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.

 

Jul 012013
 

Precision Mixed Martial Arts in the Hudson Valley: Compliments and Expands Upon Karate Training

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Every martial artist in the world starts with a base or “core-style” which they must then build off of.  Few who become passionate about the martial arts will train in one style alone throughout their life; most will branch out and experiment with other arts.  While the Hudson Valley area of New York does offer a variety of different styles in which to train, like most parts of the United States and perhaps even the world, Karate and its multiple sub-styles is generally the most common.  I myself got started in Kenpo, Karate at age eight and continued with it up until I attained my second degree Brown Belt at age fourteen.  Like many, I wanted to try out other arts and went on to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and later other styles.  Though Karate certainly has its strong points, in general many of its sub-styles neglect ground grappling as well as takedowns and the key elements of boxing head movement and footwork, as well as others.  Precision Mixed Martial Arts in the Hudson Valley teaches a number of styles which can compliment and expand upon the Karate background of many students who walk through our doors.

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

As a young martial artist growing up outside the Hudson Valley area I trained daily in Karate.  For whatever reason, this style has gained perhaps more notoriety over time than any other and tends to be most frequently the style which young martial artists start off with.  While I enjoyed this training and found that it greatly aided my flexibility and kicking ability, I also had certain gripes with it.  For example, even as a kid I innately realized that the lack of full contact sparring inhibited my reaction time to attacks.  We did include sparring, but the only legal target was the body, and this sadly was not enough for me to learn to apply my techniques in real time.  I wanted a martial art like boxing or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which would stress full body awareness and reaction time so I would be prepared for attack.  After attaining my second degree Brown Belt in Kenpo, Karate at age 14, I stopped and within the next few years became involved in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after seeing the great Royce Gracie use it to win the first Ultimate Fighting Championship.  I quickly realized how many areas my former style of Karate training had neglected.  I had no idea how to defend myself on the ground, nor did I know how to defend myself against takedowns.  After a year or two of BJJ I began to grasp these elements for the first time.  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is, of course, one of the main arts which Precision MMA in the Hudson Valley focuses on.  This is quite fortunate for any Karate stylist who decides to train with us.  Even the most effective Karate Black Belt will be helpless against a trained Jiu-Jitsuka, or for that matter even an entirely untrained attacker, once the fight hits the ground.  The grappling techniques which Precision MMA teaches its students will enable all former Karatekas to expand upon their core striking style so they can defend themselves either standing or on the ground.

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Now, if you happen to be a Karate practitioner you may be saying to yourself “if I am ever attacked I want to be able to use my core martial art to defend myself, and would rather stay on my feet than go to the ground.”  This is a reasonable stance, and Precision MMA in the Hudson Valley can accommodate this mode of thinking as well.  The last range of standing combat, which occurs before the fight must conclude on the ground, is the takedown range, and in order for any Karate practitioner or striker to use their art they must be able to defend the takedown.  The two best martial arts for defending against takedowns are wrestling and Judo, and both of these are taught at Precision MMA in the Hudson Valley.  We have division one wrestlers who help with our no-gi Jiu-Jitsu classes as well as a world class Judo black belt who aids us in our Gi classes who can show you all the necessary methods for defending different types of takedowns and keeping the fight standing.  Indeed, this strategy is quite well known in the world of Mixed Martial Arts today and is often referred to as “sprawl and brawl”.  We at Precision of course also teach all around Mixed Martial Arts classes which combine striking with wrestling and Judo, so we can show you how to mix up your striking attacks with your takedown defense and offense in these classes in ways which will expand upon our wrestling and Judo classes as well.  However, any Karate stylist who attends Precision in the Hudson Valley will want to be sure to make it to our wrestling and Judo classes so that they can acquire the takedown defense necessary to utilize their prior training.  A Karate expert with top notch wrestling and Judo would be a very dangerous opponent for anyone as they would have the tools to keep the fight standing against nearly anyone and use their Karate background, and if they should find themselves on the ground they would also have our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu techniques to fall back on.

