedule is now available at the Web Site so go take a look! We've moved a few of our evening classes to the daytime hours. After our next test, we will have a calendar that shows the rest of the summer (until school starts again!) by each day and date. Hopefully, this will be a little easier to understand. If you ever have questions about when a class meets, please give us a call at 815-334-WMMA!

NAGA Milwaukee 2009

2009-06-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

The WMMA HIT Team had a blast at the 2009 NAGA Midwest Championship Tournament on Saturday - and brought home sword trophies and many medals as well! Our High Intensity Team, coached by Mr. Ian Nevitt, consisted of Savannah Fredricksen, Kassandra Salgado, Johnny Zei, Jesus Hernandez, Josh Muhlenfeld, Jeremy Jarnecke, Assistant Instructor Jimmy Zei, Assistant Instructor Tara O'Connell, and Instructor Alan Dyson.

Despite some REALLY tough competition, our nine member team brought home nine medals, including two first place Swords, second and third place medals and one special Gold Medal for Good Sportsmanship earned when Johnny Zei took on an extra fight to help fill out a weight/age category and give some other fighters a chance to compete.

As always, our Team showed incredible perseverance on the mats - and even more incredible friendliness and good sportsmanship all around. It's always amazing how fighters that appear so engaged in battle can moments later be hugging and shaking hands - and congratulating each other on matches well fought. Truly, this is the reason we go to these National Events: to meet new friends, to compete on a friendly basis and to learn more about our art.

Pictures and videos will be available soon!

Pool Party June 27th

2009-05-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's time for the 3rd annual Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness Pool Party! It will be held at the Woodstock Water Works on Saturday morning, June 27th. We will NOT have classes that day (it's testing week and we'll schedule tests earlier in the week) - so everyone will make plans to be there, right!?

Save the date - and cross your fingers for good weather!

Pro Scouts and Promoters

2009-04-15T10:52:00.000-07:00

Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts has recently received an email request from fight promoter Brian Angelo, requesting us to consider sending some of our students to the NO WAY OUT event that Fight Card Entertainment is holding in Gages Lake on May 30.

Brian wrote, "...the Main Event will be Jason Graves VS. Ron Ermillio for the Middleweight Championship but we're looking to fill the card with local talent. FCE is all about what’s best for the fighters and looks to evenly match your guys and not put them in with anyone who is over-experienced."

Our showings at NAGA and our website seem to have caught the eye of the "pros".

Stay tuned!

Top 5 Exercises To Get In Shape - and Stay There!

2009-04-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

Why five exercises? Well, ten seemed like too many to remember... three was too little to cover everything that needs to be done!

Staying in shape takes a lifelong commitment - and there's no point in getting there in the first place if you're not determined to stay there. These exercises are a minimum and are merely suggestions. You might like 'em, you might hate 'em - but they do cover most of the larger muscle groups and will go a long way in any maintenance program.

It's all about making exercise a Habit!

1. My number one choice works the largest muscles in the body. Targeting the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps, SQUATS are one of the best exercises you can do to shed fat and build muscle. Position is vitally important - it's easy to trash the knees if you aren't careful. Also, when starting out, don't go to extremes. Don't do too many, don't go too deep or too fast.

Keep the knees behind the toes. Imagine if you were standing facing a wall, with your toes just touching the wall. As you squat down, don't let your knees hit that wall. Keep your weight back on your heels.

Experiment with foot width, too. I've found that keeping my feet closer together allows me to do a deeper squat but that keeping the feet shoulder width or slightly greater makes for an easier squat. Go slowly; figure out what works for you.

In the long run - deeper is better. In the short run, make sure you work up to those "butt to the floor" reps!

2. The second exercise on my list targets the triceps, shoulders, chest, back and abs. It's that perennial favorite: PUSHUPS. There are many types of pushups, but it's best to start with the basics: hands under shoulders, feet together.

"Girl" pushups - where you let your knees remain on the ground - are really a different sort of exercise than the basic pushup. If you must start with them, do so - but also practice holding yourself in the basic pushup position, both at the top of the movement (fairly easy) and at the bottom (pretty hard!).

To work up to a basic pushup, start at the top and bend the elbows slightly, increasing your depth over a period of days as you get stronger. Also, start at the bottom and pushup. In the beginning, this portion might be an isometric exercise - no movement at all - but rest assured it will build some muscle and help you get a little closer to the success with the basic movement.

3. LUNGES work the legs and the core muscles as well. I prefer to step backwards and drop that back knee. Once again, this keeps the front knee from passing over the toes, a no-no in both lunges and squats.

There are many variations on lunges - I like dropping my back knee all the way to the ground although some prefer to have it barely touch. When starting out, you might see how close you can come to the ground while maintaining the ability to get back up again!

4.SITUPS, CRUNCHES, LEGLIFTS - exercises that really work the abs and core are essential for getting in shape and staying there. Full situps - bent knees, feet on the floor, hands behind the head, touch your elbows to your knees - are difficult and for people with a history of back pain, may not be recommended. Crunches - where you're in essentially the same position as the full situp - are easier on the back because instead of curling up, you instead try to lift straight up towards the ceiling - and only high enough that the bottom of your shoulder blades leave the ground.

