Jul 142017
 
Poughkeepsie mma

Poughkeepsie mma

 

Precision Boxing & Mixed Martial Arts in Poughkeepsie, NY is now home to another professional MMA fighter.  Atom weight fighter Lindsey Van Zandt stepped into the cage for her professional MMA debut at King of the Cage “Regulator” show in Philadelphia, PA.  King of the Cage has long stood as the proving ground for the UFC.  Over 100 fighters have graduated to the UFC octagon after proving themselves in King of the Cage.

In front of Lindsey stood Canadian Katie Saull.  Saull was a very dangerous opponent. A former member of the Canadian National Boxing team, Saull was very close to making an Olympic team before making the switch to MMA.  Although known for her striking, Saull was also feared on the ground winning numerous grappling titles over the years. Throughout her amateur career Lindsey proved she was ready to take on all comers so this tough task was nothing new, simply another challenge she was ready to embrace.

The coaching staff at Precision put together a great gameplan that focused on wrestling and ground and pound.  Lindsey put the plan in action perfectly and scored a TKO victory after landing several devastating elbow strikes.  This win makes Lindsey the only female professional MMA fighter in all of Dutchess County.

lindsey

If you have a dream to one day fight professionally check out the #1 MMA gym in Poughkeepsie – Precision Boxing and MMA call 845-392-8495 or visit http://www.bjjfighter.com to get started

May 202013
 
dutchess county mma

Dutchess County MMA Gym

Not all Mixed Martial Arts gyms in Dutchess County, or anywhere for that matter, are created equal.  Aside from all the skills necessary to successfully teach martial arts classes, knowing what equipment is necessary for a good facility and having an eye for presentation are entirely different matters.  Many Mixed Martial Arts instructors tend to believe that teaching is everything and entirely neglect the training space in which they teach, feeling that the lessons are the only important thing.  Many a world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt has been known to teach out of their garage or in their basement.  While it is true that the die-hard Mixed Martial Artists and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners will train just about anywhere so long as the instruction is quality, we must remember that they only comprise maybe 5-10% max of those who seek out instruction.  In fact, of those serious mixed martial artists, most of them started off casually and may have been turned off by an uncleanly, unkempt and cramped facility if they had been looking for a top notch school.  In addition to this, many future mixed martial artists start as children needing their parents’ consent, and so it is important that a facility not only looking good to the trainee, but also his or her legal guardians, as well as the passers-by in the street who may be put off by an unattractive training space.  Precision MMA in Dutchess County, New York has recently made renovations to make it even more use-friendly and attractive to the general public, as well as more useful to its long time students. In this blog we will cover some of the changes made and aspects which make Precision MMA the premier training facility in Dutchess County.

Precision Mixed Martial Arts in Dutchess County, New York is a total of 5,000 square feet including the waiting area, the mat, the ring, the bathroom and changing room.  This is already a much larger facility than most martial arts gyms.  We had previously had only 3,400 square feet of training space, in terms of the training mats and boxing gym, but recent renovations have added 600 square feet of mat space to our facility, giving us a whopping 4,000 square feet of training space.  The fact that even decided to make any renovations at all, given that the amount of training space we had previously had was already twice that of the total space of many gyms, shows our students and potential students that we are always striving for improvement.  Some of the renovations, like the repositioning of our 20 by 20 foot boxing ring, something else most gyms do not offer, had to do with the fact that we felt the ring itself sometimes got in the way of the kids classes.  Children would sometimes stray towards the ring area, making the class a bit more chaotic.  For this reason, in addition to our desire to offer more mat space, we decided to move the ring to the corner of the gym and knock down one wall.  The result has been nothing less than astounding.  The ring is no longer a hindrance during the kid’s classes and all of our students have been raving about the extra mat space which also makes us a safer facility because students are less likely to collide into each other while practicing takedowns.  This an important point to make because many other Mixed Martial Arts schools in Dutchess County do not even include takedowns in their curriculum because of lack of space.

