Without core training, you won’t have the strength, flexibility or alertness for any other sports. Core training means strengthening your stomach, lower back, pelvis and hips, muscles that surround your spine; Core training relieves back pain and protects your spine from possible future injuries. It enables your upper body to work more fluidly with your lower body, giving you better posture and improved balance. Core training also aids in brain and nervous system support, so a core workout helps your concentration. Call Calasanz @ 203-847-6528, or visit Calasanz in Norwalk or/and his website www.calasanz.com
The Calasanz System, a martial arts and fitness style, is a blend of karate, kung fu, wing chun, boxing, kickboxing, MMA, ground fighting, and self-defense. The system appeals to men, women, and children of all ages because it is grounded in beauty and practicality, as you can see from the videos that have been posted. Calasanz, the creator of the system that bears his name, believes that effective martial artists must not only know technique, but also be physically fit. To help his students achieve this goal, he created Calasanz Physical Arts. Calasanz Physical Arts consists of holistic and functional exercises that are meant to increase strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, coordination, speed, agility, and body unity. These exercises can be used by all levels of athletes in all sports looking to enhance their athletic prowess and can also be used by anyone, any size, shape, age, or ability to increase mobility, health, and well being. The Calasanz System attributes its success to its simplicity; simple enough for beginners and unique and effective enough for professional martial artists. The Calasanz System has been in existence for over 30 years and continues to draw new students every year based on the goodwill it has generated. Simply stated, the system works.
In the early 80’s, Calasanz was in search of a training device that would help get a group of students ready for tournament fighting within a very short period of time. What emerged was the 20 Arm Dummy. Calasanz got the idea from his training in the art of Wing Chun. Wing Chun master, Yip Man, created the traditional wooden dummy or mook jong as a training tool for practitioners. A staple in any Wing Chun class, the wooden dummy is basically a post with protruding “arms” and “legs” so you can simulate fighting a real opponent.
The main difference between the 20 Arm Wooden Dummy and the traditional mook jong is that you train to fight in four directions on five opponents. The 20 Arm Wooden Dummy frames consist of four corner posts plus a traditional dummy that is mounted to the floor. In addition to including the traditional wooden dummy, the four corner posts have several “arms” and “legs” attached to each post so you can attack or defend. This allows you to fight at different angles, heights and directions and work on adjusting distance.
The 20 Arm Wooden Dummy is a great training aid not just for Wing Chun students, but any martial artist who wants to practice different combinations of punches, strikes and kicks. It also develops blocking skills, close quarter fighting techniques and builds up your arms and legs as you absorb the shock of striking the various parts of the dummy. Calasanz has also designed a 20 Arm Wooden Dummy form that promotes cardiovascular fitness by requiring you to execute these techniques while moving from one post to another.
Calasanz is a Master Martial Artist who has spent a lifetime studying and teaching Karate, Kung Fu, and Kickboxing. To create his unique Physical Arts Training Program, Calasanz has combined not only his Martial Arts mastery, but his extensive training in dance, gymnastics, weight and fitness counseling. His unique system is based on ancient wisdom and modern sports medicine’s understanding of the body’s needs and capabilities. The Calasanz System has the capacity to help you create the body you’ve always dreamed of possessing, as it trains your mind and spirit to excel.
Calasanz has, for twenty-eight years, trained young and old, professional athletes and dancers, law enforcement officers, and a host of individuals from all walks of life, in a way that leads to fitness, focus, health, strength, confidence and longevity. He calls his System Calasanz Physical Arts.
Renowned as a hero in his native Dominican Republic, and star of the movie Crossing the Line, Calasanz firmly believes we all have the power to transform our lives, if we’re willing to commit ourselves to the process.
“My system,” Calasanz explains, “has the unique ability to allow anyone, of any age, who has the determination and the desire, to become a martial artist and to transform his or her life.”