Other alternatives include leglifts, reverse situps and the like, but any exercise that targets those abs is fair game for my number 4 choice.

5. Number 5 is going to be a bit vague: call it "CARDIO-VASCULAR EXERCISE". Anything that gets your heart beating and your lungs huffing and puffing falls into this category. Running, brisk walking, cycling, rowing, swimming - the list is endless. These aerobic exercises are important for energizing your whole body, building muscle, building endurance and keeping you in shape.

Twenty minutes with your heart in the 60-80% of maximum range is ideal. A quick rule of thumb for finding your max heart rate is to subtract your age from 220 - but that just gets you in the ballpark. Check with your trainer to get a more exact figure.

It's tough to get your heart beating in that max range for twenty minutes without getting your entire body involved. Walking and swimming are probably the two best for getting started - and swimming by itself is probably the best all around exercise. If I had to limit my list to only one pick, it would be 1/2 hour of vigorous swimming 4 or 5 times per week.

That should do it. Getting in shape and keeping in shape requires a minimum of 3 exercise sessions per week - 4 or 5 would be better. Each session should be a minimum of 20 minutes - and mornings seem to be better at energizing you for the day as well as easier to maintain as a habit.

Any exercise is better than no exercise, but keep in mind you can't do it all in one session. Don't push too hard at first, don't get burned out because you can't see results in a week. If you miss a week - so what? Get right back in there next week. This is a lifetime habit we're talking about, not just a chance to fit into that fancy dress or skimpy bikini one more time! Stay with it, forgive yourself when you fail - but get right back to it as soon as possible.

April BootCamp is Underway!

2009-04-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

Our April BootCamp started today. We've got a full class, too!

Several have already asked about our May BootCamp. If you are interested, please contact Carolyn Schulenburg and we'll work it into our schedule.

"What do we do in BootCamp?"
"I haven't exercised in years - is this for me?"
"I've heard that there's a diet part - what's that about?"
"I've tried everything - will I really lose weight?"

BootCamp uses dynamic exercises (kettlebells, resistance bands, sandbags and more!) to bring out the best in your body's ability to build new muscle and lose fat. Dynamic exercises are more "real world" than simply lifting weights. By creating motion with each set, we activate many different muscles throughout the body, creating "gentle instabilities" to work the trunk, legs, arms and more.

Sets are typically only one minute long, with a minute rest in between. Each student works at their own pace within the set, working at a comfortable level - all the while being encouraged to try to squeeze out "one more rep".

There is usually quite a range of fitness in each class, but there is no competition. It's all about challenging yourself, pushing to do a little better and watching your body grow stronger each week - that's the fun part!

"I lost 3.5 inches from my waist and 1 inch from my arms - and 4 pounds!" - C.S.

BootCamp requires you to eat well, too, showing you how to craft a healthy eating program that works with your exercise to reach your goals in the most efficient way possible! You will learn about nutrition, how your body utilizes food for both immediate energy and long term storage. Getting the most out of your grocery dollar, learning how to interpret food labels, making wise eating choices - these are all part of the BootCamp "diet".

During one of the first classes, you will be weighed and measured, have your blood pressure checked, you will learn about BMI and %Fat - in short, you'll have a pretty good picture of where you are health and fitness-wise. You'll find out what the optimum calories are for your frame and your goals - and you'll discover the best proportions of Fats, Carbs and Protein to eat for the best health.

"You will work your butt off - literally - but if you stick with it and dedicate yourself to the nutrition that is best for you, you WILL see results!" - M.S.

Everyone is different when it comes to weight loss. We can't guarantee you will lose weight - some students have come to BootCamp with the goal of adding weight, building some muscle! We can promise that, if you follow the eating suggestions and workout with us 3 times a week, you will lose fat and gain muscle.

And, yes, for most of our students, that means you will lose weight!

"I lost a total of 10 pounds in 4 weeks!" - K.S.

Our overriding concern is your health and fitness - and we know from personal experience that if we're not having a good time with our exercise program we simply won't do it. BootCamp is dedicated to the idea that you WILL have a good time, you WILL get the exercise you need and you WILL start to develop a healthier lifestyle!

That's our goal.
Kurt and Carolyn Schulenburg
Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts
Woodstock Fitness and Kickboxing

Our Fitness BootCamp is an opportunity for adults 18+ to get in shape quickly and with optimum health in mind! Strength building and cardio exercises are combined in an exciting format that's both challenging and a whole lot of fun. In fact, that's the whole point: Having a good time is the first step in making fitness a part of your life.

Personal trainers charge more than $50 an hour for the sort of personal attention and individualized nutritional information that our program provides.

Space is limited - please call NOW to reserve your spot. Our next session will not start until May!

Price: $299
Special Price:$199
Sign up NOW and Save $100 on our May Session!