Precision Mixed Martial Arts in Dutchess County offers just about every sort of training equipment a student could want.  Along with our extensive mat space and 20 by 20 foot boxing ring, we have an assortment of bags which can be used for striking, including heavy bags, slip bags, long Thai bags, double end bags, uppercut bags and a human shaped training dummy we affectionately call “Bob”.  We also have multiple other types of training equipment, such as pull up bars, resistance bands, a crash pad, zebra mats and medicine balls.  Most other Mixed Martial Arts schools in Dutchess County do not have this wide assortment of training equipment.  We also have an assortment of hand-held pads for our Muay Thai and Boxing classes, including kicking pads, Thai pads and punching mitts, all which have their own antimicrobial bio-shields to insure that none of our students who use them contract any sort of skin conditions.  In addition, we have multiple jump ropes, foam rollers which can be used for any cramps developed during training and a very useful timer we use to keep track of the length of our Mixed Martial Arts, boxing and Muay Thai rounds for our aspiring fighters.  We even have padded walls which are very useful for Mixed Martial Arts training for simulating the surface of a cage and which prevent injury.  Again, most mixed martial arts gyms do not offer all this equipment, in fact, many necessaries are ignorant to the many uses these training tools have, and it is their students who lose out in the end.

In addition to training equipment, Precision Mixed Martial Arts in Dutchess County has many other features which make its’ facility accommodating to students, aspiring students, parents and visitors in general.  Because we have so much mat space we are able to teach two classes at a time, which is very convenient for both our students and instructors.  To accommodate this we include two large dividing curtains which can be placed between separate classes so that the training spaces are kept separate.  We also have a good sized changing room for our mixed martial arts students, something which many gyms do not have, forcing their students to have no option other than to change in the bathroom.  Of course, we also have a sanitary bathroom including a shower, another feature most schools do not have, and which helps many of our students who drive longer distances from contracting contagious skin diseases by rapid washing after class.  We also have large leather couches for parents of students and visitors, benches for our students to sit on, so they don’t get the couches sweaty, a cabinet where students’ shoes can be kept, as well as a fridge a flat screen TV and dvd player, and a desk and computer for our employees.  We are also keep our gym sanitary at all times, mop all mats and the ring at least once or more a day, and spray down all equipment, which are measures that many schools do not take and which result in the spreading of infectious skin diseases.

As can be seen, the new and improved Precision Mixed Martial Arts in Dutchess, county New York has all its bases covered as a facility.  Come by and check us out for 30 free days and you will not be disappointed.

Dutchess County MMA

Dutchess County MMA

Precision MMA is currently offering a 30-Day FREE trial for new members.  If you’re interested in learning self-defense, getting into shape, and training with the best in the area, then stop in at 1097 Route 55, Lagrangeville, NY or call us at 845-392-8495.  Don’t forget to ask about our free trial and intro lesson!

Jamey Bazes is a lifelong martial artist holding a brown belt in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpo Karate.  He also holds a master’s degree from SUNY New Paltz.  He is a student of Precision Mixed Martial Arts in LaGrange, NY (near Poughkeepsie) and a decorated competitor including a Delaware Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu State Championship and a NAGA World Title.  To train with Jamey in Poughkeepsie NY check out Precision MMA http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com

Feb 082013
 

Dutchess County MMA Fighter Brian McLaughlin, owner and head instructor at Precision MMA in LaGrange, NY gives advice on using martial arts as a tool for growth inside the ring and out.

 

Precision MMA is currently offering a FREE 30 Day trial to Dutchess County residents call 845-392-8495 or visit www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com to get started

Dutchess County MMA

Dutchess County MMA

Comfortably Uncomfortable

In MMA the saying “Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger” is a very popular idiom.  The idea is that the path to personal growth and development is often achieved through a series of unfavorable crucibles. In 2007 I traveled far from Dutchess County to Atlantic City where I entered the Ring of Combat Beasts of the Northeast MMA Tournament.  After winning the initial bouts I found myself in the tournament finals. At one point I came across a fellow fighter, Charlie Brenneman, who was a finalist in the weight class above me. We were both waiting for the elevator and Charlie decided to engage me in friendly conversation. “Don’t you just love this?” he asked me.  “No! I hate fighting, I can’t wait until this is over” I replied. Charlie gave me a confused sideways look and decided against engaging me in further conversation.  While not making many friends, I was being brutally honest.

