Mixed Martial Arts:

Do you train mixed martial artists?

The short answer: yes, but it is not our emphasis. We specialize in making you an expert, not in dabbling a little bit into everything. The growth in popularity of MMA has resulted in everyone who can put together a cage opening an MMA school or promoting an MMA event. Our emphasis is on self-defense, honor, and integrity.

As recently stated by Matt Serra on Fox news, one of the down-sides to the popularity of mixed martial arts today is that "everybody who is a tough guy wants to be an ultimate fighter." The result is a lot of injuries and bad attitudes in MMA.

Head instructor Jared Emfield made the following statement that summarizes his stand on training MMA fighters:

"I welcomed the way the first UFC events brought many martial artists back to earth. It became very clear that much of what was taught or believed in the martial arts was unrealistic or at least improperly applied. The fights were intense, bare-knuckle, and there were injuries, but the fighers generally showed respect to each other in and out of the ring. Royce Gracie exemplified being a courteous winner and fierce competitor.

"The behavior of most of the the MMA and NHB competitors today looks more like Dennis Rodman in his professional wrestling days than the attitude shown by Royce Gracie. While 10 years ago I could point to the Gracie Family and other MMA fighters as role models for the kids I taught, I have to search really hard to find a role model in MMA events today. If drugs, bullying, and picking fights are what MMA is promoting today, then I want no part of it.

"To be a great mixed martial arts fighter takes a lot of preparation. If someone is willing to put in the time, show the character and dedication, then we will help them get there. If someone is looking for a couple months of classes and a few cool submissions before taking their first fight, they might want to train elsewhere. After a couple fights most amateur MMA competitors face someone who has put in the time and properly prepared, and then their career comes to a sudden end."

This is not to say that we are not capable of training some of the finest MMA fighters around, in fact we've done just that. But our emphasis is on making good people into better people, not turning street thugs into tougher street thugs. We train technicians, not brawlers.

Most of our Gracie Jiu-Jitsu training is with the gi on. For a little more about the philosophy behind how we train, this article: Gracie Magazine: Gi or no gi? is a good read.