Fitness KickBoxing
If you're not sure that BootCamp is for you, maybe KickBoxing is! Our KickBoxing program utilizes the punching bags to really work up a sweat - and burn plenty of calories!
Are you ready to get in the Best Shape of your life? Our Fitness KickBoxing classes provide a way to lose fat, gain some muscle and revitalize your life! Get rid of stress through punching and kicking with two classes per week!
Two Classes per Week
Regular Monthly Price: $99
Special April Price: $79
Save $20!
Walkins Welcome $12 per class

Ask about our group/family discounts!

Fun Fact: "Given the same volume, muscle is much denser, much heavier than fat. In other words, 140 pounds of "mostly muscle" looks way trimmer than 140 pounds of "mostly fat"!"

Girl Scout Troop 337 visits WMMA

2009-03-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Self-Defense Seminar

Woodstock, IL - March 15, 2009 - Girl Scout Troop 337 took part in a two hour self-defense seminar at Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts. Troop Leader Donna Warner joined in as Black Belt Instructors Kurt and Carolyn Schulenburg provided a tour, lecture and physical workout for the girls, demonstrating the need for vigilance and a proactive stance about safety in Woodstock.

The tour portion was a walk about the Square, highlighting potential danger areas and showcasing safe havens as well. The speaking portion highlighted the need for a mixture of awareness and common sense as the first line of self-defense while the physical workout showed the girls how strong they could be in a panic situation.

The girls learned how to escape from a variety of common holds and how to punch and kick effectively. Culminating with elbow strikes, the girls were delighted when each broke their own 12" X 12" X 3/4" wooden board.

Participating were troop members Danielle Hurmis, Leah Warner, Jolene Warner, Madison Schnulle.

If you're interested in a FREE Self-Defense Seminar for your group, please call Carolyn Schulenburg at 815-334-9662 to arrange a date.

The Schulenburg Family's Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts, formerly known as the Young Hong Karate Institute, has a long history of providing self defense in Woodstock. Offering classes in Mixed Martial Arts for all ages, WMMA prides itself on being a Character Development Center, actively teaching social skills such as responsibility, honesty and trustworthiness to all students. WMMA is a Family School where the Focus is on Fitness and Fun, where the whole Family can enjoy an exciting and healthy workout.

Call us at 815-334-WMMA (9662).

Tabatas

2009-03-20T06:39:00.001-07:00

I discovered the Tabata Interval a couple of years ago... and it's a GREAT way to burn calories, lose a little fat, gain a little muscle and work up a sweat!

Basically, Izuma Tabata and some colleagues at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports over in Japan tested all sorts of athletes on treadmills and came up with a paper entitled "Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max".

Um. Right. What does THAT mean?

Moderate-intensity endurance means that we're not running 26 mile marathons. They tested for shorter runs.

High-intensity means that when they were running, they were sprinting!

"Anaerobic capacity and VO2max" means that they were measuring both strength and endurance.

Putting semi-pro runners on treadmills, Tabata and company had them sprint and relax for a whole bunch of different intervals. One minute on, two minutes rest. Five seconds on, ten seconds rest. All sorts of times were experimented with.

They came up with the most efficient interval for developing BOTH strength and endurance for the average human being. It's now called the Tabata Interval - or simply "Tabatas" and refers to exercise where you work full out (sprint!) for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds... and repeat 8 times for a total of 4 minutes.

Believe me, 4 minutes doesn't sound like much, but there's a reason that these intervals are the best: they're killers! Last winter, I tried them on my stationary bike - wow! What a workout! There was many a day when I only managed 6 or 7 of the repetitions, becoming completely exhausted after only 3 minutes or so.

Another great thing about Tabatas is that you don't have to run. You can ride a bike, do pushups, situps, just about any exercise that you can imagine. The secret is to work full out - to sprint - with whatever exercise you're doing. And do so for 20 seconds with only a 10 second rest in between.

Watching a clock - it's truly amazing how the darn thing slowed down while I worked and sped up when I was resting. Stupid clock.

I've since written a couple of musical tabatas, fun little ditties that alternate between 20 seconds of thumping and 10 seconds of restful sounds. They're kind of fun, and we've used them in both MMA classes and kickboxing.

Our BootCampers will soon experience tabatas, too!

Getting In Shape

2009-03-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Trying to find a title for today's blog was tough. Yes, it's about getting in shape. But "Getting in Shape" sounds like something you choose to do this afternoon, or plan on doing next week. It sounds like an entry on your To-Do list, a task that gets checked off when it's completed.

The bad news for those trying to get in shape: you're never finished.

The good news? Well, if you're going to bother at all, you've got to make it a lot of fun. That's good news because many of us never even considered the possibility that diet and exercise could be remotely classed as "desirable" let alone "fun"!

Mrs. Schulenburg and I have just finished teaching and participating in two month long Fitness BootCamp classes. We're also still involved with our ongoing Fitness Kickboxing program.

We both lost weight. We both gained inches where we wanted to... and lost them where we wanted to as well.

