Jeff began training in our adult Krav Maga program in May of this year.  Below is his written testimonial. Many thanks to Jeff for training hard and allowing the program to work for him.  This story reinforces my thoughts about martial arts. One learns to punch, kick, and defend. The added value to acquiring this skill set is a healthier body and stronger mind. Keep punching and kicking Jeff! His diet and plan are listed below.

From Jeff:

Exercise: Krav Maga 3 times per week, occasional swimming, running, hiking

Diet: Cut out refined sugar and flour.  Replaced with more vegetables and lots of water.

Since May of this year I’ve lost 40 lbs, 2 pant sizes, very close to wearing XL shirts instead of 2XL.  My cardio-vascular health is way up.  I have a ton more energy and do more outdoor activities like swimming, running, and hiking.  My overall body strength is better than it’s ever been.  My confidence has gone up and my stress-level (especially in large crowds) has decreased.  My wife, co-workers, and friends all notice a big difference.  I still have a way to go to get where I want to be, but this is a huge step forward.  Thanks for your help.

September has begun with a bang. Krav Maga and Karate are enrolling students left and right.  So much so, that we’ve already added two more traditional karate classes- a class on Monday and Wednesday. Both classes are for kids ages 4-9, and occur prior to the adult Krav Maga classes. The interesting aspect to our growth right now is the types of students that we’re receiving. All of the students whom have signed up in the last few months are extremely passionate about training and martial arts.   The newer students in both programs have supportive families, which is the key to a long term martial arts pursuit. Whether, it be an adult or child the family has to sacrifice in terms of opportunity costs, transportation, budget, ect.. We’ve always been blessed with excellent members. But, we’ve never had this many. The growth we’re experiencing now is excellent and challenging. We have and will continue to experience growing pains. Large classes means that I must work harder to maintain the culture of the class and that I give every student my time for critique, encouragement, ect. I cannot allow quality to suffer due to quantity. These are the challenges that lie ahead. This is the obstacle that keeps me motivated and focused. I refuse to allow the quality of our classes, the quality of student growth, the quality of the programs we teach, or the quality of the atmosphere to suffer under the quantity we have. I will continue to strive for the excellence I have preached and taught for six years. This is my challenge. This is our challenge- to maintain our pursuit of perfection knowing we will not achieve perfection.

Cheers,
Jett

I began my traditional martial arts training in September of 1997. My Sensei’s school was located in Alexandria, Indiana. For me, martial arts was the right fit from the very first punch. It wasn’t long until I was training at his school four days per week. I eventually ended up with a key to his school, where I would meet other students on Fridays or Saturdays for additional training and sparring. In addition, I purchased a heavy bag for my home and a stretching machine to gain better flexibility. So basically, I trained every free minute I owned, whether it was during regular class time, or working out at home. Additionally, I spent a great deal of ‘me time’ practicing forms/kata. I became a full time martial arts student. My Sensei, Mr. Davenport has had a training center for nearly thirty years now. He has promoted around fifty people to rank of shodan/black belt. I proudly state that I broke and still hold his record for fastest to achieve black belt, as it took me three years and three months. The reason I was able to reach black belt so quickly in his tough dojo was because I put at least twenty hours per week into training. Granted, I did not have kids during this period, nor did I have any other after work hobbies or obligations. That’s because martial arts was my hobby and obligation. The point to this entry is to state that not everyone can nor will follow the same path I did/do with training. Not everyone has that kind of time. I don’t either anymore, however I still manage four to five tough workouts per week. My major point is that we have two quickly growing programs, and within the programs we have a large amount of new yet passionate students. Some students learn every new technique/drill/form quite easily, while others might struggle with new material. Regardless, if you truly want to maximize your training and your skill level, you must spend a few hours per week  training yourself through the curriculum. This is the truth path of any martial artist. That he/she takes the guidance of a martial arts teacher and puts that guidance to use in the classroom and within their own training time. Again, martial arts has become my livelihood and my life. All of my students either have professions or go to school. Their time is limited. But, ten to fifteen minutes a day practicing kata, practicing round house kicks, punches, ect… will go a long way in any students growth. It’s also important to mentally think about your training, setting goals, and meditating about the art.

Cheers,

Jett

I’ve only suffered two major injuries in thirteen years of training. One was a sprained knee. The other was a freak accident in sparring which required a surgery to alleviate a lower leg condition called acute compartment syndrome. Both of those injuries required time from training. However, according to my doctors and physical therapists in both scenarios- I bounced back quicker than most folks, which include elite professional and collegiate athletes.