My name is Nana Smith. For the past 10 years, I could not imagine that shopping for jeans can be a celebration. My joy of discovery is so great that I want all to know about it.
I had been training all my life. My passion for “workouts” started back home in Georgia – a small country on Black Sea. I had my personal trainer who taught me my first kicks and punches. I swam for several hours. I ran cross country. I skied. But upon coming to America, my life changed dramatically. My time was consumed working and struggling to provide everyday living necessities for myself. My beloved workouts went by the wayside for a while.
However, after a few years, I regained the time to allow “workouts” to re-enter my life. I did boot camps at 4:30 am. I ran along the Long Island Sound with a 20-pound backpack. I sweat like a pig – and I loved it. I totally loved it all except for two small problems: (1) I was gaining weight every day; becoming more and more muscular and larger. (2) My knees hurt so badly that sometimes I could not go up and down stairs. I felt heavy, old, huge and very often depressed.
It was time to change something in my training. I was 205 pounds with huge muscles all over my body when I started Bickram Yoga. I went in hot rooms seven days a week for one year; sometimes I took two classes in a row. Bickram softened me a bit. But the process was contrary to my natural desire for physical action. It was strange to sit still for 90 minutes in a dark room till almost fainting and repeating this process day after day. I kept telling myself, ‘this is good, you are losing weight,” but it still felt strange.
I was at the crossroads of changing my workout pattern again when I received an email from Calasanz Physical Arts. I knew about the place a bit. I knew that this is a place where celebrities trained and that the owner, Calasanz, had become a “celebrity” himself over the years. He is the creator of a unique physical development system, “Creating The Body You Want,” with more when 20 years experience training women.
I truly thought it would be way too expensive for me until I saw an advertisement stating that “we offer special rates to accommodate the rocky times of recession.” Putting things on a “to-do” list is not my nature, so I just picked up the phone right away and called. And to my surprise, Calasanz answered himself. (Celebrities usually do not answer their phones.) After a brief conversation, I went to see him.
The Calasanz dojo is anything but gym. It is a large, open, airy complex with many rooms, and fully equipped with mirrors, ballet bars, showers (the places I had trained in before had no showers whatsoever, even Bickram Yoga), lockers, and even a tea bar. There is no heavy equipment or machines. But there are a lot of different bars, punching bags, sticks, martial arts dummies and a myriad of hand weights.
The dojo is very symmetrical and has a natural warmth and very positive aura. Coming from Europe where the scale is much smaller, it was almost impossible for me to enjoy regular American gyms – too large, too hot in summer, too cold in winter and most of all, environments where I felt personally isolated. The positive aura of the dojo, plus Calasanz himself and his trainers and students makes me feel welcomed. Everybody’s attitude is very positive and they all display the great respect of the master. Calasanz himself is a charismatic, down-to-earth person. He likes to oversee the entire group. He is truly unique from all others I’ve trained with and his dojo is unique from all other gyms. He calls it a temple. And truly it feels like temple.
On my fist day, he greeted me at the door, gave me a tour and then took me upstairs for the first training. He told me, “You are in the right place; now you will receive the best guidance, and we will fix everything.” I just smiled. Calasanz’s approach is gentle on the body. I could feel my muscles stretching. I could feel them working out in a natural manner using mostly body strength and different hand and ankle weights. I took a few classes with Calasanz and then signed for the entire year … and this was the best thing I could have done for myself!
While training, I watch myself in mirrors as all others do … and day after day I see my astounding transformation. I started as a middle age woman of 185 pounds (truly needing size 14 clothes) who was bottled up in her inner self. In less than 2 months of training, I now look at myself in the mirror and I see a young, elegant, open woman. My body shrunk in the right places and developed where it should be developed. I came down to size 8. I look and feel like I am in my 30s again! I now love shopping for clothes. And I even catch admiring eyes and find men holding doors for me. I have more energy than I ever had. I not only look younger, I feel younger. I sleep less and want to do more. The result is totally magnificent!
