This is a great place for adults in the prime of their lives, women who want to become amateur or professional fighters, women who simply want to learn self defense and children of all ages and skill sets. I can speak from experience in all categories.
I returned home to the East Coast after spending a year in Las Vegas training and touring various gyms with the idea of becoming a pro fighter. I had the opportunity to train with elite wrestlers, boxers and black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In my time there, I realized that I simply didn't have what it takes to compete at an elite level, and that was fine with me.
I visited College Park mixed martial arts after going to a few pure jujitsu schools. I am mediately recognized the apparent expertise of the instructor and the competence and condition of those in the class. I was excited at the idea of still training with elite athletes in all disciplines of fighting. During this time, the sport of mixed martial arts was changing. College Park mixed martial arts stayed at the forefront of that change. There are cpmma regulars who are truly elite in individual disciplines and a head instructor who is able to craft a quality curriculum, specific to the students or prospective fighters. I also met female fighters and their inclusion was never an issue.
I enjoyed the atmosphere so much, that I brought my wife and a female friend of her's to the class regularly for a while. They had no serious aspirations, but were able to get great exercise and great instruction for practical self-defense situations. My wife absolutely loved it. Years later, she integrates her massage therapy business with the camps and fights as much as possible. Even though she doesn't train at the gym regularly, she is always welcomed fondly. She is paid by professional athletes in other sports and this is the only Mma gym she currently works with. This is indicative of the apparent excellence; a relative layperson can see qualitative differences.
Last year at a summer barbecue, my friend's six-year-old daughter and her friends were wrestling around. I jokingly showed her how to apply a rear naked choke and she was hooked. She joined a more local jujitsu Academy and trains there primarily. She is considered a top student, regardless of gender. Her dad and I brought her to College Park mixed martial arts for the "rumble bees" children's class. She loved it! Cross training at the adult level can be a difficult concept for some students and coaches to grasp, however the environment was so welcoming a very competitive 7 year old girl fit right in. She made some new friends, was challenged in some different ways, and noticed how very different the instruction could be. The instructor has a Masters in education, and it was apparent that he was applying these principles (learning styles,differentiation, etc.) in structure of the class for children. There was never a dull moment, but there was also a great deal of structure and learning. This is something completely unique in martial arts. I remember my generation being sent to karate schools, having to be quiet for long periods of time and do forms. The children's class combines the next generation of martial arts knowledge, with the next generation of what we currently know about how children best learn and apply New information.
I should also note that the competition level, I have had the honor of witnessing a high school champion wrestler, a kickboxing amateur national champion, A professional mixed martial arts tournament champion. A handful of cpmma members regularly walk into the cage as professionals and amateurs. I typically do not see them leaving without the referee holding their hand into the air. There is not a Cult atmosphere. The guys are tough, but not insecure to the point of hyper masculine nonsense. The approach at the gym is scientific. Ideas can be challenged and altered if necessary in the name of objective reality over dogma: the very essence of how human beings grow best. read more