Now... are we both "in shape"? Are we finished? Is it pie and ice cream time?

No. We have plenty of miles to travel to reach our long term goals. But our short term goals? Yes, we've reached them - and even surpassed them!

The short term goals may come as a surprise as they didn't necessarily involve scales and tape measures. Our short term goals were to change our lifestyle - a little - so that exercise and proper nutrition were the base line that we return to. In other words, when a particular program or class is finished, it's not bon-bons and the remote control. It's having fun with kickboxing, taking walks as the weather gets nicer and planning our next healthy meal.

Getting in shape IS a lifestyle change. It's a choice that we're making to live as healthy as we can. It doesn't mean that either of us are aiming to become rail thin models (ha!) but rather that we're more comfortable with the genes that we were dealt and happy with the choices we make about activities and food.

Our next Fitness BootCamp starts the first week of April. Come join us as we learn about nutrition, what to look for on food labels - what to look out for! - and enjoy three exercise classes per week that we go out of our way to make fun.

Yes. We have fun. You'll have fun. That's the only way we're going to make it something that you'll stick with for the rest of your life.

Youthful Secrets #1

2009-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of health and fitness gurus and nutritional experts out there who will be glad to sell you the "Secret to Staying Young". Our TVs are awash with ads for concoctions to grow hair here or remove it from there, skin and facial creams and... uh... other products to restore youthful vigor.

There are diets left and right, all Protein, no Protein, all Carb, no Carb. Eggs are good for you - eggs aren't good for you - and, by last survey, eggs are good for you once again! Each fad diet promises that you will lose weight, get in shape, add years to your life. All for $19.95 plus shipping and handling.

The best thing about those exercises devices that store under your bed is that... they store under your bed.

Nobody talks about mental health. I don't mean those sad, depressed individuals (but they'll sell you some pills...) or those serious issues that do indeed need proper doctoring. I'm talking about you and me - the so-called "normal" folks that are getting older one day at a time and somehow living to tell about it.

From a physical standpoint, I always teach older people to work on keeping their legs in shape. To do so, you will need to do a combination of weight bearing and aerobic exercises that will keep your heart strong, work the lungs - even take care of the back and stomach muscles. Don't worry about the rest of you, focus on legs!

From a mental standpoint, I explain that when your legs are in shape, you'll have the strength and dexterity to get down on the floor and play with the grandkids.

And there's the important part, the Secret of Eternal Youth: Playing. With the grandkids. On the floor.

As adults, when we play, we tend to do things that we enjoy. Too often, the same things, over and over. It's tough to jump in with new games, unfamiliar ideas or strange directions. But when we play with the grandkids, suddenly we're swept up into a world of imagination that our ossified brains haven't visited in years. We are shown new toys with new uses, bright colors and defined shapes that go together in so many ways.

This then, is the fountain of youth, this is how one truly stays young. Don't sit by yourself and pine for worlds that might have been. Instead, be young. Play young. Don't be afraid to imagine, to dream of worlds that might yet be.

There are always more choices to be made: which ones will bring you to the Best You that you can be?

(Picture used with permission - that's Grandpa G. (aged 76) and Grandson C. (aged 2.5) playing with blocks!)

Focus on Fun, Family and Fitness

2009-02-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

It's important - particularly in hard times like the present - to not get too caught up in the Gloomy News of the Day. Yes, we've created a horrible money situation in this country. Yes, we're going to be paying for it for years.

No, we don't have to think about it every second of every day.

And we certainly can't base our lives on doom and gloom.

There are always hundreds of choices to be made by each one of us, every day. From huge decisions like re-financing the mortgage to mundane ones like which toothpaste to use. Each one of these decisions contributes to our character - some more, some less. But "who we are" is ultimately determined by the sum of all of these choices.

Are you the Best You that you can be? You've made the choices that brought you to where you are today. Is this where you want to be?

No matter what your beliefs concerning the After Life, we all know that we have the current one for an average of 70 or so years. Far less for an unfortunate few, a little longer for some of us as well. I've always liked the mantra "Live Each Day Like It's Your Last - One day, it will be!" (The cynic in me always asks, "Why would I want to spend today in a hospital bed dying?" Stupid cynic misses the point!)

Are you focusing on having fun with your days? Are you finding the joy of living - or are you trudging through to the weekend, the summer, that next vacation? How much of your life do you truly enjoy - and how much do you simply waste?

Why?

My last post on commitment bemoaned the fact that true commitment is lacking in so much of today's society. It's not something that's talked about very much, almost as if we're afraid to wear such a label in public. I think one of the things that we really have to commit to is having as happy a life as we can, to enjoy the ups and learn from the downs, to share as much of our fortune, knowledge and outlook with others as we can.

For me, as I grow older, staying in shape is what provides the energy for that commitment. That's why our school says Focus on Fun and Fitness. It's about creating or re-creating your self, making the best decisions possible in your life, sharing who we are, having immense energy and a powerful, optimistic viewpoint - becoming the best we can be.

