One-on-one Training – Personal training that designs a workout that is just right for you.
Science – A life time of experience studying the function and potential of the human body and applying effective methods that will achieve peak physical conditioning.
Personal Choice – The best results come when a person truly enjoys our fitness program. Choose martial arts training, aerobic dance, yoga, boxing, weight training, and much more.
Infinite Possibilities – Change it up. Calasanz offers such a wide range of disciplines to choose from, being like every other school is just not an option. Start your training at Calasanz by calling him at (203)-847-6528, by visiting the dojo at 507 Westport Avenue, in Norwalk, Connecticut, or by checking out the website at http://www.calasanz.com/. Come on by for a free trial class.
“Siam does not teach anymore.” This is a phrase you hear in regards to ancient martial arts. Today, those older, more traditional forms have been modified, especially here in America.
Being born with a gift for martial arts, being aware of the fact that when you train in the correct martial art, you can say age does not exist, it is not just that you are working out but rather what kind of work out are you doing. If a grand master comes and sees you training, immediately they would know what kind of physical activity you participate in. If you are at a gym pumping weights, do you know that all you are doing is taking years off your life? There is a way that you can do things differently and turn your training into your best advantage. That is when we say, “Age is just a number, you can beat it.” But how many do it? Let’s makes it clear, aging occurs, you get more mature and you get older, but you can turn it around and even when you are 90 years old, you could be capable of doing anything that a 35, 40, 45 year old can do. First find the facts, find the logic, find the science, and above all else, find common sense to what you are doing.
95% of the population is not doing the right training, including those who do physically demanding work but still are not gaining much. People are going to a fitness centers, or doing martial arts are not adapting training and martial arts into their lives or as their way of life. Here comes the word, “Breathing.” Do you understand the meaning of Breathing? Probably not. If you see a karate instructor, a physically fit person, or a body builder, approach to them and touch their body or muscle, you will notice the tightness and the amount of force wasted, meaning every second that passes they are taking days, months, or years off their life span just because they are doing something that is not helping them at all. This all comes from not breathing properly. The training that they are engaged in is just hurting them but when they are young and working out, they feel good and do not notice.
All of this knowledge as you get older, become more mature, and gain more intelligence, converts into skill, then skill converts into understanding and that is when you find the answer to the phrase “Siam is not teaching anymore.” Watch the movie “Kickboxer” starring Jean Claude Van Damme and you will see a lot. When you, as a teacher of the martial arts, primarily Kung Fu, start understanding the secrets behind it, sometimes you want to pull back from making others feel better, helping them live longer and have a better life. All of this is based on the reality of life and that is, if there is not trust on your part towards these people, then it will not work. Yet, many masters still insist on hiding or preserving their secrets and pulling back from teaching, they do not feel that you deserve it and that is the real truth.
Many believe the Chinese have discovered the secret to a longer life. If you understand the beauty of life, the beauty of a longer life, then you would think otherwise. 10 years extra of life, even one year is great, you would see more of this world than you would have seen had you not lived in whatever extra time you were granted by discovering these secrets to longevity.
The reason that Calasanz became so popular and one of the most respected names in the martial arts world is because in the early 80’s he was working 24 hours a day training his guys to promote him and that is exactly what they did. They promoted and made Calasanz’s name, and not just because they looked good doing it. It was because Calasanz, together with his students, were doing the incredible and still doing it, and he does it better in the present day, in a more organized way.
Most martial artists will tell you that your chances of surviving abduction once an attacker gets you into his car are slim to none. Their advice is to fight for your life because statistics show that the consequences are grim. On Wednesday, July 28, 2004, Larissa del Mar Fiallo, was assaulted by two men who tried to kidnap her in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The incident made international news because Ms. Fiallo is this year’s Miss Dominican Republic. What interested us about the story reported by CNN.com (July 29, 2004) was that Ms. Fiallo was able to escape her attackers “thanks to her knowledge of judo.” She explained how she fought back when the two men tried to get her into their car and how she knocked over the larger one three times. Her attackers fled the scene and an investigation is pending. While Ms. Fiallo suffered deep cuts and bruises to various parts of her body, she survived the attack and was released from the hospital several days later.
Violent crime is on the rise in the Dominican Republica as the country faces one of the “worst economic crises in decades, according to CNN.com. Calasanz was born and raised in this country where he learned about self-defense first hand. His experience did not come from pre-arranged tournaments with competitors wearing padding and subjecting themselves to the rules and regulations of sparring. He learned hand-to-hand combat in an environment where a man is routinely challenged to physically defend him and others.