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Still, Karate as a martial art does not have all of the answers for self defense against standing attacks either and the person who’s entire background consists of what they learned at their local Hudson Valley Karate studio will be lacking when it comes to certain fundamentals common to boxing.  Boxing is just one of several martial arts taught at the Hudson Valley’s Precision MMA, but our instructors know how to teach this art in such a way that it will compliment all other styles the student might know.  One of our boxing coaches, Jon Russo, has himself also trained in styles such as Taekwondo and Jeet Kune Do, which have quite a few similarities to Karate.  As such, he is especially adept at combining his knowledge of these styles with his boxing technique and helping Karate practitioners to add boxing fundamentals to their game.  Karate tends to focus on parries and moving blocks as opposed to head movement and footwork to get out of the way of punches like boxing does.  While Karate’s defenses can work at times, they are limited when facing a skilled striker and knowing boxing’s methods for defense is very important.  Not only this, but as mentioned before, boxing is an art which is almost exclusively done in “real-time” and honed in serious sparring sessions.  Therefore, the concern of many former Karate stylists like myself that we may not have developed the proper reaction time to defend strikes is addressed in boxing training and perfectly compliments a Karate background.  Likewise, though Hudson Valley Karate schools are likely to teach a number of interesting hand strikes, such as back fists and reverse punches, they are not likely to train their students in the useful punches taught in boxing such as the jab, hook, cross, lead and back hand uppercuts.  All of these are addressed at Precision Mixed Martial Arts in our boxing classes and add to the former Karate stylists’ repertoire.  Essentially, the boxing classes allow a Karate student to sharpen a weapon they already posses.

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Hudson Valley Martial Arts

Finally, the martial art of Muay Thai Kickboxing as it is taught at Precision Mixed Martial Arts in the Hudson Valley by undefeated 7-0 AKBF champion Karl Nemeth, is the perfect style to compliment a Karate background.  I should know as I have found my former Karate training to give me a bit of learning curve when it comes to learning the kicks unique to the Muay Thai style of striking.  Though Muay Thai’s kicks are unique from Karate’s, especially in the fact that the striking surface is usually the shin bone rather than the foot, many of the kicks are similar in their motions, particularly the round house and front kicks.  As such, former Karate students like myself will not feel completely lost when learning these moves and will simply have to make small adjustments for these kicks to work for them.  Also, much like Muay Thai, Karate training tends to greatly stress stretching and leg mobility in order to be able to throw head kicks with ease.  My prior Karate training is the reason that I can now achieve a full split, and this has greatly aided me in my ability to fluidly perform the Muay Thai kicks I have learned at Precision MMA in the Hudson Valley.  Of course, Muay Thai greatly expands upon Karate training and helps the martial artist to go beyond what his capabilities would have been with the former art alone.  For one, Muay Thai training has a very heavy emphasis on clinching techniques which includes both offense and defense against knees and elbows from close quarters, as well as trips.  None of these movements are taught in Karate and would make a Karate practitioner very vulnerable in this scenario if fighting a Muay Thai stylist.  Also, the Muay Thai clinch is the range of fighting which comes between the punching range and the takedown range, and as such, any former Karate student who wants to learn to defend the takedown and keep the fight standing to use his martial art will need to learn these tactics.  Even with the takedown defense acquired from our wrestling and Judo classes and the boxing techniques we teach, a Karateka could be taken down or out struck if he is unable to defend himself in this intermediary range.  With Muay Thai clinch training, along with all these other areas we at Precision MMA offer, the former Karate student should have all the tools necessary to compliment his core art.  Muay Thai also teaches devastating leg kicks and defense against them, including shin conditioning, which is not taught in Karate.  However, anyone who attends Karl’s Muay Thai classes will learn these skills, and a Karate background should make them easier to pick up on.    Finally, we put the techniques of all our styles together in our Mixed Martial Arts classes, so if the former Karate student also attends those he will become a truly complete fighter.

Hudson Valley martial arts

Hudson Valley martial arts

Karate practitioners find a home at Precision Mixed Martial Arts in LaGrangeville, New York.  Training at Precision MMA not only compliments existing Karate training techniques, but also adds new martial arts dimensions.  With all this in mind, Hudson Valley Karate students who transition over to training at Precision MMA need not fear that they have set themselves back by studying a different martial art.  To the contrary, Karate has many benefits and can give the Precision student a learning curve when it comes to learning new skills, especially those from Muay Thai.  What is paramount is that the new student be open minded and realize that Karate as a style is limited in comparison to the multitude of styles offered at the Hudson Valley’s Precision.  If the Karate student recognizes this, he can then move ahead in his training and become a dangerous and multi-dimensional fighter in no time.

 

To get started with your 30 FREE Days of Hudson Valley martial arts classes visit http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com or call 845-392-8495

About the Author:

Jamey Bazes is a lifelong Hudson Valley martial artist.  Jamey holds a brown belts in both traditional Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  A regular competitor, Jamey is one of the Hudson Valley’s most decorated martial arts athletes including world titles in the North American Grappling Championship.  In addition to his martial arts training Jamey is a graduate of the State University of New York at New Paltz holding a master’s degree in English.  To train with Jamey be sure to check out Precision Mixed Martial Arts!

Jan 302013
 

Jamey Bazes is a lifelong Hudson Valley martial artist and senior student at Precision MMA in LaGrange, NY.  Here he recounts how his early experiences in Karate classes and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu taught him valuable life lessons.

