At Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense Kung Fu/MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Kids program we believe in the fusion of traditional martial arts, self defense and MMA (Muay Thai Kickboxing and Gracie Jiu Jitsu). I can appreciate both schools of martial arts, the traditional for the respect and values and the more realistic MMA that you see at the UFC.
By statistics the average black belt kid or adult losses a street fight. Let’s put things into perspective. most yet not all traditional martial arts where used in war and for defense when they were originated. That is why that they are called martial which means war like. Yet, with time they have become a sport with rules that are unrealistic for combat and in general do not work in the street. Most traditional martial artist are one dimensional fighters which means they either predominantly use their feet to kick high (pretty yet not functional) and only fight standing up. MMA which is a sport is more realistic. It is as real as it gets and can be used in the streets for self defense. They have taken the best of Muay Thai, wresting and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with incredible physical conditioning to develop this Ultimate Fighter. This concept is not new the late great Bruce Lee also known as the King of Kung Fu believed in mixed martial arts. He crossed trained in different systems. He said “discard what is useless, adapt what is useful and make it your own.” I was lucky enough to have trained in a traditional martial arts style of kung fu that had stand up as well as close quarter fighting and a bit of ground survival. Yet today to improve my skills I train in different martial arts.
For those of you that read my blog you know that I consider myself a student for life. I have earned the rank of kung fu master, Kru (instructor) in Muay Thai Kickboxing, Krav Maga instructor, Haganah instructor a level 3 MMA Fighter Fit instructor. I’m also a certified Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do instructor. Dana White the president of the UFC calls Jeet Kune Do the first mixed martial art and Bruce Lee the father of the UFC. Jeet Kune Do mixes boxing, judo, kung fu, savate, wrestling, Filipino Martial Arts, Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu to name a few. As a student for life I cross train in Gracie Jiu Jitsu and boxing. I have even been fortunate enough to train with the man that changed the martial arts and first UFC champion Royce Gracie. After having worked 10 years at a maximum security prison as a corrections officer and having been a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps I believe that I have learned what works in a street confrontation and what does not.
In our beginners Kung Fu/MMA Kids class we teach children the stand up of Muay Thai, and kung fu, throws and ground fighting of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, reality based street defense and kung fu forms. Our sparring is MMA in a safe environment. In our Kung fu/MMA second level training children come to a separate MMA/Grappling, Muay Thai Kickboxing and Kung Fu/Jeet Kune Do classes. This combined with our reality based self defense, anti-bullying and life skills program makes it the ultimate martial arts child development system.
I believe in Lee’s philosophy of using what works and discarding what is useless. With this in mind we have seamlessly fused together the old and the new, both traditional martial arts and mixed martial arts in our Kung Fu/MMA class. This gives us the best of both worlds. Traditional values and respect and a hard core mixed martial arts system. At Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense we teach good old American family values, honor and respect yet we teach mixed martial arts. To tryout a free martial arts or fitness classes or information on our Spring Break Camp call me at 305 599-3649.
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