Calasanz has combined his real life experience and martial arts training into two courses designed to serve the needs of a public interested in fitness and self-defense. “While we teach traditional martial arts as part of our curriculum, if people request it, most want to get into shape and learn how to fight,” says Calasanz. “They don’t want to spend years learning forms or weapons that were used in ancient societies. And they could care less about belts and stripes.” Most of the students who train at Calasanz are busy executives, professionals and homemakers who want a curriculum that emphasizes fitness and self-defense. “Many of my students travel for business and are concerned with their safety in an increasingly uncertain world. They want to be prepared to defend themselves and their loved ones.”
The essence of the Single Blow and Street Survivor Courses is to strike where an attacker is most vulnerable and to get away. Single Blow is our basic course designed for those who wish to learn a simple, effective form of self-defense in a short period of time. Street Survivor is a more complex version of Single Blow, which includes more techniques and technical training. The one feature that both courses have in common is Calasanz’ Body Conditioning System. A defensive blow is useless unless the person delivering it is able to focus his or her power. Calasanz has always believed that the study of self-defense begins with making a connection to your physical body and learning how to use it as a weapon. It is from there that Calasanz and his trained instructors teach you his unique philosophy of counterattacks and how to use them in any situation.
We at Calasanz wish Ms. Fiallo a speedy recovery and commend her for her bravery in the face of extreme danger. She serves as an example to all of us of why we study the martial arts. For those interested in either the Single Blow or Street Survivor Course, contact the school for a personal consultation.
CALASANZ PHYSICAL ARTS® evolved out of the martial arts tradition. It is the fastest way to get into shape and learn self-defense. Our system grew out of two programs I established to accommodate students who asked for special training. The first program was primarily used to improve athletic performance, called the YOUNG ATHLETES. Parents who trained with me or heard about my school asked if I could do something to improve their children’s athletic performance. I took the best the martial arts had to offer and combined them in a training system to maximize athletic conditioning and skill in a relatively short time. I worked with athletes specializing in tennis, soccer, football, basketball, ice hockey, dance, gymnastics and baseball to get fast results.
Another component of CALASANZ PHYSICAL ARTS® is the self-defense piece. This came out of a request from law enforcement officers; fire fighters and military personnel who wanted to get into shape and learn hardcore self-defense without having to spend years studying a traditional martial art. These people had no time for belts or tournaments. They had to worry about survival. I devised a one-month intensive to accomplish these goals.
Both programs were so successful that I decided to combine them into one program for the benefit of the general public. CALASANZ PHYSICAL ARTS® is popular because of its ability to get quick results and to keep you interested in your training. In creating this system, I designed a collection of exercises and techniques that focus on developing power, grounding, balance, endurance and flexibility.
There are so many different exercises in the system that boredom is impossible! I have created many variations on the basic exercises…from moving in different directions to working out in a seated or standing position. I love to change up the exercises from time to time to keep your workout fresh and to keep your muscles guessing.
CALASANZ PHYSICAL ARTS® is a great alternative to working out at a gym on machines, free weights or with a personal trainer. It’s a system that gets you into shape, teaches you how to defend yourself and keeps your workout fresh and exciting.
Why CALASANZ KARATE AND KUNG-FU SYSTEM over your local karate studio? We have one of the largest facilities in New England for training and exercise. We have developed a refined system of five disciplines specifically to improve your hockey skills. Calasanz Kickboxing and Goju-Ryu Karate techniques yield explosive leg power, shoulder strength, and forearm strength. Wing Chun Kung-Fu and American Boxing techniques enhance grounding and balance skills. We also teach injury prevention skills and have helped many individuals rehabilitate themselves.
The plan is tailored to fit your hectic athletic schedule. We recommend one day per week in season and one – two days per week out of season. Personalized, group, family, or team plans are available. This program is for ages 5 and above.
If you are a female hockey player, you must realize how popular this sport has become in the last few months because of the women’s U.S.A. Hockey Team’s past achievement of winning the Olympic Gold Medal. Colleges, particularly Ivy League Colleges, will be recruiting for their hockey programs for years to come. We feel our system of training, exercise, and athleticism might give you that competitive edge against another athlete of comparable hockey skills, thereby helping you fulfill your dreams.
Are you trying to make the travel team instead of the rec. team? Possibly, you’re trying to be selected to the Varsity team instead of the J. V. team. College hockey may be your dream or maybe you just want to beat the Canadians when your team competes in Canada.
My system of training and exercise creates total body conditioning for any sport. It is a unique and simplistic system anyone can learn. We start with flexibility, stretching, and light weight exercises. We improve all athletic skills by teaching fully coordinated body movements. We teach an individual how to train aggressively yet intelligently. After the fundamentals are understood, we make your techniques sport specific for hockey.