The best part of it is that exercises are safe and natural. My pains and aches are gone. My knees, back, and overall muscles feel rejuvenated. Calasanz often says that he is body scientist and now I understand what he means. He not only understands physical anatomy, he also knows what kind of exercises suit your body type. So a person can become leaner, lighter, more graceful, more elegant and simply beautiful without hurting him or herself in an optimal time frame. And it is never boring because he rotates exercises on a daily basis – making it fun to do and assuring muscles don’t adjust to the same movement over and over again.
Programs are versatile and schedules are very flexible. He has group and private classes as well as boot camps. Calasanz is one of the best Marital Artists in the world and offers a huge selection of Martial Arts Forms to learn. We can also access his library with hundreds of DVDs featuring specific training courses and that capture Calasanz in the action. And there is more to come as he is now developing his Calasnaz Systems Yoga methodology.
The Calasanz dojo is open 7 days a week, day and night, 365 days a year. If you are seriously interested in transforming your body, getting a thinking man or woman’s workout, learning the art of self-defense or martial arts forms at large, I urge you to take a complimentary session with Calasanz. It will change your life. And in my case, experience the added benefit of enjoying shopping for jeans!
In the interest of protecting the public against fraudulent claims, we have decided to list the names of those authorized to teach The Calasanz System, and Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness. This list can be found at authorized-instructors-in-calasanz-system and is constantly being updated, so please check frequently. You are also welcomed to contact our main headquarters at Calasanz.com – contact to verify teaching credentials.
Imagine a complete circle represents all there is to know and master in the martial arts. The circle pictured represents all that Calasanz knows and has studied in the martial arts. Notice the space at the top; this space represents what he does not know. There is always room for improvement and new things to learn. Therefore, the circle will get closer and closer, but never become complete. The quest to become such a well-balanced martial artist for Calasanz is multi-faceted and has been a result of environmental factors and natural innate abilities.
The act of doing martial arts requires a high degree of athleticism and a knack for performing in front of people. Calasanz was blessed with both from day 1. Whether he was up first thing in the morning at a young age doing grueling farm work, honing his god-given strength, endurance, and athletic prowess; or singing and dancing for all the people in town by night; it was all the foundation for his life’s work.
Street fighting also prepared him, before he even took a martial arts lesson. Growing up in a 3rd world country like the Dominican Republic, he had no choice but to defend himself, friends, and family against bullies and thugs. After he started martial arts at 15 the fighting didn’t end. He would go to different dojo’s to challenge the best students and would attempt to take on hordes of people with just his nunchucks!
Even when he started martial arts it came very easy to him, he had everything in him he needed athletically, intellectually, and experientially to become one of the world’s most well balanced martial artists. But there are many people, who, in there particular athletic or intellectual line of work who have this potential, but most fail due to lack of drive and poor work ethic to develop their gifts beyond anyone else, but not Calasanz, for the next 30 years of his life, and even up to today he would spend hours training, studying, and teaching martial arts. This is how he has come so close to completing the circle, natural talent and a relentless drive.
Part 2 – The Calasanz System
One can only imagine the information, opinions, and theory’s one man has after hours and hours of study day after day, for years. From his experience and ability, Calasanz was able to take the most useful techniques and attributes from all the martial arts he studied, and combine them together into a unified system, he called this The Calasanz System. This is much like what Bruce Lee did in the 60’s and 70’s, and what MMA does today. The main difference though between Bruce Lee, today’s MMA, and Calasanz, is that Calasanz did not completely discard all the material he thought “useless” as the others have. He understands that he would not have completely understood their “uselessness” had he not tried them, and future students would not be as wholesome as him if they did not get a chance to experiment with the “uselessness”. So in his eyes, these particular techniques and attributes actually do have a use; they have the ability to make the student a more wholesome, well-rounded martial artist.