Yes, we have problems. Does anybody believe that these problems will be solved with a negative outlook? By dragging one's self through each horrible day? Will our heroes sit at home, whining and moaning? Will we focus on the Bad News, the terrible tidings of the whole world? Or will we work to make our own Family, our own community, a little better with a positive outlook and a Focus on Fun and Fitness?

The Nature of Commitment

2009-02-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Martial arts, like any great passion, involves a bit of commitment. One does not excel at the piano or tennis by never practicing chords or serves. In my lifetime, I've seen an increase in apathy, in trust and in commitment.

As a school owner, I'm very aware of people not being able to honor commitments. There are always perfectly good reasons for quitting, for backing out of a commitment, for giving up on martial arts. The word "money" comes up a lot. The word "time" does, too.

In an era where nobody has a car payment of less then $300 per month (and most people own two cars!), it strikes me as strange that spending $600 on those payments, plus insurance plus maintenance is pretty much of a given - yet we won't spend a fraction of that on keeping ourselves or our children in shape!

And how much do we all pay for cable TV or Internet. Or cell phones for each kid?

When it comes to time - the best medical minds today insist that we get 50 minutes of exercise 5 times a week. I heard that on the news yesterday. According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week). And yet, there's no time for fitness in their lives.

Let's be honest - there are a fair amount of people who decide that martial arts isn't for them - or maybe even that the way we teach it isn't for them. That's okay; we can't be all things to everybody and I certainly understand trying something new in order to decide if I like it or not. But don't tell me it's a time or money issue!

Commitment is something that comes hard to modern Americans. We've heard that slightly more than 50% of marriages end in divorce. In 1985, marriages lasted, on average 9.4 years. Today they only make it about 7 years - although some claim this is because of the rise of "starter marriages". Google it if you're curious.

Some might say that this shows we're better informed, more independent, and feel more free to make life changing decisions. I think it's because we've become a society of consumers instead of producers, one that wants exactly what we want and we want it NOW! And we want it until... well, we're tired of it. We wouldn't want to commit beyond that point, would we?

(Hmmm. I wonder if that's related to the fact that in 1970, the whole world owed us money... and 40 years later we owe money to the whole world.)

Are you teaching your children commitment? I do my best at the karate school, to teach my own children and my students. We hold to Black Belt as a tangible, achievable goal, one that will take at least 3 years of committed work. Twice a week. Three years.

If they, as kids, aren't up to it, are you? Parents don't like to force their kids to do anything anymore. There is so much of life to choose from. Why do something you don't like to do? Why make children keep their commitments?

One of my favorite authors, Robert Heinlein, once wrote:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

I believe in this for my students. To do all of these things well takes commitment. I want my children's marriages to last longer than 7 or even 9 years. I'd like to see them with flexible options for the future, with the ability to work hard at something - not until they get tired, but until they've done their best... and maybe a little bit more. I believe in commitment. What do you believe?

What's The Difference?

2009-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

I was having an interesting discussion last night with a fellow martial artist about the differences between Martial Arts Schools. His point was that, no matter what the particular art is, be it kung fu or karate or MMA, that the important thing is that you are LEARNING. Learning something, anything.

On one hand, I agree. I definitely think "any martial art" is better than "no martial art".

At another level, I look at it in a more selfish way. If I were taking the class, I would want the best teacher possible. My time is valuable and I don't want to spend a lot of it "not learning" in all the ways that bad teachers are capable of providing.

We've all had teachers who don't even know our names, who are more concerned with sounding "professional" than finding out what a student needs. We've all had teachers where the curriculum, the lesson at hand, was more important than the student.

We've all had teachers who were so wrapped up in themselves and the sound of their own voice that they never bothered to listen to ours.

Unfortunately, the model for most traditional karate schools is one where you don't ask questions, you don't imply that you didn't understand the teacher. The teacher is perfect, the teacher knows all - and it is disrespectful to even question him.

I think that's where we're a lot different than most schools. We know the students' names. We try and find out their goals. We encourage their questions.

Yes, this means that we get the occasional student who wants to derail the education process with inane questions, but we've found that most of our students are truly interested in learning more and performing at the best of their abilities.

Yes, questioning our "supreme authority" by having the audacity to question our knowledge is a little non-traditional - but we like it.

The best teachers always have a thirst for greater knowledge and it's amazing how our students can come up with different ways of looking at things, different paths to the same goal.

Keep those questions coming. This is the best school around... but only because we're always getting better.

More About BootCamp

2009-01-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

Wow! When we get an idea... it really catches on! We started planning our BootCamp program last November and started our first session on January 3rd. By mid-January, no less than 4 other fitness boot camps have sprung up in the area!

I wonder if all of the other boot camps have martial arts and fitness experience dating back to the late 1970's? Do they all have a Registered Nurse on staff, designing every class? How about 4th degree Black Belts, certified MATA trainers and MME Certified KickBoxing trainers?

And... most importantly, are they offering FUN?