Part of me hates fighting.  Whenever I have an MMA match on the horizon everyday is filled with a combination of doubt, fear, anxiety and nervousness.  Prior to my first fight my coach had trouble wrapping my hands because they wouldn’t stop shaking.  Many people are perplexed when they discover my feelings towards fighting.  Everyone simply assumes that I enjoy fighting and I’m right at home under the bright lights of competition. When I’m standing in front of a sold out MMA crowd in Atlantic City I really wish I was at home in Dutchess County.  Upon discovering the truth I’m always asked why I continue to fight if it makes me so uncomfortable.  The reason is that once I went through a professional fight everything else in my life was easy by comparison.

I started MMA training at 15 years old.  Before I began training  MMA, nervousness and anxiety took over nearly every aspect of my life.  When I met people for the first time I couldn’t look them in the eye.  I used to walk with my head down. I was probably the least confident teenager in all of Dutchess County.  If I had to speak in front of a group my voice would quiver and I would start sweating profusely.  For my first couple of months sparring terrified me, but it allowed me to face my fears in a controlled and supportive environment.  Eventually getting choked, thrown and pinned by someone twice my size wasn’t so frightening. By putting myself regularly in uncomfortable situations I began to relax and my anxiety began to disappear and be replaced with a quiet confidence.  The self-assurance and composure I developed through regular training was incredible, but I knew it was the result of facing a real fear and conquering it.

In my case, I decided to fight MMA specifically because it terrified me.  At the time no one else in Dutchess County had ever fought MMA, I was in many ways entering uncharted territory. Once I had overcome the fear of confronting a professional fighter who was being paid to hurt me I knew I could handle anything.  College exams, public speaking, even opening a business were nothing compared to being locked in a cage with someone being paid to hurt you. Anytime I feel anxiety creeping in from a situation I ask myself “is this worse that any fight you’ve been in?”. Now very few things cause me to doubt myself or truly frighten me. By placing myself in stressful situations and confronting my fears and doubts I gained a confidence and self reliance I never thought I’d posses. I truly think a martial artist should at times embrace truly stressful situations or even intentionally create them.  I even preach this in my kid classes. When one of my young students hurts themselves they don’t start crying and looking for sympathy, they work through it (Pit bulls not Poodles is our saying). MMA fighting is an extreme example and I’m not trying to get everyone in Dutchess County to climb into a cage. However, I believe everyone should think of ways to challenge them self in training and at times be genuinely uncomfortable. Whether it’s pushing a little harder when you’re completely exhausted or rolling with someone much bigger and stronger than you – when you survive the anxiety you’ll walk away a stronger, prouder person.

If you live in Dutchess County and would like to begin MMA training check out Precision MMA’s 30 Day FREE Trial call 845-392-8495 or click here 

Dutchess County MMA

Dutchess County MMA

Precision MMA in LaGrange, NY – the best Dutchess County MMA

Feb 052013
 

Dutchess County MMA – Fight Stories from Precision MMA

Dutchess County MMA

Dutchess County MMA

Brian McLaughlin is the head instructor at Precision MMA in LaGrange, NY.  He is also Dutchess County’s only Pro MMA champion.  This is his story about winning his second MMA title in Ring of Combat.

Going into Ring of Combat 17 I was tired – both physically and mentally.  MMA Competition is an exhilarating experience.  You are in a high pressure situation and your skills, abilities and mental toughness are put on display for the whole world to see.  You train hard and prepare yourself physically to the point that you’re in peak condition, but in a way you are never more vulnerable.

In 2007 I was 23 years old and ready to take one the world, I felt like I was the toughest man in Dutchess County.  I started my competitive run in the spring in Ring of Combat. I took on BJJ Black Belt Carmine Zocchi at 170 pounds.  I usually fought at 155 but after multiple opponents dropped out I decided to step up in weight in order to have an opponent.  I used my smaller stature to my advantage by utilizing speed in transitions to lock in a first round submission.  Two months later on a whim I hopped into a 200 pound pro grappling tournament, once again going up in weight for the chance to compete.  I grappled through some tough guys taking 2nd in the division.  A few short weeks later I was back on the mat winning a grappling superfight at the Diamond State games.  All this grappling was really just while I waited for a promoter to offer me a fight.  My opportunity came when I was invited to fight at Ring of Combat 15 in September. The fight was in Atlantic City, a long way from Dutchess County.  An intense and grueling training camp resulted in an easy victory.  A 32 second first round submission made a big impression.  With back to back submission wins in the organization I was now going to be fighting for the title at Ring of Combat 17 and a potential $13,000 purse.