The benefits of my system yields explosive leg power, improves stride length, and increases leg speed…as forearm and shoulder strength improves, as you will stick handling, soft hands, and wrist shot techniques improve. My system of hip movements will enhance your checking, slap shot, and taking skills. We will increase your hip flexion and hip extension strength. With years of training in my system, your peripheral vision will improve dramatically. Your foot speed, hand speed, concentration, and hand-eye coordination will all get noticeably better. We even teach breathing techniques to help you relax between shifts. The balance techniques we teach are unique to our system and are very, very effective
We utilize different exercises for male and female athletes. Our techniques for women maintain femininity yet increase strength and endurance beyond comparison. We incorporate plyometric exercises to improve and complement speed techniques. We work hard to build a strong foundation, so that when you begin lifting heavier weights to excel in Midget, Junior, or College hockey, you have developed total body strength and excellent flexibility, through our system of training.
We give you the mental strength to accept challenges you normally wouldn’t accept. We develop the physical strengths and confidence to accomplish those challenges. We use positive motivation techniques to help individuals achieve their desired results.
The basic and founding principles of the Calasanz System are extremely straightforward, intuitive and logical, yet, unfortunately, they are almost universally ignored in traditional Martial Arts training. All techniques must have three fundamental components to be effective: power, speed and focus (a technique that misses the target, is easily avoided, or is simply brushed aside clearly isn’t very effective). In order to develop power, speed and focus it is absolutely essential that there be balance, flexibility and strength throughout the entire range of motion. These qualities don’t mysteriously emerge. They must be systematically and carefully developed.
In most traditional schools, the drills and exercises have been passed from teacher to student and have become part of the “tradition”. The techniques usually require a very advanced degree of training to do well or even partially well. Unfortunately, doing something partially right is obviously doing it partly wrong. The cumulative stress and damage to joints, tendons and ligaments in this process of “learning” frequently results in long term and /or permanent degenerative injury. This is especially true after adolescence, when the body has stopped growing.
There is another equally dangerous flaw to this type of rote practice. When techniques are done incorrectly they are simply not effective. Blind repetition won’t magically transform this or make them work. Calasanz is continually reminding students that practice does not make perfect. Practice makes habit. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
Eventually, the student may approximate something that looks correct, but in actuality, the problem areas and weaknesses have only become much more subtle and difficult to correct. The end result is that the vast majority of students will never progress beyond a very mediocre level. Sadly, more practice will only compound the problem and just increase the chance of injury.
The Calasanz System was designed, among other things, to address these two fundamental and critical failings in traditional Martial Arts training. As stated above, it is a scientific and systematic approach to Martial Arts training and mastery designed to take virtually anyone to their highest potential as a Martial Artist in the shortest time possible without brutality or injury. This is a very strong statement to make, but it has been continually proven again and again with people of all ages (men and women) and in all ranges of physical condition. It is a direct result of how unique and effective the system is that helps explain why we are currently the largest school in the country and the quality and diversity of our students. Calasanz sums up the success of the school and its acclaimed international reputation in two favorite phrases: “Martial Arts for Everyone and Traditional Concept with a Modern Approach”.
Hopefully, the first is clear from the discussions above. With systematic development and skillful practice virtually anyone can learn the Martial Arts. Many traditional schools feel brutality and/or intimidation is essential to develop the necessary physical and mental qualities and stamina required in the Martial Arts. This is simply not the case. There are many ways to accomplish this – brutality/intimidation being among the least effective. Some schools are run, in the name of discipline, as if they were actually para – military organizations. Again, not only is this unnecessary but ineffective for the vast majority of people. Students from other styles find the supportive atmosphere of mutual respect at the school a very welcome change. Calasanz has found over the years that “change” brought about through fear or intimidation is seldom permanent. Change brought about by cultivating and developing the requisite “inner” qualities, on the other hand, is not only permanent, but has a transforming effect that touches every aspect of an individual’s life.
The Perfect Fit was created by martial arts master, fitness teacher and film star, Calasanz. The Perfect Fit operates as a division of Calasanz Karate & Kung-Fu System, Inc. located in Norwalk. Through his experience, Calasanz discovered that martial arts can be intimidating to many people, therefore, they lose interest in learning more about it. The Perfect Fit is personal training program through martial art and is done in the privacy of your own home. This eliminates the feeling of intimidation, yet offers the complete benefits of the martial art.
Calasanz created a well-rounded system of martial art which offers, at the same time, extensive exercise routines which are tailored to the needs of any individual to accomplish a complete work-out and, at the same time, target specific areas in need of exercise.
