St. Louis MMA Club - Member Testimonial #3

" I have been a member of the St. Louis Training Circle for about five months now. In that time my skills in all areas have grown very quickly. This was the first club that I spent any length of time attending. This is mostly because of the atmosphere and the willingness to share information.

Aliveness- Ok, with a newer guy that doesn't know the particular move the pressure level is low. That is until the guy starts getting the move 5-7 out of ten times. Then the level comes back up until he's only getting it half the time. The guys that have been here a while are trusted to go to whatever power level they want. Some of our guys are business men that can't walk around with there brains scrambled and their face cut up all the time. Also we are a club not a school. We do have guys that wish to cage fight, and we do have the means to help them get ready for their fights. The only time the instructor ever mentions a shoulder injury is during throws. Basically, don’t try to catch yourself wit your arm. We (soon will) become a Straight Blast Gym affiliated training group, and we do follow many of their principles and ideas. Including training different techniques and drills from their dvds.

Equipment- There is some things that a bigger school would have that we do not. The gym does have several pairs of boxing gloves, some newer than others, but all in clean working order. We have mma gloves, thai pads, a body protector, four heavy bags, a double end bag, two speed bags, and have recently acquired a sponsorship with American Stand Up and have ordered shin protectors, new boxing gloves and mma gloves from them. These are all free for the members to use, but they are encouraged to purchase their own equipment as they progress. The members also receive the bigger part of the discount from American Stand Up. What does this mean? Good stuff for cheap.

Instructor to student ratio- We have one guy that kind of runs the show, and with out him we wouldn't get squat done. He organizes, teaches most the moves, and pays the rent for the warehouse space that we work out in. But, what are called 'intermediates' are encouraged to bring any knowledge they have about a particular area or move to the table. We like to stay with high percentage moves but you need to know every aspect of the game, and we strive to give the student a wide view of what is going on and at the same time give him have a tight fundamental game.

Atmosphere/attitude- All of the guys at the gym are concerned about two things: keeping you healthy and in shape, and also making you better so you can make us better. There is no time that a member is just trying to beat you to make sure his place in the order of things remains. That is the reason for the different power levels. So you don't walk in without any experience and get knocked out because of a simple mistake.

Striking- You get most of the boxing instruction on the very first day, and you will have to actively use it, at a level you can handle, the very first day. Because we did not have the shin protectors we have not been able to spare much with kicks. Some members have their own and do use them when the other man agrees. We practice the standard thai kick, but mostly we believe that you need to be good with your hands and have the beginners start with them. Once again so that they are solid in one area and feel comfortable striking before they have to deal with the whole spectrum of strikes. We spar almost every class, and members are critiqued as we see things to fix. No one at the club is a pro boxer, but there is some talent. The meat and potatoes come from the lead instructor and he made his system up of teachings from three different boxing coaches, and the experience he had in other martial arts. Yes he wants you to be a knock out artist, but swinging for the head every time gets to be a habit. And habits can get you in trouble if the opponent sees them.

Grappling- We practice all levels of grappling. Mostly Greco, with some Judo mixed in for the stand up. And an array of systems from 10th Planet to Gracie jui jitsu and everything in between for the ground work. Once again we don’t have a black belt. The lead instructor teaches most standing moves and take downs, and I have started to teach some of the ground fighting. Most clinch work, which also including clinch striking, and take downs are done from books and dvds owned by the lead instructor. The ground work is mostly from these dvds and from the internet. Again we concentrat on the basic, positions, throws, and submissions.

If you are looking for a club that is affordable with no drama or baggage, this could very likely be for you. We love critical thinkers and guys that are both driven and want to grow, not only as a martial artist but as a person. " - Online Review of our club from Cody Frye