Jun 302015
 

Many people do not know that karate can help your child achieve confidence, discipline, and self-determination. Karate has been used throughout Asia for centuries and has benefited children all around the world. There are several misconceptions towards karate, but after reading this article your possible doubts will vanish. Here are 10 benefits of karate for children. 10. It builds self-confidence. As your child advances and gets better, he or she will gain confidence in themselves. When they train, they learn to push themselves and go outside their comfort zones. They also learn eye contact, which for many people even as adults is an uncomfortable and difficult thing to do. 9. It helps with their social skills. Does your child have a difficult time getting along with others? Finding friends? Karate classes expose children to other peers their age and will teach them how to work with others. 8. It gets them involved in an extracurricular activity. Is your child looking for something to do after school? Karate will keep your child busy doing something productive when they aren’t in school. There are many options of extracurricular activities that you can choose from, but karate is one that gives your child the amount of exercise they need every day. 7. Discipline. Your child will learn how to obey and respect authority figures. During karate class, your child will practice referring to authority figures as sir or ma’am, and to follow instructions given to them.   6. It helps to excel in other activities and sports. Karate helps teach you how to breathe correctly and gives you a sense of coordination, which is beneficial with all sports like swimming, track and field, soccer, and gymnastics. 5. It improves flexibility. Your child will become all around more flexible which also benefits other sports. Flexibility is needed for many activities and also for regular every day life. It’s a skill that is important to maintain, and it’s a good idea to start learning flexibility at a younger age. 4. Karate helps children with focusing. Does your child have a rough time staying on task or paying attention? Karate will help your child stay focused. Your child will often be training one on one with a partner, and it is an important skill to be focused and not distracted. 3. Self-defense. Your child will never have to worry about another kid physically bullying them or threatening to hurt them. They will learn many different methods to defend themselves if another child or adult is coming at them, and will be taught that using violence is always a last resort option. 2. It moves them in the right direction. When you involve your child in extracurricular activities, it puts them on the right path and keeps them out of trouble. Often times, troubled kids are those that have too much free time. They don’t have anything else to do but go out and find trouble. With karate, your child will be busy doing a productive activity and staying out of trouble. 1. Encourages children to set goals. Karate teaches kids to create goals for themselves and to strive toward them. Your child will feel a sense of accomplishment whenever they receive a new belt, and will learn to work towards their goals knowinng   If you’re still having second thoughts about sending your child to Kids karate classes, take a look for yourself. Start a 30 day free trial at Precision MMA and witness your child acquire all of these benefits. You can reach us at (845)-392-8495 or visit our website at lagrangemartialarts.com

kids karate poughkeepsoe

kids karate poughkeepsoe

Aug 252014
 

 Childhood Obesity: What the Martial Arts get right and Everyone Else gets Wrong.

Childhood obesity is the big question health of our time.  Like so much in childhood, the ramifications of being unhealthy at a young age will be felt in adulthood.  Heart Disease is one of the biggest causes of death in developed countries.  While many risk factors are out of your control, some are well within it.  Diet and exercise are chief among them.  While it can be very difficult to regulate what a child eats at all times, you can create opportunities for exercise.  The amount of exercise someone gets can do great things to mitigate the risk of weight related health problems, and there are many of them.  It is important to create a level of activity in children that can keep them at a healthy weight range.

Hudson Valley Karate Classes

Hudson Valley Karate Classes

The problem with physical activity is finding the right program.  For many that is easy, play a team sport.  The problem arises for people who are not as physically developed or who are not athletic in general.  Whether they are too small, slow or out of shape they get marginalized in team sports because winning is such a big part of them.  As children age this threshold gets increased and children who are not physically gifted find themselves not just sitting on the sideline, but not on the team at all.  In other words the children who need it the most are getting forced to the side.  This cannot be the case with such a huge problem on our hands.

The answer is to focus on a physical activity that stays fun and engaging, but doesn’t send people away.  The martial arts provide a friendly encouraging environment for anyone who tries it.  Kids who can’t make their middle school baseball team don’t get turned aside at a karate class.  They are included and it can yield wonderful results.  Some of these children suffer from constantly being compared to their more physically gifted peers.  They have stuck labels on themselves and come to view themselves as “unathletic” because they couldn’t make a team.  The change in how they view themselves can be remarkable.  They gain a new confidence in their abilities and appearance.

