PROGRESSIVE MARTIAL ARTS FEBRUARY 2016

SIFU’SCORNERWe survived SNOWCOPALYSE 2016! That was pretty crazy and I

couldn’t believe how much snow really hit us. Well, with the mild winter we were having, it was bound to happen. I hope that you all have dug out of the major snowfall and have returned to your regular schedules. We were able to open that Monday after the snowstorm and it was pretty awesome to see so many students back on the training floor so soon. Somehow, someway, you all found a way to get back to the school and we were so glad to see you there!

January was a long month, with 5 weeks but it’s already seemed to have flown by. It’s been a month of planning and strategizing for the staff so as to make the school better and filled with exciting new opportunities. Our Instructor Certification Course was one such opportunity and it began on January 29th. Can’t wait to have a whole new group of assistant instructors out on the training floor! For those of you seeking instructorship in the future, there will definitely be more of these, just look out for announcements in the school.

Already February is looking really great! We have our Annual Parents Night Out for Valentine’s Day on Friday, February 12th from 6-9pm. It’s a great opportunity for parents to drop off their kids while they enjoy some alone time for Valentine’s Day. The kids play games, have pizza, watch a movie and just have an all-around awesome time under the watchful eye of Ms. Kathy and the other instructors. By the way, this isn’t just an event for our youth students. Adult PMA students are welcome to have their own kids come on down for this event as well. More info is available at the front desk.

For our Youth students, we will also be hosting 3 Mini-Camps during the February break. Students can take part in all 3 days, or just choose to do 2 or even 1 day. Camps will focus on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on Monday February 15, Judo on Wednesday February 17, and Kali on Friday February 19. The camp will take place from 10am - 2pm. More info is available in this newsletter and at the front desk.

And coming up in March, Sifu Dan Inosanto will be coming on Saturday, March 12th and Sunday, March 13th to do a 2-day seminar in Jeet Kune Do Concepts, the Filipino Martial Arts and Silat. I urge all of you to attend as an opportunity to train with a legend such as Sifu Dan is unparalleled and should be taken advantage of. It will take your training to new heights. Info is at the front desk or online.

Finally, if you haven’t already been logging onto our website and reading the Weekly Blogs, please do so. Interesting topics concerning your training are addressed here and are definitely worth the read. If you’re on social media following PMA, you can’t miss these. Feel free to share them with your friends, too!

THESTRAIGHTBLASTFor the Students, Friends, and Families of

Progressive Martial Arts

Inside this Issue:Sifu’s Corner 1

Adult Schedule Update 2

New Rashguards! 2

Sifu Dan InosantoA Living Legend 3

Upcoming Events 4

YOUTH INSERT

Student of the Month:Christopher Coll 1

Powerful Words: Friendship 2

Winter Mini-Camps 2

175-25 Horace Harding ExpresswayQueens, New York 11365

Ph: 718.461.0700 www.ProgressiveMartialArts.com

DAN INOSANTO JKD / KALI / SILAT

March 12th & 13th REGISTER TODAY!

PROGRESSIVE MARTIAL ARTS FEBRUARY 2016

PAGE 2

NEW RASHGUARDS COMING SOON!!!

By popular demand we have ordered ALL

BLACK Rashguards that will be available in

BOTH LONG & SHORT SLEEVE .

We are expecting shipment by mid February

and we will be offering a 10% Discount! (Pre-Orders will be taken at the front desk.

Sale will last 30 days after receiving the shipment)

ADULTSCHEDULEUPDATEOn February 22nd, we will be updating the Adult Schedule in the Stand Up Program. We are excited to announce that we are bringing back Jun Fan / Jeet Kune Do, as this is the backbone and philosophy of the school and what PMA has been built upon.

Jeet Kune Do Concepts, as developed by Bruce Lee, are the premise from which modern day Mixed Martial Arts have evolved from today. 

The STX 201 classes will now be Jeet Kune Do: Jun Fan Kickboxing 201 classes. And the Tuesday 8:30pm classes will be Jeet Kune Do: Jun Fan Trapping and the Thursday

8:30pm classes will now Dirty Boxing classes (from Filipino Panantukan).

Jun Fan Trapping: This class emphasizes close range hand and foot immobilization techniques in order to set up immediate counterstrikes and entry into grappling. It is a highly evolved skill set that deserves it’s own class. These classes will assist the student in developing sensitivity and reflexes that will help the student in every aspect of their training whether it be grappling, kickboxing or clinch. 

Dirty Boxing: also known as Filipino Boxing or Panantukan is a form of hand to hand combat. While also using much of the boxing and thai boxing tools, this form of martial arts ALSO includes limb destructions, head butts, finger jabs and other techniques that are more effective in street fighting and real world self defense.

Please refer to the new schedule for time and program changes. For any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask the staff as we will be happy to assist you with all your needs!

PROGRESSIVE MARTIAL ARTS FEBRUARY 2016

It seems pretty crazy that we need to describe such as legend these days but not everyone knows about this man and his humble beginnings. For those who have trained at PMA a long time, they know the legacy that he has produced and for those starting their training here, it’s worth it to really learn more about this man and his personal martial arts journey. It will only inspire you to train more.

It’s impossible to be able to write everything about Sifu Dan Inosanto and it would be even more impossible to be able to truly describe this man. Only by meeting him can you get the true depth of his existence. At PMA, we are lucky to be able to host him yearly in a 2 day seminar where you experience his teaching and vast knowledge not only of the arts but of the culture and history behind the arts.

