http://www.knucklejunkies.com/gym_directory.php
http://www.avmma.com/mma_gyms_dojos.html
http://dojos.info
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School Directories
Muay Thai Inspiration
What a cool video of women training muay thai in thailand
Martial Arts & Bully Prevention
There is a lot of "buzz" out there on bullying. Is it getting worse? Is there more of it? Or, has the kind of bullying just changed? A common solution is often "martial arts" for bully prevention. Intuitively, this makes sense. Teach a child to defend himself or herself and he or she will be bullied less. Makes sense, right? But, what about the bully? If we teach him or her martial arts will we be just arming the bully with more tools?
In either case, is there any actual evidence that martial arts can help with the bully epidemic? Or, do we have to just settle for the anecdotes and our intuition?
Well, you're in luck. we've found some actual research, from a Tier 1 university no less!
The study is linked below, but here are some highlights:
"The data confirms our initial hypothesis that martial arts does have the effect of decreasing how much a child is bullied. It also provides some support for the second hypothesis that martial arts training decreases the likelihood a child will bully others. All of the data appears to be in the direction that doing martial arts training in the format presented does indeed reduce all indicated bullying behaviors, in particular a 64% reduction in the amount the child is bullied by the time they achieve black belt."
"Regarding the questions regarding the child being bullied, the parents tended to poorly recognize how much their child was bullied. The parents of the beginner students only thought their child was bullied regularly in 4% of the cases (it was reported in 27% of the students reports) "
"Children who earned their black belt are more likely to defend other kids when they see them being bullied."
"Children who earned their black belt report far less fear of being bullied."
http://repository.asu.edu/attachments/93906/content/tmp/package-_1CWzr/Moody_asu_0010E_11930.pdf
If you are interested in enrolling your child in a martial arts program, visit our children's page here or send us an email: ChangeYourLife@dragongym.com
Muay Thai Classes in Exton PA -- Shadow Boxing Tips
Hey Everyone,
Here's a tip from Dragon Gym Muay Thai (DGMT) assistant instructor Sami Rice. There's a lot more to shadow boxing than just moving around, warming up or getting a sweat. Shadow boxing is an important time to work on your technique, your footwork, your combos and any weak points in your Muay Thai Training.
Check it out:
Get our Class Schedule, Prices, and Web Specials!
What you will learn
Footwork- This is the most basic and important part of Kickboxing. Learning how to properly move, close distance and create distance is the essence of all martial arts
Punches- Whether it is a jab, cross, hook or uppercut you will learn the proper way to throw effective hand strikes with pinpoint accuracy
Kicks- High kicks, low kicks and teeps(push kicks) are an effective way to create distance from an attacker and to easily dismantle them at the same time
Knees and Elbows- This is what separates Muay Thai from everything else. No other Martial Art usesKnees and elbows as effectively as Thai Boxing.
Clinch- When it too close to kick or punch is when we use the world famous ÒThai ClinchÓ. Pulling in your opponent and controlling their head, neck and shoulders allows you to, in turn, control their whole body.
There are many more aspects of Thai Boxing that students will experience that cannot be expressed in words. You will learn more about yourself than you ever knew possible. Build friendships and experience true teamwork. It is often said that when a student discovers Muay Thai the also discover themselves at the same time.
What To Expect In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Most people want to learn a martial art not so that they can kick ass but to protect them or participate in competition. One of the best styles to learn these days is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because you are able to use your opponent’s size, weight and strength to your advantage. If you want to learn it, here are a few things you should expect about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu consists of a system of chokes, joint locks, escapes, sweeps and throws. When you visit a gym, this will be explained to you by the teacher and he or she will be able to answer any other questions you might have about this martial art.
Just like other martial arts, you have to wear proper attire every time you come to class. The uniform is known as a Gi. For your first class, you don’t have to get one yet but you will have to when you decide to continue training.
If you come to class wearing shorts and pants, make sure that it does not have belt loops, baggy fabric or extra pockets because this could be dangerous fingers and toes could accidentally get caught in them and result in injury.
Should you feel like it, you can wear ear guards, knee braces, mouth guards, cup and athletic tape during class.
There are a lot of health benefits you can expect from learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. These include improvements in your physical strength, endurance, flexibility and speed.
But for this to happen, you have to anticipate that you will be experiencing a certain amount of pain. You will get thrown, taken down or held in a position that is very uncomfortable.
No pain, no gain is the best way to describe it but you will learn how to hold, escape and make counter moves so you can fight back even against an attacker that is bigger and stronger than you.
If you enjoy Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you can keep training and move up to another belt after about 6 months to a year. There are certain requirements that you have to meet to receive the next color. If you fail to pass them, learn where you went wrong and then take the test again.
You should also be expected to follow certain rules in the gym. You have to learn how to properly address the instructor as well as students who are more senior than you.
This won’t be a problem of course if you have had previous martial arts training in another discipline and just want to add this to your belt. Will you have to start over as a white belt? It depends and the instructor will make that decision after reviewing your skills, but it is best to start at white belt.
For instance, even if you are knowledgeable in Aikido, Judo or karate you will have to start at the bottom at white belt. Every martial art is slightly different and it is good to learn the basics from the beginning.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a lot of fun and you will feel refreshed once you come out of each class. Aside from knowing how to defend yourself, you will also gain self-confidence, self-discipline, self-control and respect for others. So what are you waiting for? Visit your local gym and see if they are offering a class to beginners like yourself.