If you are interested in giving your child the opportunity to become more fit and confident come into Precision MMA today.  We offer a FREE 30 day trial and private introductory lesson.  Stop in, give us a call at 845-392-8495 or go to our website at www.lagrangemartialarts.com.

 

Aug 182014
 

Poughkeepsie Karate Classes: End to Bullying Cycle

Bullying is becoming a cause celebre in this country.  While in the past it was dismissed as a right of passage or glossed over with empty platitudes like “boys will be boys”, it is now being given the serious attention it requires.  While at times the act of bullying may not seem very harmful, the implications of why someone is being bullied or bullying can be very disconcerting.  As with anything the reason behind the behavior is what needs to be remedied.  A cause common to both sides is self-esteem and confidence.  The martial arts can be the perfect way of shaping the way at risk children view themselves into something more positive and prevent this kind of behavior.

Poughkeepsie Karate Classes

Poughkeepsie Karate Classes

The way in which you view yourself is very important.  Self-esteem and self-confidence are character traits that become the arbiter of so much in life.  One of the sadder parts about the whole bullying phenomena is that the victim and the bully is often targeted for their lack confidence.  This leads  into a cycle that feeds into itself and creates increasingly poor self image problems.  Children who bully others are often the victims of bullies themselves.  In a different scenario with different people involved they are the ones being victimized.  These children will turn around and bully others as an escape from the powerlessness that they felt.  They will use the same means others have used against them.  The coercive tactics, threats of and actual violence and derisive language, that will all be mirrored back at a new victim.  Again we see a system that feeds into itself and reestablishes it’s terrible hold on new persons time after time.  Steps need to be taken to prevent this sort of cyclical stagnation.

The martial arts help stop bullying by teaching people a few key things.  They can be divided into two basic but overlapping categories, physical and mental.  On the physical side of things the martial arts can teach someone how to defend themselves.  They can’t be bullied in the most extreme sense because the bully cannot use the threat of force as a means of coercion.  They also now have the confidence that comes with being free from this rather cumbersome mental burden.  The bully can gain the confidence to not project their insecurities onto other people and the bullied now has the assertiveness to not be a viable target for bullying.  The bully can also learn how to properly understand what violence means and come to grips with how atrocious using it to control people is.  The martial arts are in a sense a philosophical exploration of what violence is.  To practice the martial arts is to gain a better understanding of violence.  Bullies use violence as a tool to get something out of someone else.  Someone who studies the Martial Arts gains an understanding of just how terrible it is to use violence for any reason outside of self defense.

Poughkeepsie Karate Classes

Poughkeepsie Karate Classes

Once someone has gained the self-confidence to not be either a bully or a target of bullying broad and exciting new vistas are open to them.  Self-confidence is a truly marvelous state of mind.  I would urge you to not limit the martial arts to just anti-bullying, but really explore the transformative power that the martial arts can have.

If you are interested in having a  child develop positive self-esteem and not become a bully or a victim, check out Precision MMA.  We offer a FREE 30 day trial and private introductory lesson.  Come in, give us a call at 845-392-8495 or go to our website at www.lagrangemartialarts.com.

Aug 142014
 

The Martial Arts have been seen as a way to improve certain social abilities.  The Martial Arts are seen in the same vein as other sports and physical activities in that sense, but in many ways they can be better than other sports or physical activities in general.  The Martial Arts often offer more one on one time with students and an environment that can be modified to heighten the benefits.  Socializing someone so they can become a better student can be a long and arduous process, but having them train in Martial Arts can go a long way in making that goal a reality.

