The Importance of Mixing Martial Arts
Whether it’s a Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, Cousin, Aunt or close friend we all have
women in our lives that we care about deeply. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial that we
do anything in our power to make sure they are safe. One important aspect of keeping
our loved ones safe from harm is making sure they have at least a basic understanding
of how to defend themselves if someone tries to harm them. However frightening, it
could be the difference between the life and death of those we hold dear.
As a life-long “untraditional” Mixed Martial Artist I have had the privilege of training
and training under some of the best Martial Artists in the world. I started a successful
wrestling career at a young age under a Pan American Gold Medalist and United States
Olympian. After wrestling I started studying the submission grappling art Brazilian
Jiu Jitsu and ultimately earning my Black Belt (which many people believe is the
hardest and most time consuming of all Martial Arts to receive). I have since become a
practitioner of Muay Thai (a striking art that utilizes punches, kicks, knees, elbows and
the clinch) and have had the privilege of studying Muay Thai directly at its source in the
county of its origin Thailand. I am also a coach and trainer at my own gym Long Island
MMA and Fitness Center located in Lindenhurst, New York where I train people from
all walks of life, from professional fighters at the highest level of MMA to housewives
looking for an exciting alternative to regular gym workouts.
In my own personal experience with Martial Arts I have found most practitioners to
be somewhat closed minded. This close-minded approach to training transcends
most traditional Martial Artists (Karate, Kung-Fu, Taekwondo, etc…) as well as most
practitioners of Mixed Martial Arts (Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai etc…).
Most practitioners are blinded by the “effectiveness” of their respective Martial Arts and
unable to see the true beauty of combining the very best of each art form. That being
said, when we are faced with the safety of our loved ones, the typical closed minded
approach to studying Martial Arts should be set aside.
At my gym Long Island MMA and Fitness Center we take the most effective techniques
both proven in competition as well as from traditional arts regardless of origin. We
set aside the ego, due to the fact that our most important goal is saving lives…period.
Myself and the other instructors at Long Island MMA and Fitness Center have put
together a curriculum that works regardless of size, strength and speed.
The most important technique that we teach to women looking to defend themselves
isn’t a “secret” kick, punch, choke, or arm-bar, it is avoiding the altercation all together.
Being aware of your surroundings and keeping a keen eye out for dangerous situations
is the most crucial skill of all.
A false sense of security can be one of the most dangerous aspects when teaching
women (and men) self defense. If an instructor is teaching techniques that will not work
in a real life situation to their students he is doing them a huge disservice. However,
if an instructor is teaching his students techniques that are ineffective and has them
genuinely convinced that these self defense techniques will save their lives then they
are in even greater risk of injury or even death. For example, if you have a gun you
may be more likely to put yourself in a position to get into a gun fight. However, if you
weren’t aware that the gun was unloaded and then went into that gunfight, essentially
unarmed, you would likely be killed.
The bottom line is that we all have loved ones that will at some point in their lives
be faced with a situation that puts them in danger. If you genuinely care about that
persons well being (or your own for that matter) get them the proper training that they
may need to save their lives. Make sure you pre qualify they training center that you
or your loved ones join. There are many trainers out there not qualified to teach self
defense, make sure you choose the right one…it could be a matter of life or death.