Are you looking for one of the following styles of Martial Arts?

Karate (Various Styles), Mauy Thai Kickboxing, Kempo or Kenpo,
Hapkido, Tang Soo Do, Boxing, Capoeira,
Taekwondo, also spelled Taikwondo, Aikido, Judo, Wrestling
Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Jeet Kune Do
Krav Maga, Kung Fu, Ninjitsu, Pankration
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)

If so we just might be right for you.

Please read on...

How distance effects style.

In order to better understand the styles we teach it's important to lay a foundational understanding of the various styles of Martial Arts in the world today.

On a physical level all styles of Martial Arts are based on three different distances. Here is a list of styles and there emphasized distance, however in fairness remember that styles tend to progress and change over time, and just because a style is listed at a certain range doesn't mean they don't practice techniques from other ranges, this list is only designed to be a general guideline of what the style typically emphasizes:

   1. Long range. Styles that emphasize skills at this distance include Karate, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Western Boxing, Hapkido, Tang Soo Do, Taikwondo, Kung Fu, Caperera, and many others.

    2. Medium Range. Styles used against grabs and chokes, these styles include Judo, Aikido, Grecko Roman Wrestling, Most of the Filipino arts, and many others.

    3. Close Range. (Almost always on the ground) these styles include Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Japanese Jujitsu, Sambo, Wrestling, and many others.

Depending on where you study Martial Arts there are also some well recognized blended styles including Krav Maga, Hapkido, Jeet Kun Do and other certain styles of Kung Fu and competitive Mixed Martial Arts; MMA, that (depending on the teacher) do a good job attempting to blend the various distances to make the art practical. The thing that few people realize however is that the human body can only move a certain number of ways. The simple reality is that all styles no matter what they are called are essentially doing the same techniques despite the use of different names!

To complicate matters further it can be observed that many styles have vast variation depending on where you study and who is the instructor. Take for example the highly commercialized Taikwondo that is readily available here in the U.S. I have seen truly terrible technique from many who have been promoted to Black Belt in that style! However, I've been blessed to know several individuals who's technique was nothing short of spectacular - yet they say they were doing the same style (Taikwondo) as the others. Here is my question; how useful is it to even use the word Taikwondo when there is such a vast difference in the quality of the practitioners? This is not a unique situation only with Taikwondo, I can give you examples in every style of the same phenomenon. It is clear that frequently the name of a style can be nearly meaningless..

My Kung Fu teacher; Sifu Robert Brown puts it this way:

“Here in the West when someone finds out you are practicing Martial Arts, they immediately ask you two questions. First they ask; what style you train in? Secondly they want to know

what color is your belt?

But in China it's totally different; in China when they find out you practice Martial Arts they ask two very different questions. First they ask you; how long have you practiced? Second – and to many of them most important of all – they ask:

Where do you practice?

                                     Sifu Robert Brown

So what style do we teach?

The answer plane and simple is this, we teach “Traditional Mixed Martial Arts”. What that means is we borrow heavily from multiple styles including Karate, Mauy Thai Kickboxing, Judo, Aikido, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and many others. The technique we practice various greatly depending on the distance we are considering defending ourselves from; and so far I've found that no one style is effective at all three distances; this is the reason our style is a “mix”. But we don't just stop there; we also strongly believe in teaching students how to focus and control their mind and the internal art of emotional control and concentration.

How to choose a style or school.

Since physically all styles are essentially the same then what should the criteria be for choosing a style? The reality is that if someone has been teaching for at least ten years they are probably really good at what they do, so my suggestion is not to pay attention to what a style is called; Instead you should focus on the things that are really important; here is a short list:

1. The atmosphere should be bright, clean, friendly and   professional.

2. The art should be real -very practical self defense skills - but there should be a focus on safety.

3. You should be in classes with people who are roughly your own age and share many of your same values.

4. The teaching should be dynamic and powerful.

5. You should be treated with respect, and the dojo should demand that students respect each other.

6. You should get a great workout in every class, you should see physical improvements in your body, and you should be gaining in skills.

7. And finally...

There is still something more that you should be looking for. You see, we believe that Martial Arts is not simply a physical activity. If that were not the case we could stop right here; our belief is that if you are going to practice Martial Arts; not Martial Fighting, not Martial Sport, not Martial fitness, but real Martial Arts you must also be learning to discipline your mind! The Martial Arts at their core were conceived as a way of helping student achieve higher levels of discipline of both their body and MIND. The intent was to use the art to create a person that that derived benefit in all areas of life; not just the one in a thousand chance of physical conflict! These benefits include better concentration, better discipline, better balance, and a more peaceful attitude toward others. In short real Martial Arts should help you become a happier more effective human being; not just teach you how to fight.

Let me put it this way; if a person is learning real techniques, techniques that could maim or kill another human being, wouldn't it be irresponsible to just give those skills away without helping people develop the discipline that goes with using them? This is the reason I strongly say that there is no Martial Arts without mental discipline; and therefore if your not being taught how to discipline your mind ( while you may be learning how to fight) the fact is that you are not truly practicing Martial Arts - period!.

A good Martial Arts school always should have an internal approach to mental discipline. This approach of giving you a great workout, teaching practical state of the art technique, but at the same time teaching you how to discipline your mind is our mission day in and day out.

Getting Started

To find out more feel free to continue to browse the rest of the site and if it seems like a fit to you give me a call at 419.385.1000. When you call I will probably encourage you to take our introductory course and simply try our dojo. The course will allow you to attend two classes and includes a free dojo T-shirt; all for only twenty dollars. It's the best way I know of for you to know if were right for you and it could be the best twenty dollars you've ever spent.

All the best,

Sensei Joseph Hurtsellers