To give your child the gift of martial arts call Precision MMA today and start your FREE 30 Day Trial at 845-392-8495 or visit www.LaGrangeMartialArts.com

Hudson Valley Kids Karate Classes

Hudson Valley Kids Karate Classes

How Training in Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Classes as a Child Impacted My Life as an Adult

 
            I still remember being eight years old and my reaction to seeing The Karate Kid for the first time.  “I want to do that”, I said to myself.  And so it began.  Four days a week of training at my local Hudson Valley Karate classes.  I actually remember the very first technique I ever learned: a defense again a stranglehold consisting of two elbows and a hammer fist.  I remember getting back from that first class and practicing the move in my backyard under the hot July sun.  I remember feeling empowered that I actually knew how to perform a martial arts move.
Hudson Valley Karate Classes

Hudson Valley Karate Classes

Little did I know that that day in the Hudson Valley Karate class would begin my life long love affair with the martial arts and that this training would bring about many positive changes in my life as I got older.  However, even as a child I would soon find out that this path would not be an easy one.  It took me much longer to earn my first belt than most of my peers.  I clearly remember wondering why students who had begun training after me were being awarded their belts first.  Even as a young child I remember thinking to myself “is my Sensei testing me?  Is there some reason he wants to make me wait longer before giving me that next belt?”  To this day I am convinced that my Sensei was trying to teach me the lessons of patience and perseverance.  Karate classes would test me more than anything I had faced at that point in my life.  When I finally did get my first belt I would find that the next few did not come much more easily.
            Earning the right to take a “belt test”, as they were referred to, was not easy and I remember that once during karate class I asked my Sensei whether or not I was ready for the “test” yet that he responded “don’t ask me when you are ready for your next belt test, I will tell you.”  I never asked again, but it was very difficult to resist the temptation to do so.  However, whenever I would be told I was ready for my next test and the date would be set for me to prepare, I would become jubilant.  Knowing that the end was in sight and that I had a goal to work towards inspired me at this young age in a way that tests or papers in school could not.  When the tests would finally happen, they would be emotionally trying.  My instructor would stand there, stoic faced with a pen and clip board in hand watching my movements and marking things off.  I could never read his expression and would wonder the entire time “how am I doing? Am I going to pass?”  And then when the test would finally end and he would walk towards me, hand out stretched to shake mine and say “congratulations, you passed the test” the feeling of achievement would be incredible.
            The most important memory I have of my early training though was when I took my 1st degree brown belt test.  Looking back, what stands out was not the karate class where I received the belt or even the moments where I was doing well.  Rather, it is the experience of getting punched in the stomach and knocked down during a sparring session with one of my more advanced peers.  I remember that after falling I locked eyes with my instructor. As I did he looked down at me with a slight smile and a “knowing look”, as if he knew that this was an early test of my manhood and that my passing would be dependent upon my getting back to my feet again.  Of course, I did, and I passed the test. It might seem like a small moment, but afterwards I felt like the toughest man in the entire Hudson Valley.
              I only stayed in Karate class for one more belt mainly because I wanted to learn the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Much like my early years in Karate classes, belts did not come easy.  Likewise, it had been my goal for years to take first place in a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, a task that would be years in the making. But when it did occur, and I won 2 tournaments in the span of 3 weeks, the victory felt that much sweeter because of how long it had taken me.  Three years later I would win another two tournaments in only one week’s time.  The lessons of patience and dedication I had learned as a youth in my Hudson Valley Karate classes served me well once again.
          The end result is that the martial arts training I had as a child taught me patience and perseverance.  When I would take exams in school I would usually be one of the last to finish, but I would simply smile to myself when other students would rush up to turn in their exams in only half the time, knowing that in the end I would probably do just as well as them, and I usually did.  When I worked on a farm for one summer in my adult hood and certain tasks took me longer than others, who would be quick to criticize me for being slow, I would never acknowledge their remarks, and in the end I would be praised by my boss for my attention to detail.
 I am convinced that in every martial arts instructor and every truly good teacher that I have had since my days in Karate that there has been present in each just a little bit of my first Sensei.  The lessons he taught me about persistence have stood the test of time and crossed over into these other areas of my life.  I have actually come to enjoy being made to work harder to achieve my goals, because I know that the end result will be that much more deserved.  So now when a certain endeavor takes me longer than it might take some, or I am made to wait for some reward that I am working towards, I do not lose faith or become impatient.  In fact, I would not have it any other way.
                                              To start your child in Karate classes in the Hudson Valley contact Precision MMA at 845-392-8495 or visit  www.lagrangemartialarts.com and ask about our FREE 30 Day Trial