The problem was that the non-stop competition was starting to catch up with me.  Aches and pains mixed with mental fatigue and anxiety about the coming fight.  A few days before the fight I started having trouble catching my breath, I would go into a fit of coughing any time I raised my heart rate.  Sure enough, I had bronchitis.

Warming up for the fight I grappled lightly with my friend for all of 5 minutes and it left me completely exhausted.  I knew my conditioning wouldn’t hold up for a 15 minute fight.  The last thing I wanted was to drive back to Dutchess County with a loss.

Climbing into the ring I tried to project an air of confidence when in reality I was scared to death. My opponent was also riding a winning streak, undefeated in his career. He looked like a walking ball of muscle.  The one comforting thought I had as the bell sounded was “At least it will be over soon”.

I fired one punch and he immediately clinched and threw me to the ground.  I threw up a submission and he slammed me like a pitbull playing with a chew toy.  Then, for just a second he made his mistake. He left one of his arms in my guard.  I quickly seized the opportunity and slapped on my triangle choke, a move that has saved me more times than I can remember.  He tried to slam his way out, but this time I was ready and hooked his leg to avoid being picked up.  Three taps later and I was $13,000 richer.

The real satisfaction wasn’t in the money or the title though – it was knowing that at my most vulnerable, at my weakest, my training was there for me.  This had been my toughest crucible yet and my jiu-jitsu guided me through.

If you live in Dutchess County and dream of one day being an MMA champion check out Precision MMA’s 30 Day Free Trial call 845-392-8495 or visit www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com

Precision MMADutchess County’s home for authentic mixed martial arts!

Jan 072013
 

Untold Stories of Hudson Valley MMA Fighters

Hudson Valley MMA

Big John – Hudson Valley MMA

I’m sorry Sir, but these seats are reserved for The Hell’s Angels…

To be fair they weren’t seats, but pick nick tables. Ordinarily I believe fighters should have preferred seating, but in this instance I was willing to look elsewhere.

I was unfamiliar with the social mores of biker rallies, I was going to have to learn as I went.  We weren’t here for the Harleys, we came for a fight.  This was a unique situation as pugilism goes. A bit different than the Hudson Valley MMA scene.  We were far from the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas or Atlantic City.  We were at the black thorn biker ralley in the far reaches of upstate New York. The Empire state hadn’t sanctioned MMA yet, so the legality of these bouts was far from certain.

The fight promoter was a minister; bouts were contested in a pro wrestling ring outside in the pouring rain. In addition to the rules of the bout, fighters were given specific procedures and instructions to follow in the event of a biker riot.

On paper some would say we were an underdog.  Our fighter was not your typical Hudson Valley MMA prospect – a 46 years old chiropractor father of two.  He divided his time at the gym with little league games and parent teacher nights.  The opponent was a 21 year old war tested Marine.  However, fights are not contested on paper and despite being only a few years shy of AARP benefits “Big John” was 245 pounds of granite and steel.  He was a salt of the Earth type who liked big game hunting and rodeo competitions.  He had lethal submissions, but in reality he could make most men tap with a firm handshake.

After wading through a small river of mud we made our way to the ring where I heard a familiar shrill of support instructing Big John to “break his femur” customary pre-fight advice from my student Cliff.  Our opponent was riding high with confidence off the cheers of support from the soldiers in the crowd, but once he locked eyes with John I could tell part of him wished he was somewhere else.

The fight started off with a big right hand, quick double leg and lightning fast Kimura – in just over 90 seconds we earned a submission.  The ref halted the bout, but much like Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 didn’t realize that a tap ended the bout. Infuriated Big John stares down his opponent and says, “No Bullsh*t, you know you tapped” – his opponent, realizing that a rematch wasn’t going to end much better for him, reluctantly nodded his head and accepted defeat. We had our victory and I logged one more story for the grand kids.

 

So where did Big John learn his incredible MMA skills?  At the best Hudson Valley MMA school – Precision MMA in LAGrange, NY 

Try Precision’s Hudson Valley MMA program FREE for 30 Days call 845-392-8495 or visit http://www.bjjfighter.com