I’ve had my share of black eyes, bruised ribs, sprained fingers, sprained ankles, and one broken nose. All in all I’ve maintained a fairly healthy bill of health for a martial artist. If one is training hard one will suffer the occasional injury. Most of these types of injuries do not hinder your training, as these types of boo-boos simply make training more challenging as you deal with the pain. If you are never injured you are either very lucky or not pushing your training to the next level. Most martial arts injuries are referred to as badges of honor. Something to talk about with your family. A story to share with your co-workers who think your nuts for punching and kicking for fun. Most do not ever experience the glory and joy and training in martial arts, so they will never understand you completely. Training through injury is a character building plight. To do something and get hurt, to face that something again and again  makes your persona stronger and  harder.  It gives you the tools to overcome everyday obstacles and challenges. It emboldens you. I have several adults training through injuries as I pen this blog. Bruised and broken ribs. Fractured fingers. Strained hamstrings. You name it. These very students have not quit, have not stopped training. Because they know that if they’re faced with a tough street attack, they will have to battle through pain and fear to arrive home safely. We are not a school based on injury. In fact we’ve had very few in six years. However, this summer we’ve had several. We still practice safety in training every step of the way, however I chalk the rise in injuries up to a group of adults working their tails off, and sometimes desire and ambition blinds us in our training. So, again we do not seek injury. Sometimes through hard work and poor luck injuries find us. We grow when we learn to work through injuries and learn how to avoid the mistakes that led to the injury in the first place. Injuries are part of the martial artist’s journey. Loving the pain and the challenge is something very few will learn to embrace. To those students training with injury I salute you.

Jett

A great deal of martial art programs do not blend fitness and self defense. Or they do not blend the two well. Most programs that offer a strong fitness regiment, do not offer a solid, simple, and effective self defense system. Most programs built on self defense do not offer a proper fitness regiment. You can visit martial arts all across the country and you will notice out of shape black belts or senior members. If one is forced to fight in the street, then one must be in shape to deal with the scenario, the stress, the raised levels of adrenaline, the rapid breathing and heart rate. Most attacks/fights last under twenty seconds. But, to the victim/defender it seems to last much longer. So, where do you turn when you want a simple and effective self defense system and to become a fit person? Obviously, I’ll suggest Jett Garner Martial Arts. Wether you’re interested in traditional martial arts or Krav Maga, we hammer fitness and self defense. It’s always been a cornerstone of my teaching philosophy, and that is one reason I truly appreciate schools that get their students in shape and teach a simple and effective self defense system. So, whether you want to join us in this quest or not, find a school that offers the balance. If you step into a martial arts school and see a lot of out of shape black belts- run out of the door. In the my traditional karate program you will see 99% of students are very fit. The other 1% are more fit than they would be without the training. One man in my Krav Maga program has lost nearly thirty-five pounds since May. He is a big guy to begin with, and now he’s a big guy that’s built like a boulder. I show the students the way, and they usually choose to commit to a more peaceful and satisfying existence by gaining physical and mental toughness and getting fit.

We work very hard. They’re are very few balanced martial arts schools that train as hard as Jett Garner Martial Arts….

Cheers,

Jett

Sorry for the delay ladies and gents. I’ve been busy this week and had a minor surgical deal which took me out for two days.  Krav Maga just keeps getting bigger. The challenge is to keep it interesting as the level one layer is somewhat thin in regards to the number of techniques and defenses. The thinness of the level one curriculum is appropriate.  It t requires me to constantly reinvent drills and combos to keep it fresh and exciting for everyone.

Traditional Karate- We had a particularly good summer for sign ups thus far. I expect that to continue as we get closer to the new school year. August is a tough month and most people save their vacation times for this period. That being said, it has been nice to instruct smaller classes for the past couple of weeks.

Now to the main topic of discussion- Kung Fu! Kung Fu is a style of martial arts indigenous to China. There are many different types and styles of Kung Fu within China. Some of the styles are extremely different and unique, while other styles seem similar to each other. One thing that I’ve always admired about Kung Fu is many of the styles were developed or modeled after the defenses of particular animals and or insects. For example, you have a monkey style, a mantis style, and tiger claw style, ect… It’s fascinating to me that a Kung Fu pioneer studied the defenses of an animal or insect and then built an entire system on how that animal moves and defends itself. It’s taking nature and making it work for humans. Fascinating.

Our traditional Goju-Ryu karate system was created by an Okinawan named Miyagi. Miyagi Sensei spent many years abroad in China studying Kung Fu. Miyagi Sensei returned to Okinawa and used his Kung Fu experiences to create the Okinawan Karate system which is closely related to Kung Fu.  I’ve always been fascinated with Kung Fu. Which leads to my recent passion of Kung Fu movies. Two in particular- ‘Grandmaster Ip Man’, which is a biographical film about the Wing Chun Grandmaster whom happened to teach Bruce Lee. The other film is Jet Li’s ‘Fist of Legend’. Regardless of your martial arts background these are two films that possess the proper martial arts spirit, great stories, and outstanding fight scenes.

To my students- I am practicing Kung Fu fight philosophy on a Wooden Dummy. We will see if this training can bring a broader foundation to my own fighting and self defense.

Cheers

“Pain is weakness leaving the body.”

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