Martial Arts  for Scholastic Improvement

Martial Arts for Scholastic Improvement

Many people play sports when they are in their formative years.  While these experiences are typically a highly valued and cherished memory, with the Martial Arts they can be more than that.  At Precision MMA there is a stress on not just teaching martial arts, but in teaching them in a manner that increases good habits and destroys poor ones.  Every class starts with the children standing at attention and listening to the instructor.  In between learning new moves and drilling, the children also stand at attention.  The student is also encouraged to use eye contact.  The ability to consistently use eye contact when conversing with people is essential in setting a tone that says clearly “I am paying attention”. This is all done to promote focus and self discipline in the students.  The ability to focus is a skill necessary for every single social interaction.

Making children understand the value of certain habits and actions is another strong suite of the Martial Arts.  Repetition is a major part of any class.  Repeating the moves and techniques until you have them right.  Repetition is an exercise in applying yourself.  It can be mundane and even boring at times, but it is necessary for long term success.  This is similar in concept to studying habits in school.  When study for a big text you are really just repeating and rehashing things you have already learned.  Asking questions is another important habit to develop.  Forming a comfort with asking questions in a classroom setting is vital for success in the scholastic world.  The final and most important way Martial Arts help children be better students is that it makes them goal oriented.  The whole concept of someone attaining a belt in a Martial Art is an exercise in long term goal setting.

If you are interested in having your child develop important social skills through martial arts, come into Precision MMA today.  We offer a FREE 30 day trial and private introductory lesson.  You can contact Precision via our website at www.lagrangemartialarts.com, our phone number 845-392-8495 or come in and ask about our program.

 

 Posted by at 8:56 pm
Jul 032014
 

Self-Defense Classes at Precision MMA

Self Defense

Self Defense.

Over the past few years Precision MMA has added self-defense specific classes into it’s schedule.  These classes focus exclusively on what to do in a street fight.  The classes are called Vale Tudo.  Precision named these classes in a nod to the fighting style Vale Tudo which was the earliest form of what became mixed martial arts.  The literal translation of those words from the original Portuguese to English would be something along the lines of “anything goes”.  These fights were brutally effective ways of learning what style of martial art was the best for self defense.  It quickly became apparent the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was the best for not only defending yourself, but also defending yourself from a larger or stronger opponent.  The days of Vale Tudo fights may have long since died, but the need to be able to defend yourself is sadly still with us.  It is in that line of reasoning that Precision started and is now expanding it’s Vale Tudo schedule

Precision has always had self defense as a core tenet of it’s teaching philosophy.  Every class had the idea of self defense as a theme.  Many schools focus on the sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the expense of self defense aspects. Precision has maintained a policy of placing a priority on self defense.  This expansion of the Vale Tudo schedule is a response to the overwhelming popularity of the classes.  People have really turned up in large numbers to learn how to defend themselves.  If this trend continues Precision may have to add even more Vale Tudo classes.

Self Defense

Self Defense

The Vale Tudo classes offer an extended curriculum on how to defend yourself in any scenario.  Whether on the feet or on the ground, these classes help you understand how an attacker will come at you and how to fight off everything from a wild swinging brawler to someone with a more nuanced attack.   The moves shown are flexible and allow for certain environments you may run into in the street.  For instance the instructors often show how to modify a move if you are unfortunate enough to be on an unforgiving surface like concrete or gravel.  The classes also go over different ways to stop punches from the feet or from the ground. If you attend Vale Tudo classes you will learn self defense, but you do not have to worry about getting beat up or anything like that in class. Self defense is a very complex problem to solve.  It is about more than just beating up anyone who comes at you, it is about not getting hurt and avoiding being arrested or hurting anyone else.  Many schools do not teach self defense or do not teach it in a realistic or appropriate manner.  Precision MMA offers self defense classes that stress the vital lessons that everyone needs to know.

If you want to learn real world self defense, come into Precision MMA today.  Stop in, give us a call at 845-392-8495 or go to our website at www.bjjfighter.com.

 

 Posted by at 7:35 pm
Jun 302014
 

Precision MMA

Jim Miller has a fight coming up against Donald Cerrone.  This is a dream matchup for the fans.  Both Miller and Cerrone are two of the most exciting fighters the lightweight division and even the UFC has.  This is guaranteed to be a barn burner of epic proportions.  Both fighters bring a real finishing prowess to the table and it could become a classic fight much like Miller’s brawl with Joe Lauzon.  The fight also has serious implications for the UFC title picture.  Their are many fighters who have a shot coming to them and Jim and Donald are two of the top guys.  Both fighters are on win streaks and have been legit contenders for years.  This fight should be a can’t miss event for even a casual fight fan.

