More About BootCamp

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!