So there is, in a sense 2 parts of The Calasanz system 1) The combined, blended, unified system of karate, wing chun, boxing, kickboxing, ground fighting, and physical arts consisting of only the techniques and attributes that work. 2) The complete versions of all the arts that make up The Calasanz System, other martial arts, and supplementary exercise systems. Part 2 focuses on The Calasanz System.
The Calasanz System is a system of martial arts techniques and exercises that prepare the body and the person to defend themselves against violence, whether controlled (combat sports) or uncontrolled (abusive attack, self defense, street fight). The system has a track record of teaching beginners a number of techniques that they can use immediately to protect themselves and help them understand the dynamics of a violent acts (controlled or uncontrolled) faster then most martial art in the world.
The system also includes a set of holistic exercises called physical arts that build strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination, balance, body unity, and proper alignment. Many of the physical art exercises are also functional; meaning that a technique is being learned at the same time the person is conditioning his/her body.
Simplicity, power, centerline, interplay of hard and soft, simple blocks, counterstrikes, reactions, bone conditioning, head movement, and physical arts.
Part 3 – Complete Art Systems and other Martial Arts within The Calasanz System
Imagine a circle inside a bigger circle. The inner circle represents the Calasanz System the outer circle is one we’ve spoke of before representing all techniques and knowledge in the martial arts and all exercises systems.
There are parts of the outer circle that exist within the inner circle. And the outer circle contains the arts that Calasanz has mastered: Goju-Ryu Karate and Wing Chun Kung Fu; the arts that he has studied to at least brown belt: aikido, judo, jujitsu, chen chuan long fist; arts that he has studied such as dance, ballet, jazz, and ballroom; combat sports he has competed in and/or trained others in: boxing, kickboxing, MMA, full contact karate, and point fighting; exercise systems he has trained in and taught: aerobics, isometrics, weight lifting, and calisthenics; and all other martial arts and exercise systems he has not trained in and taught, but can see inside of (more on this in Part 4) such as: ninjitsu, yoga, Pilates, tae kwon do, krav maga, northern and southern kung fu’s.
American boxing, American kickboxing, MMA, full Goju, Wing Chun, and Kung Fu forms. Combine the Calasanz System with anything you want, while Calasanz may not agree with your choices he is not the type of teacher to abolish your actions or step in the way of your path, rather he walks on the side and just makes suggestions but lets you chose your own path.
Part 4 – Calasanz
In part 3 it was mentioned that Calasanz could look “inside” martial arts that he has not even studied. This is not as far fetched or egotistical as it might seem with some proper explanation.
Einstein’s Unified equation, thirst for knowledge and natural ability (vertical leap), broken down to the most basic, general rhythms and movements of the body, allows him to see inside technique and body attributes so like a doctor prescribes medicine, Calasanz can prescribe certain techniques to develop, exercises to do, and critiques on performance to enhance any type of martial arts or exercise techniques.
With all due respect Mr.Calasanz. I find your boasts of having to defend some random and esoteric “internal arts master’s school from trespassers looking to start trouble” and that “it was Calasanz that had to do the fighting. The internal artists retreated in the background.” a bit sensational and outlandish. Much like your biographical passage…
“One day on the farm, Calasanz was ordered to milk the nastiest cow. She did not want to be milked that day, so she kicked him in the stomach. Calasanz’s reflexes caused him to automatically kick her back and to his surprise, he knocked the cow out cold..”
Lets be honest here, your martial arts lineage is spotty at best yet you claim to have been learned by this and that master of this and that style yet you only mention “Tamajoshi” Sakamoto by name, and even THEN its mis-spelled, I’ve trained under two great masters, Tadashi Yamashita & Ma Jin Long for over 24 years! I would never mis-spell there names. Meanwhile these other so called “masters” you claim to have learned from/ defended are just mere mentions in some grand self righteous egocentric story about what an amazing martial artist you are.
