Aug 132018
 

Martial arts acts as a weapon to tackle our fears in controlled environments and serves as an effective method to gain confidence and comfort in any event. Training martial arts allows a practitioner to experience and combat the fear, anxiety and nerves that cripple the average person. Although this skill is essential for all individuals, the group that can undoubtedly benefit the most are children.

Last week at Precision Boxing and MMA, it was Jada’s first day training in the kid’s BJJ program. It was her first time learning a discipline in Mixed Martial Arts, so naturally she was experiencing some anxiety. Jada had some concerns regarding getting comfortable in the lesson and had some of the other concerns that are typically experienced when participating in a new activity. Being made to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations is top priority at Precision Boxing & MMA to ensure all of our student’s experiences are great and memorable.

Jada was visibly upset when she came up to front desk to grab her attendance card, there she was approached by the supporting staff of Precision who immediately began trying to calm her with words of comfort. “We promise you’ll love it”, they encouraged. Jada was still feeling uneasy about starting her first class before she changed into her Gi. Coach Brian McLaughlin gently put the rest of her concerns to ease by sharing his story of experiencing anxiety before attending his first Brazilian Ju-Jitsu class. Jada’s mood began to lighten up as Coach Brian shared his experience and explained that he would ease into her training by allowing her to help co-teach the other students that day.

Brain introduced her to the other students in the class and explained that she would be assisting him teach. During the class, Brian paid particularly close attention to her throughout the lesson to ensure that she was comfortable and properly engaged. By the end of the class, Jada had participated, despite expressing that she was too nervous to join in the class, and enjoyed herself a great deal. Jada wasn’t the same intimated girl who was too afraid to step onto the mat to start her training anymore. Instead, she was now smiling and ready to take on any challenge or new experience that was thrown her way! Jada was confident and happy with the end result of the class.  When questioned if she was excited to attend the next program, her response was “yes!”.

Jada’s story isn’t uncommon. Many students are nervous about attending their first mixed martial arts class and share some of the same concerns. The age group that mostly suffers from a series of doubts in confidence or new experiences are children. Mixed Martial Arts at Precision Boxing and MMA offers the recipe to overcome these concerns with consistent training.

Unfortunately, these anxieties act as hindrances for individuals, of all age groups, and prevents them from fulfilling their dreams of taking up MMA. If you live in the Hudson Valley and have a child that’s interested in learning Mixed Martial Arts, but has some anxiety about getting started, visit Precision Boxing and MMA in Poughkeepsie, NY or call 845-392-8495 so we can help them feel comfortable and start training today!

 

MMA in Poughkeepsie, NY

MMA in Poughkeepsie, NY

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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
Nov 292012
 

Does your child suffer from low self-esteem, lack of motivation, or bullying?  Maybe you just want to give him or her something to do after school to keep them active.  If so, Precision MMA is the BEST place for your child to develop the skills and confidence they need to become the ambitious hard worker you know they can be.

What does Precision MMA offer that other kids Martial Arts academies don’t?

Real self defense techniques – Our instructors are all highly qualified martial artists.  We teach martial arts that have a proven track record in self defense and MMA competition, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, and Judo.  Your child will be able to defend themselves in any situation with our PROVEN EFFECTIVE techniques.

A beginner-friendly atmosphere and friendly staff – Our coaches are all well-trained in how to handle children and create a fun, safe environment for them to train.  Our programs are broken up into advanced and beginner ones, so your child won’t be jumping in and training with advanced students right away.  They’ll receive the attention they need to turn them into a successful martial artist.

Incentives for good grades in school – Precision MMA in the Hudson Valley is the only gym in the area to offer incentives to kids for getting good grades.  We pride ourselves on your child’s success, so we make sure to help them achieve it.  Our kids martial arts program is the best in the area!

30 Days of Martial Arts Training and Self Esteem Building FREE

If you want to enroll your child in the best academy in the Hudson Valley, then stop in at 1097 Route 55 in Lagrangeville, N 12540 or call us at 845-392-8495.  Make sure to ask about our free 30 days and private lesson.  We also offer a full money back guarantee when you do sign up, so there’s no risk involved!  Why not stop by?