Donald Cerrone brings an impressive 23-6 record into the cage.  Only five of those wins have gone to a decision.  His loses are to a murderer’s row of fighters, the majority of which were titleholders in the UFC or WEC.  He is also very hard to put away.  His only two stoppage loses are to Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis.  Miller also has an impressive record with 24 wins and only four loses.  He has been stopped only once in his career and that was by the always dangerous Nate Diaz.  When it comes to winning, Miller does it with almost monotonous regularity.  Miller is a finisher with 14 wins by way of submission and three by TKO or KO.  He has the striking, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to give anyone problems.  His submission game has been where has had most of his recent success, with both of his last two wins coming in the first round by submission.  One of those victories came over MMA veteran and BJJ blackbelt Fabricio Camoes.

Jim Miller has been training extensively with Precision MMA coaches Karl Nemeth and Brian Mclaughlin.  Karl has been sparring with Jim to prepare him for Cerrone’s very nuanced attacking style.  Cerrone has an excellent jab and uses it for offense better than perhaps anyone in MMA.  Cerrone has his background in kickboxing that also makes his kicks and knees very dangerous.  Karl is a very good kickboxing and is doing his best to imitate the movement and attacks Cerrone throws at his competitors.  Brian has been working with Jim to improve his already lethal ground game.  Jim is becoming harder to hit on the ground, while simultaneously becoming a submission ace.  Jim is dangerous off his back or on top.  Noted BJJ pioneer and avid MMA fan Eddie Bravo recently said that Miller had one of the most dangerous guards in all of MMA.

Precision MMA

Precision MMA

Jim and Donald will provide a real test for one another and should have a very entertaining fight.  They are veterans who like to fight and who really go for the finish.  I am looking forward to this fight more than any other in recent memory.

If you want to train with coaches who know the ins and outs of the fight game and are sought after by high level pro fighters come to Precision MMA.  We offer a FREE 30 day trial and private lesson.  Stop by, give us a call at 845-392-8495 or go to our website at www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com

 

Jun 302014
 

Poughkeepsie Boxing Classes

When the Precision Boxing team goes into competition they often have to go far from home to fight.  Traveling hours to Box can be very taxing for the fighter and means that not many friends or family will make it out to cheer.  On July 19th a few of Precision’s finest Boxers will be fighting close to home.  Stitzel Field in Poughkeepsie will play host to this great night of fights.  This is a great opportunity to see some of the areas best boxers compete on their home turf.  This promises to be a real special night for both fighter and fan alike.

Poughkeepsie Boxing Classes

Poughkeepsie Boxing Classes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three of Precision’s Boxers will be fighting on the 19th.  Instructor John Joy, students Paul Maley and Brandon Mohamed will represent Precision in the ring on a huge night for local boxing.  John Joy has been teaching at Precision for a few years now, and is a very technical and experienced fighter.  Paul and Brandon are also very experienced and have fought on many cards before.  They also bring a very technical style of boxing to the ring.  They all train under Derrick Ohlhoff.  Derrick is a coach who brings his own fighting experience and years of instructing students into every class.  Derrick is one of the areas most sought after coaches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of Derrick’s most high profile fighters is Zuri Lawrence.  Zuri is a regular at Precision and has over forty pro fights to his credit.  Lawrence is making his comeback later this year in Syracuse.  Lawrence has been working diligently with Derrick to gain what would be his 25th victory.  Lawrence will also be celebrating his twentieth year as a pro boxer, he started fighting in 1994.  His long and successful career is a sure sign of his boxing prowess.

If you want to start training come into Precision MMA today.  We offer a FREE 30 day trial and private introductory lesson.  Give us a call at 845-392-8495, stop in or go to our website www.poughkeepsieboxing.com. 