In my professional opinion Mr.Calasanz, your ego overshadows your grip on reality. While you ARE physically fit, very flexible, and a great performance artist. You surely not a martial arts master of any kind.
Sincerely,
Sensei Tony Perez
Reponse:
We appreciate your comments but would like an opportunity to respond. Regarding the scene in the internal martial arts school, Calasanz was there, you were not. The account is true and is told for the purposes of illustrating to students the importance of balancing hard and soft approaches to martial arts training.
In 1987, Wing Chun instructor Phillip Holder came to Connecticut and began attacking Calasanz Wing Chun credentials much like you are right now. Calasanz brought his Wing Chun master, Moyat to his dojo, proved that he had been his private student and put this issue to rest.
Calasanz doesn’t need a “grip on reality” as you so put it. He has real credentials, a real successful martial arts business, and real students who see the value in his training philosophy. What he has done differently is to go outside of the traditional arts and incorporate innovative ideas that tend to ruffle the feathers of more conservative martial artists. His approach and those like him in the martial arts world always attract critics.
This is a man who has spent over 30 years in the martial arts, working night and day on his craft. He may need to check his spelling once in a while; that we will admit. However, make no mistake about his credentials and commitment to his students and his community. We are glad that you are proud of your spelling abilities and that you have never misspelled your teachers’ names. We will take that criticism under advisement and admonish our editors to be more careful next time. As far as your other comments are concerned, we have been dealing with naysayers for a long time and will long after you are out of the picture. At the end of the day, Calasanz and his system still stand strong and so do his credentials.
Anyone can execute a block or a strike, but not everyone can do it with balance, power, flexibility, and style. The quality of the execution is what is most important. If you follow the young lady in the video closely, you can see that she has a very good block. Notice when Calasanz swings how she naturally drops back and moves her head to evade the strike. She then immediately returns a counterattack. At this point in her training, will she be able to hurt someone? No, but it is crucial to teach good technique first and then develop more strength and striking power. There is a difference between training in martial arts and boxing as a way of life and training for competition. Nobody is really ever ready for the streets because what goes on there is very unpredictable. If you want to produce a good street fighter, then you need to find someone who has no fear. Technique for this person is just icing on the cake.
The goals of a good martial arts curriculum is progress. Regardless of the style you have chosen to study, all of them begin with the fundamentals and can take you to the level of mastery. Success however depends on two things: commitment on your part and a skilled instructor who not only teaches you the art, but also challenges you.
To some, progression in the martial arts is about earning another belt or stripe. The space between these belts and stripes however is where the martial artist makes his real gains. This is where all the hard work takes place. In addition to learning the new techniques required by your style’s curriculum, you will be tested physically and mentally.
Increasing your fitness level will be challenging, as you push yourself to become faster, stronger and more agile. You can learn thousands of techniques, but if you are not physically fit enough to execute them, they will be of little or no use. This is why it’s important for a martial arts curriculum to include conditioning exercises. Take them seriously because they’re part of the whole package.
You have to discipline yourself to get to the dojo and train hard on nights when all you want to do is go home and lay on the couch. You may want to eat healthier so you spend more time training and less time digesting! You will have to take all that your instructor has taught you and incorporate it into sparring or self-defense practice. While you’ve learned many attacks and counterattacks, you may find that you only use a few. This is where you experiment with what really works.
Now it’s time for your instructor to do his part. A good instructor will push you beyond your comfort zone. He knows that in order for you to go beyond where you are now, he’s going to have to make you work. He’s going to have to mix up the physical training so your routine doesn’t get stale. He may change up a workout that you’ve gotten used to. He may ask you to train with different classmates or to train alone. He may ask you to work on your least favorite techniques or learn a really hard form.
Don’t get upset if one day he walks into class and turns it all upside down. His experience tells him that a stale routine stalls your progress. The only way to get to the next level is to push past whatever is in your way. Work diligently on what is asked of you. The day of your test is merely icing on the cake. All the work necessary to progress is done between the belts!