Born and raised in Stockton, California, Sifu Dan began his martial arts training in Okinawa Te and Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 10. After a brief summer of training, he then focused primarily on team sports, including track and football. Although small in stature, he proved himself to be quite the athlete and excelled in both sports. At Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, Sifu Dan was a track star, running the 100 yard dash in a record 9.5 seconds and in his senior year, as a running back for the football team, he was the leading ground gainer for the team.After graduating college, Sifu Dan began training in the martial arts again, studying Judo with Duke Yoshimura for a few years before entering the military service as a paratrooper in the 101st airborne division. Stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, he was again exposed to different styles of martial arts and one that especially stood out for him was Kenpo Karate.

Upon discharge from the service in 1961, Sifu Dan moved to Los Angeles, California. It was there that he sought out an instructor for Kenpo and found Ed Parker, “the father of American Karate.” He studied Kenpo with Ed Parker for several years and it was with him that he achieved his Black Belt in the system.

Ed Parker not only taught Sifu Dan the art of Kenpo but also encouraged him to train in the Filipino Martial Arts. Ironically, this was the art of his heritage and his own father had known prominent escrimadors within the local Filipino community, including Max Sarmiento, Angel Cabales, and John LaCoste.

In 1964, it was Ed Parker again who introduced Sifu Dan to one of the most influential martial artists of all time, Sigung Bruce Lee. Mr. Parker was hosting an International Karate Tournament and Bruce Lee was an out of town guest that needed as escort. He assigned Sifu Dan this task and that is where history begins.

There started a long lasting friendship and partnership like none other. From that time until Sigung Bruce Lee’s passing, Sifu Dan studied with him was personally chosen to carry on the concepts and philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. He, Taky Kimura, and James Lee were the only 3 people to ever be certified by Bruce Lee to teach.

In addition to having studied over 30 styles of Filipino Martial Arts, Sifu Dan is also the Vice President of the Thaiboxing Association, has trained in Pentjak Silat under Pendekar Paul De Thouars and Pendekar Herman Suwanda, Shooto Wrestling under Yori Nakamura, and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt under the Machado brothers. This is a just a few of the arts that Sifu Inosanto has studied. Forever a student and a practitioner of the Jeet Kune Do Concepts, Sifu Dan is constantly studying the arts and philosophies of different martial arts and the evolutionary process is forever growing. It can be said that the state of martial arts as it is today is in part due to Sifu Inosanto’s study of the arts and the teachings he has handed down to his students. Mixed martial arts today would not be where it is without him. At almost 80 years young, he is still the humblest of students and in better shape than most of his younger students.

This is only a brief description of Sifu Dan’s martial arts journey and I think it would take books upon books to really get into the amount of knowledge and skill this living legend has accumulated throughout the years. But what’s most revealing about Sifu Dan is what you learn when you spend time with him, listening to his stories, his wisdom and his teachings. Despite all the skill, talent, wisdom, and fame, Sifu Dan has been and will always be the most humble of people. A true Guro, he is always willing to learn, even from his students, even from those who challenge him, and even from those he does not know.

This is only a brief description of Sifu Dan’s martial arts journey and I think it would take books upon books to really get into the amount of knowledge and skill this living legend has accumulated throughout the years. But what’s most revealing about Sifu Dan is what you learn when you spend time with him, listening to his stories, his wisdom and his teachings. Despite all the skill, talent, wisdom, and fame, Sifu Dan has been and will always be the most humble of people. A true Guro, he is always willing to learn, even from his students, even from those who challenge him, and even from those he does not know. 

SIFUDANINOSANTO-ALIVINGLEGEND

Welcome Back:

Matthew BushKevin JesraniRyan MurphyOrion AlexanderPhoenix LambertAndrew QuachLucas Borlaza

Navin NathooStephen KumarJun Hee LeeAdrian ContrerasAndrews ContrerasKoluaghi ThackerJoshua Fung

Jeremy LebretonIves NzuziMarco LoGiudicePatrick EspinalesEthen LopezEmily MundacaNuor Mezher

Michael VaughanLucas ChenMatthew GelpiSalvador Saravia

February Calendar➡ Feb 5: Explorer/Lil Dragon/Lil Warrior BBC/Lil Warrior Testing➡ Feb 12: Parents Night Out 6-9pm (NO LW BBC Class, No Adult Classes) ➡ Feb 15: BJJ Youth Camp (10am-2pm)➡ Feb 17: Judo Youth Camp (10am-2pm)➡ Feb 19: Kali Youth Camp (10am-2pm)➡ Feb 22: NEW ADULT SCHEDULE BEGINS!➡ Feb 27: Warrior Testing

Welcome New Students

FEBRUARY Birthdays

Austin Cooper

Thank You:Jun Reyes for referring Kevin Jesrani

Alex Castro for referring Orion AlexanderThe Aquino Family for referring The Contreras Family

Jasmine Quintero for referring Emily MundacaJonathan Seif for referring Nuor Mezher

2/2: Jonathan Ilyabayev2/4: Yakov Kalendarov2/5: Ricky Acevedo2/5: Joshua Choy2/5: Arsalan Popal2/7: Gregory DeBonet2/10: Izaeya Collado

2/11: Jihwan Kim2/11: CJ Paredes2/12: Joey Chan2/14: Isaac Martinez2/16: Mark Sgantzos2/18: Mojib Mihrahizada2/19: Isabella Ditomaso

2/20: Charlotte Ip2/21: Sebastian Dhannie2/23: Giancarlo Garcia2/23: Shiloh Milfort2/25: Emanuel Faylayev2/26: Marcella Arcabascio2/28: Matthew Algenio

SIFU DAN INOSANTO JEET KUNE DO / KALI / SILAT MARCH 12th & 13th 2016

REGISTER TODAY!