This type of training is much different from the traditional routines followed in a gym. We do not use equipment except for free weights and, for some people, ankle weights. For those who prefer to use their exercise equipment, we incorporate this into their program. But eventually, most people prefer to learn more and more of the exercises we have to offer because they are incredibly effective and cover more ground than any one machine used in a traditional gym. Our exercise increases flexibility, strength, stamina, and endurance immediately and has proven time and time again to benefit other sports activities
THE PERFECT FIT specializes in personal training for fitness, aerobic isolation, and kickboxing. It is a unique way of getting into shape and has endless benefits. Learn how to work out, sculpt the body and, at the same time, learn self defense. Workout without the use of traditional machines. Learn how to create a strong, beautiful body and maintain it for the rest of your life.
Because martial arts has primarily been a sport popular to men, it was unbecoming for women to have interest in martial arts. The “traditional training” performed in most schools has a tendency to be quite brutal and eventually creates a very masculine image for women to the most feminine body. One of Calasanz’s specialties has been working with women to create a feminine, strong, and fit body which can endure the challenges of the most “traditional martial art.” Exercise varies from men and women to create the appropriate image for each. Men have a tendency to have a more muscular type of form, where women need to have a leaner and longer form.
Through the Perfect Fit you can sculpt your body into the fittest condition possible, achieve your fitness goals, improve current sports activities and learn something new and exciting at the same time.
Over the last four years, I briefly departed from solely teaching on a one-on-one basis and ventured into small group classes. I began teaching martial arts in the early 80’s and built my reputation by training students one-on-one. I am pleased to say that I have decided to go back to my roots and concentrate on One-on-One Personal Training.
For 25 years, I’ve privately trained Wall Street executives, CEOs from major corporations, professional athletes like the Hartford Whalers ice hockey team, tennis star Ivan Lendl, best-selling authors Cathy Cash Spellman and Patty Davis Reagan, as well as Henry Kissinger’s personal bodyguard, and members of the military and law enforcement services.
I have decided to make this change because this is what I enjoy most and it is where I see the most progress with my students. Understanding that private martial arts training can be a costly, I have offered packages over the last 20 years packages for one, two, three, and even four years at a considerable savings for a long term commitment. A package avoids the high cost of private lessons, which can individually run from $95 to $380 per hour.
Many of you have been comfortable purchasing long term packages not only for the savings, but with the knowledge that I have been in business for over 30 years and am not some “fly by night” operation that is going to close its doors and leave you flat.
I am currently offering long-term packages at great prices for those of you interested in embracing the martial arts as a hobby or as something special that you just do for yourself.
If you are interested in working toward the goal of earning your black belt for instance, you can commit to one year with a savings of more than half of what it would cost you in a month-to-month program. If you have already committed to a 3, 6, 9 month or one year program and would like to enroll long-term, you can still take advantage of the discounted program. Just see me and we can easily make an adjustment to your program.
For those of you who decide to take advantage of a package, I’d like to sit down with you and determine your ultimate goal. Would you like to:
Lose Weight? Get fit? Try our Physical Arts program?
Many of you want to learn self-defense and how to be more self-confident. This is and has been our specialty for over 30 years. I not only focus on the physical aspect of learning street defense, but also how not to “lose it” in a confrontation. Remember that Ted Bundy killed over 100 young women and was stopped by the one who fought back and got away! It was her description of this monster that finally put him behind bars. Bundy didn’t expect her to fight back…but she did and stunned him with the element of surprise.
My system is designed for the real world, for real people. It is practical enough to teach you the skills you need without brutal training regimes that serve you no purpose. For whatever your goals, I can work out a long-term package for you that will motivate you and save you money at the same time. Just make an appointment with me and we can work out the details. A good example to be aware of If you sign for a package to finish it on 6 months, if you decided to finish on 4 years still you don’t have to pay extra while you have lessons left, which is why a package is designed to be paid in advance, that is the purpose of the commitment and that is why you are saving more than half of the cost.
THERE’S AN ANCIENT CHINESE PROVERB WHICH SAYS, “IT TAKES YEARS FOR THE STUDENT TO FIND HIS TEACHER, AND THE TEACHER HIS STUDENT” SIMPLY PUT, NO ONE STYLE OF MARTIAL ARTS IS RIGHT FOR EVERYONE. THE SIMPLE FACT IS, DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS EXCEL AT DIFFERENT STYLES OF MARTIAL ARTS. WITH THE WELL ROUNDED BLEND OF WING-CHUN KUNG-FU, JAPANESE KARATE, KICK BOXING AND FREE-WEIGHT WORKOUT PROGRAM. YOUR SEARCH CAN BE OVER. YOU CAN FIND OUT NOW WHICH STYLE OF MARTIAL ART IS BEST SUITED TO YOU. THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE AT CALASANZ. WHETHER YOU ARE MALE, FEMALE, YOUNG, OLD, NEW OR EXPERIENCED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS, CALASANZ CAN HELP YOU FIND YOUR SPECIAL PLACE IN THE WORLD OF MARTIAL ARTS TODAY!