 Posted by at 6:57 pm
Jun 232014
 

Poughkeepsie Boxing Classes-Hudson Valley Boxing

Boxing is a great sport for a variety of reasons.  A participant in boxing can derive many benefits from training.  While many people may want to fight in a ring or try their hand at amateur or professional boxing, most people just want to train for the sake of training.  Two of the main benefits of taking boxing classes are an increased ability to defend yourself and getting yourself into terrific shape. Boxing classes can offer many other benefits, but these two are the most prevalent and easy to achieve.

Boxing classes is an underrated martial art for self-defense.  Many people think of boxing as just a contest of who can throw either the harder punches or more punches.  Offense is only half of what you learn in a boxing class and the other half is far more nuanced and in depth.  Any first lesson in a boxing class should include footwork.  A boxers ability to move is a huge predictor of success in a fight.  A boxer who can move in and out is one that will be able to not only land more punches, but also not get hit.  Controlling the distance at which a fight is fought is how you stop yourself from being hit in a street fight.  Before any new student can spare, they have to learn how to not get hit.  Head movement and other evasive tactics can be used in both organized fights and street fights.  A boxer who uses head movement in the ring is a sight to behold, constantly confusing his opponents and leaving them out of position.  A person who can use boxing head movement to avoid getting hit in a self-defense scenario is in very little danger from the average guy on the street picking a fight.  Combine head movement and footwork and a person becomes a nearly untouchable.

Boxing classes can have you in the best shape of your life.  A typical boxing class has many different workouts on any given day.  The start is typically a footwork drill or jumping rope.  It moves on to mitt work and and pad holding.  The major part of class is learning techniques and then repeating them while the instructor monitors and makes sure form is perfect.  The average boxing class consists of a whole body workout.  Punches, when they are properly learned, are a full body workout that utilizes leg, arm and core muscles.  Throwing punches in combination enhances this work out.  At the end of a boxing class your feet or lower legs are sore from the footwork and jump ropes.  Your arms are sore from punching and parrying punches.  The whole experience is one of the most fun and rewarding workouts I have ever experienced.

Poughkeepsie Boxing Classes

Poughkeepsie Boxing Classes

If you are interested in Boxing Classes come in to Precision MMA today.  We offer a FREE 30 day trial and private introductory lesson.  Give us a call at 845-392-8495, stop in or go to our website at www.poughkeepsieboxing.com.

Jun 092014
 

Precision MMA: Real World Self Defense

What is your safety worth to you?  The answer to that question should be everything.  Your health, or in more severe cases your life, is one of the most precious, fragile and eminently perishable assets you have.  Getting injured or hospitalized in any way is an event that can radically alter your life, leaving you crippled and in pain where health and vitality used to be.  In a moment of senseless violence your life could become appreciably worse.  It may seem like hyperbole, but getting into a violent altercation is not something you have to inflate to make it into something scary.  There are costs that come along with learning self defense.  The martial arts come with membership dues, buying equipment and the time it takes to properly learn them.  These costs are insignificant when they are weighed against the dangers of inaction.

Nick Formichelli is a Corrections Officer who recently was called into action to stop a potentially serious situation.  Nick is on a response team that is called in to assist if an inmate attacks an officer.  Nick has previously trained in Boxing and that had been his typical approach to altercations.  When he came upon the inmate and officer involved in this fight, they were on the ground wrestling for top position.  The inmate attempted to grab Nick’s legs and take him down as well.  To the inmate’s surprise he found out that Nick had been practicing the sprawl the previous day at Precision.  Nick kicked back his own legs to prevent the take-down and put his weight down on the inmate.  This move was efficient and quick and stopped the inmate from doing any further harm.  Nick was able to resolve the situation with minimal harm to all involved.  He stopped an violent altercation with a quick and precise response.  

Nick has been a Corrections Officer for twenty years.  He had been a Precision MMA student for just 30 days.  He learned enough to keep stop an inmate from hurting anyone in thirty days.  Watch the video below to hear in his own words what happened.  If you want to learn real world self defense then come in to Precision MMA today.  Stop in, give us a call at 845-392-8495 or go to our website at www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com.