As our first session winds down, we're getting ready to take our "after" stats. We measured height, weight, blood pressure, body fat, water % and measurements at the neck, chest, arm, waist, hips and legs.

Stay tuned for some positive feedback from our students - they've been literally working their butts off!

Our February session starts Tuesday, Feb. 3. Sign up now. Give us a call at 815-334-WMMA (9662) today!

Karate Kleenex

2009-01-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

An odd title for today's musings, but it IS relevant to where my mind has gone in the last few hours. I've been thinking about brand names, marketing and, of course, martial arts and trying to figure out keywords and search terms that will help people to find our website. Obviously, people will want to search for us locally and the words "Woodstock" or at least "Illinois" should appear, but exactly what is it we teach?

What is "karate"? Here's a definition from WordNet:

"a traditional Japanese system of unarmed combat; sharp blows and kicks are given to pressure-sensitive points on the body of the opponent"

Wikipedia adds that:

"...is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands from indigenous fighting methods and Chinese kenpo"

Chinese Kenpo is what most Americans would call Kung Fu - a rather generic name for the unarmed fighting arts that originated in China. The Ryukyu Islands are part of Okinawa which in modern times is part of Japan, but some martial arts histories are very deliberate in giving Okinawa credit for the early development of karate.

Originally, the Japanese word for "karate" meant "China Hand" - but a deliberate spelling change in the late 1800's turned it into "Empty Hand". This spelling change was meant to tone down the Chinese involvement in the original concepts and make the Empty Hand more of a Japanese development.

Our history at Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts starts with Young Hong, an enterprising karate master who taught Korean Karate. Korea? How did this happen?

Korean Karate is called Tae Kwon Do, "the way of the hand and foot". Basically, Tae Kwon Do was modeled after Shotokan Karate and continues to use many of the same forms and techniques.

"Karate" really has come to mean "empty hand fighting" regardless of it's Chinese, Japanese or even Korean origins. And the word, in the United States at least, has become a generic term like Kleenex or Rollerblading.

Yes, don't say Kleenex, say "tissue". It's "inline roller skating", too. And, whether you knew it or not, elevator, thermos, escalator, walkman, q-tips, chapstick, aspirin, cellophane, dry ice, brassiere, frisbee, xerox, fedex, band-aid, lycra, jell-o, scotch tape, kool-aid to name a few, all started life as trade names - and some are still fighting for their brand identity.

So even though we don't teach much in the way of traditional karate anymore, we still teach unarmed fighting skills. We've taken the best of the old ways and forged a new method, one that has proven superior to the old arts time and again on the Ultimate Fight contests. Which would you rather watch, that Westinghouse TV from the '50s or an HD 42" Plasma with Blu-ray? Things do improve with time.

Want to find us on the Internet? Go ahead and google "woodstock karate". Just don't "google" us at Yahoo! "Google" is still at brand name...

Advanced Techniques

2009-01-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have participated in (or watched) one of our recent Year 3 classes may have noticed how much more sparring and grappling has been going on.

While we are learning some new techniques - fairly advanced ones - the ultimate goal of Year 3 is to take the skills and combinations from the first two years and put them to the test, figure out what works for each individual and then hone those skills to perfection.

Year 3 culminates in the awarding of a Mixed Martial Arts First Degree Black Belt. This is the goal of every one of our students.

It's important to remember that while most of our students will reach this goal in three years, that many will not. Lots of kids come through our Dragons and Tigers programs and these classes are designed to build the skills necessary for the successful completion of Year 1. With some of our younger students, this might take a year or two.

Missing too many classes will also slow down progress. Obtaining a Black Belt involves not only learning a specific skillset, but also learning the value of goal setting and commitment.

My basic principle is that you don't make decisions
because they are easy;
you don't make them because they are cheap;
you don't make them because they're popular;
you make them because they're right.
Theodore Hesburgh

Fitness Bootcamp is Underway!

2009-01-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

For those students 14+ years old who are already enrolled at WMMA - or family members! - we're running a FREE Fitness Bootcamp. This is a trial version, a chance for us to streamline the classes as we get ready to roll out the finished product in February.

Boot Camp is a 4 week intensive exercise and nutrition program designed to build muscle, lose fat and get you in shape as quickly as possible. It also teaches how to make healthy eating and regular fitness part of your everyday life.

Classes meet 3 times a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00PM and Saturday at 11:00AM. They are 45 minutes in length and will include a variety of measurements (before and after), a 4 week diet and nutrition plan, training focused on strength development - and an incredible variety of exercises to keep things fun!

We may have to limit the class size with this FREE offering, so call Mrs. Schulenburg today - 815-334-WMMA(9662)

This class will be offered again in February for ~~$299~~ $199 for the four week course. This is Personal Training at a fraction of the price and is your best bet to learn habits for staying in shape for the rest of your life!

WMMA Students Move Ahead!

