Thursdays at Scranton MMA

Scranton MMA isn’t just mats and heavy bags surrounded by four walls. What makes Scranton MMA so special are the people who join us for training every single day. People of all ages, sizes, and walks of life come together on a daily basis to not only practice martial arts, but participate in the fellowship. We’re not just friends at Scranton MMA. We’re a special kind of family. Although every day at Scranton MMA exhibits this quality, Thursdays seem to be something special.

On any given Thursday, you can walk into the mat room at our academy and see the room packed with people! You can see the Gracie 101 students drilling the basics of Jiu Jitsu, the judo students tossing each other through the air with ease, the kids having a good time learning and playing, and the parents proudly watching their children’s progress. Everybody in the room has a smile on their face while they work the techniques with their partners, or talk to the other parents about the next tournament coming up. Thursdays at Scranton MMA definitely seem to be our busiest and most energetic day of the week!

This past Thursday was especially special for the kids. Our Bullyshield Jiu Jitsu class reached an attendance of 30 children, one of the biggest classes we’ve had so far! The ages of the kids in class ranged from 4 years old to 12 years old, and belt ranks ranged from white to gray/black. There was an even mix of beginners and advanced kids who participated. In class, they played a bunch of educational games which helped them solidify the basics of jiu jitsu. They have such a great time playing the games that they don’t even realize they’re learning!

After the Bullyshield Jiu Jitsu class ended, the kids put on their judo belts and warmed up for their judo promotional test! The test itself consisted of an in-house tournament led by instructors Eddie Adams, Jen Williams, Matt Marcinek, and Dimitrios Drougas. The children were brought out two at a time to compete against each other using the traditional judo rule set. They were watched closely by the instructors for good form and sportsmanship during their matches. The kids were very polite to each other and used fantastic technique while they were competing. It was a pleasure to see the kids’ hard work put into action.

The kids who participated in the promotional will be receiving their belts in a ceremony this week, so make sure you keep an eye out for the date! They worked very hard to prepare for their test, and it will be awesome to see them receive the promotions they deserve.

This past Thursday was extra special indeed. The classes were packed with students ready to learn, and the kids had a blast testing and competing for their new judo belts. If you or anyone you know is interested in seeing how special Scranton MMA is, call us at 1(800) 748-9910 or email us at ScrantonMMA@gmail.com. Also, be sure to check out our website, ScrantonMMA.com!

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Scranton Mixed Martial Arts

Scranton MMA at Pittston Area High School!

Instructors from Scranton MMA visited Pittston Area High School on Friday to put on a free self defense clinic for the students.

Sarah Velehoski, a senior at Pittston Area, invited the instructors from Scranton MMA to teach her and her classmates some basic self defense techniques. Sarah is in the Pittston Area chapter of the National Honor Society. Being part of the NHS includes completing a senior project. Her senior project included setting up a self defense demonstration at the high school so she and her friends would be more prepared for college.

“With a bunch of us going away to college, I thought it’d be a good idea to have a basic understanding,” Sarah said.

Frank Alogna is one of the Scranton MMA instructors who attended the demonstration. Frank is one of the head instructors at Scranton MMA, and has eight years of experience in jiu jitsu. After training in the art for so long, he knows the ins and outs of jiu jitsu and how effective it can be for self defense. He has practiced self defense jiu jitsu with top black belts such as Royce Gracie and Phil Migliarese. Training with these two has given him a thorough understanding of jiu jitsu and how important it can be, especially for high school seniors.

“They’re about to go into the real world. They might be in areas they’re not familiar with, and with people they don’t know. It’s always good to know self defense to feel confident and be prepared for any situation,” Frank said.

Jess Papi is another instructor who went to the demonstration at Pittston Area. She has been practicing jiu jitsu since she was sixteen years old. Knowing self defense throughout high school and college has kept her more aware of her surroundings. Jiu jitsu gave her confidence, and she is prepared to handle herself in case something were to happen. Knowing firsthand how important it is for a student to know how to defend herself, Jess was excited to teach the Pittston Area students some basic techniques.

“Going to college can be scary. You hear horror stories about students being mugged late at night, and you can’t help but think that a little bit of self defense knowledge could have helped them,” Jess said. “Fortunately, I haven’t had to use my jiu jitsu on an attacker yet but I know that when or if the day comes, I’ll be ready.”

About twenty students attended the self defense clinic in the gymnasium at Pittston Area High School. Frank and Jess taught the young men and women some basic concepts such as how to stand up properly and how to keep a sturdy base. They then showed the proper defensive techniques to the sucker punch, the shoulder grab, and the headlock. The students did an awesome job picking up on the basics, and they asked some great questions about other techniques as well! Scranton MMA would like to extend a huge thank you to Sarah Velehoski for inviting us to her school and having a great group of students there for our instructors to teach!

If you or anyone you know is interested in learning jiu jitsu for self defense, contact Scranton MMA at 1-800-748-9910 or ScrantonMMA@gmail.com!

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Scranton Mixed Martial Arts

Student of the Month April 2015!

Scranton MMA will now be awarding the student of the month title to one deserving kid every month! The instructors will keep an eye out for the child who has been standing out in class. They will pay attention to their progress in class, their attitude during training or competition, and how they act off the mats. The child who exhibits the best characteristics on and off the mats will be awarded Student of the Month!

After much deliberation, we have decided that our student, Luke is student of the month for April 2015! During class, Luke always pays attention and listens to the instructors. He puts everything he has into every drill and every sparring session. He’s also a huge help to the instructors by running the warm ups and keeping the younger students in line. In competition, Luke never gives up and always has a good attitude whether he wins the match or not.

Whether Luke is on or off the mats, he always has a huge smile on his face and exhibits a positive attitude. Luke is a huge asset to the Scranton MMA kids program and should be seen as a role model to the other kids! We’re proud to have him as student of the month for April!

Luke is just one of the many talented kids we teach here at Scranton MMA. All of our students have been doing a great job picking up on the techniques we teach them. Being in a fun environment with their friends helps the kids learn while having a good time. If you think your child might be interested in learning self defense in a fun environment, call 1-800-748-9910 or email us at ScrantonMMA@gmail.com!

 

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Scranton Mixed Martial Arts

Scranton Mixed Martial Arts

Scranton Jiu Jitsu Coach speaks To Youth lacrosse team

Last night May 21st Scranton Mixed Martial Arts Matt Marcinek was asked to speak with a youth lacrosse team.  Matt is one of our coaches at Scranton MMA and helps with the competition team, the kids Judo and Jiu Jitsu program as well as the Adult Judo and Jiu Jitsu program.  Matt has coached white belts at local tournaments as they are just beginning their competition journey and he has also traveled to coach Black belt competitors at the world championships.

Matt is also a great motivational speaker and knows what it takes to win and inspire athletes and that is why the Scranton youth lacrosse association asked Matt to speak to its U-15 team last night.  Matt with with the team and their coach to deliver a great speech and motivate and inspire them.

If you would like to contact Matt or book him for a speaking engagement you can reach him at http://ift.tt/1ITNc4S

To find out more about the Scranton Youth lacrosse association please visit: http://ift.tt/1HzpGbR

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Scranton Mixed Martial Arts

Scranton Mixed Martial Arts

Scranton Mixed Martial Arts