2009-01-06T05:09:00.000-08:00

by Kurt Schulenburg - Pro-Star MMA Instructor, 4th degree Black Belt

December saw a lot of graduates moving up a year - and even a Dragon or two moving up to our Tigers program! Mrs. Schulenburg managed to grab a photo or two of some of these grads:

Some Year 1 graduates...

...and some of our Year 2 graduates!

Congratulations to all!

Our Year 3 program is underway with our most advanced students learning the two part combinations that are the most advanced sparring drill yet. These combos are learned with moves from both the defensive side and offensive side and all of them start from a stand-up position and end on the ground with a submission.

Ground n' Pound for Kids

2008-11-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-17T06:58:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-11-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

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.

Testing and New Term!

2008-10-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

We finished our testing for Term 5 on Saturday - and both Year 1 and Year 2 students looked excellent! There's no doubt that the Pro-Star material is being learned at both physical and mental levels - and we've got some excellent fighters who really know how to show their stuff!

Term 6 starts today... and the minute our Web Server gets back in action, we'll update the schedule for those of you who forgot to take one last week.

For Year 1 students, we're working on our Thai Kicks - for Year 2 students, we're getting another look at the Guard Position and learning several more submissions, takedowns and escapes from this BJJ favorite. Term 6 will be pretty intense - but the challenge is what makes us better at what we do.

Demo Team and Leadership Team (STORM) will be meeting again this Saturday - and if the weather cooperates we just might get a chance to get outside!

What is Important?

2008-09-30T08:01:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I'm allowed to quote from this site, so I figure it's better to just put up a link:

http://www.weboflove.org:80/060309cabride

This is an important story, one we should all read and take to heart.

Go.

Leadership at WMMA

2008-09-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Our Leadership Team at WMMA is getting some good lessons of late. This last Saturday we had guest speaker Jim Zei, fund raiser extraordinaire, talk about getting involved in community projects as a way of developing leadership skills. Mr. Zei focused on some of the attributes of a leader, talking about integrity, honesty and commitment - and giving both book definitions and real world examples of how these skills are essential to leadership.
Integrity, Mr. Zei told us, is when the values on the inside of a person match the actions on the outside. It's not enough to talk the talk... walking the walk is what a true leader does.
We've got several more community leaders lined up to speak to our group in the coming weeks. I am really enjoying listening and learning from our guest speakers because the different perspectives that are presented appeal to different students. Something that one speaker says might just light up a student's eyes - and getting that light to go on - and stay on - is really our job in creating the next generation of leaders.

Great Article on CNN

2008-09-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

I don't know how long CNN.com keeps their stories up, but there's currently a great article about the state of MMA in the U.S. today. Check it out here:
MMA in the News

If you've ever watched Ultimate Fighter, you've seen crazy young fighters living in a house together in the weeks of final training (and matches!) before the awarding of the Ultimate Fighter trophy. In my opinion, many of these fighters could use a lesson or two in self-control, but I realize that a lot of that behavior is encouraged in order to make for a more - ah -interesting "reality" show.

I believe that the future of MMA is predicated on it becoming a "real" sport, moving more on the lines of football and baseball than Pro-Wrestling. Sure, it can be argued that football is more entertainment than pure athletics - but the quality of the athletics is always far more important than the parades, the halftime shows - and the trash talking interviews.

MMA needs to continue to clean up it's act at the Pro level - because there are suddenly lots of interested amateurs coming up in the ranks, amateurs that have learned the value of respect and self-discipline.

That's our vision for the future of MMA - and it's what we teach.

Guest Lecture Series!

2008-09-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Our leadership team started a guest lecture series on Sept 6 with Officer Chip Amati (Jake's dad!) visiting our studio. Sergeant Amati spoke for about 40 minutes, entertaining one and all with stories and information about being a police officer in Woodstock. Beyond the smiles and laughter was a larger message about leadership, about putting yourself on the front lines as an example to your followers, to not be afraid to do what you'd ask others to do for you.
There are plenty of different leadership styles - some involve working from the planning headquarters, some demanding that you be in the front lines. Officer Amati made a good argument for the latter, explaining how it works for him and the men under him. Thank you once again, Officer Amati, for a great talk!

This last Saturday, we had another guest lecturer although this one was via DVD. The late Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" is one of the most inspirational speeches of all time and our S.T.O.R.M. watched the first hour of it - and we've got about 15 minutes more to watch this coming Saturday. Mr. Pausch is worth a Google - and there are several YouTube videos of this lecture (some more edited than others). Sadly, he passed away from cancer this last July - certainly not unexpectedly as the "Last Lecture" explains - but the world is certainly a better place for his short 47 year visit. He talks about the reasons for "brick walls" that seemingly keep us from our goals, he talks about the importance of childhood dreams, he explains how, sometimes, when concentrating on one lesson we find we've learned an entirely different one as well - something he calls a "head fake". An amazing man - and we're lucky to be able to learn from him.

And there will be more lectures - both live and DVD - coming up in the next several weeks! (As well as more projects - that involve more DOING than sitting!)

Back to School...TODAY!

2008-09-02T15:23:00.001-07:00

And I'm still finishing up the summer months with pictures from our pool party (here), pictures from the Boot Camp (also here) and the Wonder Lake Parade (here as well!)

For those of you who wonder what I do in my spare time... you can check out a video Mrs. Schulenburg took of me playing with the Sinful Saints Dixieland band here.

And... since I'm going link mad today, you might as well check out the NAGA site (here), to read about the next MidWest Tournament that they are holding on November 15 in Evanston! TeamWMMA will make an appearance - and will do their best to better last spring's record!

That's it for this time... I've got a newsletter to put together!

Pictures...

2008-08-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

Back in the "good ol' days", I had an excuse to not have timely pictures for friends to view: I still had a few pictures on the roll, it was still in the camera, I haven't dropped it off yet, they're not back yet, I haven't had a chance to pick them up...

So... without further ado, here's a nice picture from our parade in Wonder Lake back on the Fourth of July. That's only a month and a half ago! (Yes, yes, I know it's the age of digital! Click the picture for a larger version!)

Anneliese breaks a board for the local police and fire crews!

Boot Camp Sunday!

2008-08-15T09:45:00.001-07:00

We're getting the patio finished, the trails have been cut, we've got a tunnel for our obstacle course - things are coming together nicely!

Our sign up lists are in place at the studio - and it looks like better than 50 people have signed up thus far. I suspect we'll have over 100 when it's all over!

There's still time to get your name up there - and please bring a food or drink item to share as well.

And don't forget your fatigues and squirt guns!

Boot Camp

2008-08-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

We're having a picnic - just for fun! But we're going to make you WORK for your supper... with a Boot Camp full of fun physical activity and exercises. We're going to climb ropes, do chin-ups, play on monkey bars, run through tires, crawl through tunnels... the list goes on!

After a good hour or so of working up our appetites, we'll dive into our pot luck picnic, featuring goodies from all our students, parents and friends.

And once we're done eating, we're going to have the World's Largest Squirt Gun Fight!

It looks like we'll be having it at our house - 7 acres of forest - on August 17. That's a Sunday, and we'll get started about 2 PM. There will be maps and more details on what to bring this week and next week in our classes!

Everyone is invited! Moms, Dads, Brothers, Sisters - bring a friend as well!

New on Our Contact Us Page!

2008-07-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've been updating some of the web pages over at the WMMA site. I put a little slide show on the landing page (scroll down a bit!) and added some thoughts to the contact page. I thought I'd post them here as well as they really express our convictions about teaching the martial arts:

At Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts, we take pride in our love of family values. We truly believe that our students are the next generation of leaders, whether in our community or local businesses - or even on a national or international level. We show the students the tools they need to meet people, to shake hands, to make connections with strangers - and perhaps create a new friend. Our focus is on fitness and fun, not on fighting. Of course, true leaders always have great strengths and we make sure all of our students can more than take care of themselves if the need arises!

Our program is based around the Mixed Martial Arts, arguably the most exciting and effective fighting style in the world. Our students are not fly-by-night kids interested in learning how to beat some one up; rather, we teach that there is a time and place for these new skills, we stress that they are not to be taken lightly. Safety and control are the keystones of every class. Most of our students remain with us for years, learning step by step how to better not only their physical abilities but their social skills, their mental abilities and their emotional control as well.

Staying in shape, making a lifelong commitment to health and fitness is something that all children should choose. Today's lifestyle can be too sedentary with too much TV, too many video games - and it shows with the nationwide obesity epidemic. We teach our students at least two hours of solid exercise each week with pushups and situps joining our punches, kicks and takedowns as part of a fun and well rounded regimen. Make them EARN that video time!

Carolyn and Kurt Schulenburg
Owners and Instructors
Woodstock Mixed Martial Arts

Leadership Team

2008-07-12T04:26:00.000-07:00

Today, if the weather permits, our Leadership Team members will be heading to the center of town with an assignment: Shake at least 10 hands. They will introduce themselves with a small, practiced speech (Hi! My name is _______. As part of our WMMA Leadership Team training, we're shaking hands with people on the Square, wishing them a "Good Morning".). They also will have some brochures and IF the situation warrants it, will be passing them out.

Also, they will get another assignment today: write an article about MMA for our website. (www.WoodstockMixedMartialArts.com) I understand that schools usually take about 8 years to teach essay skills, going through all sorts of hoops with outlines and topic sentences. We're going to bypass a lot of that and work on our copying skills. Good ol' fashioned rote learning has a lot more merit than tradtional school teachers know! I'm planning on allocating about 20 minutes or so...

Mr. Schulenburg

Now that Mixed Martial Arts has arrived...

2008-07-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

...it's time to talk about it!

Welcome to the blog for the Schulenburg Family Mixed Martial Arts in Woodstock. Here I'm going to post some articles, plenty of news and current events... and maybe even get some links to pictures and videos of what we're doing.

It will take a while to get used to this new format, but check back often for important tips and tricks from the world of MMA.

Kurt Schulenburg
www.sfmma.com