Thoughts of a Well Balanced Martial Artist

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on December 1, 2011 at 3:33 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Bruce Lee, Calasanz, Disipline, Dominican Republic, Training, unique and personal, victoria station, Women

Teaching the right technique, no matter what the critics say.

Calasanz came to this country with a dream after he found out not that he was just a talented martial artist, but that he was born with this gift. During the mid 80’s Calasanz created a strong name in law enforcement by teaching police officers, security personnel, special agents, and state troopers. He taught them how to properly defend themselves and it only took one hour with Calasanz to achieve this.

His fighting style involved counter attacks and what worked on the streets, especially for women. Martial arts is a religion that people want to believe in, here is a link of this lady who is one of the strongest people you could ever meet, with hips, torso, and pelvic strength that many do not possess.

Check out this video (above), some of the comments you read are from people that do not understand these methods. Comments like, “These are pointless techniques, that will get you killed in the street,” are examples of what you will read but those that know these tactics understand that these techniques are applicable to a real life situation. This person that made those comments believe there are no “bad students,” just “bad teachers,” and that “this technique will get you killed in the streets.”

Anyone that has met Calasanz knows that he does things that not many people can do. When it comes to power, speed, flexibility, the beauty of martial arts, he does movements where others would have a hard time understanding them, all related to expressing yourself. If Bruce Lee were alive, he would have been one of those skillful martial artists that wanted to meet Calasanz.

Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave,NorwalkCT06851

1.800.414.9544

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on November 30, 2011 at 2:25 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: counter attack, fighting, Self Defense, Training, unique and personal, Women

Single Blow and Street Survivor: Martial Art Courses for the Real World

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 Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave,Norwalk CT06851

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on October 10, 2011 at 1:04 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: balanced, Brutality, Calasanz System, conditioning, counter attack, Dominican Republic, Exercise, fighting, Fitness, Martial Arts, Self Defense, single blow, Training

THE PERFECT FIT (A Home Training Program)

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.

Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave.Norwalk,CT06851

1-800-414-9544

Beauty and reality of a martial arts system.

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on September 8, 2011 at 9:30 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: balanced, body, Calasanz System, conditioning, Exercise, Fitness, Martial Arts, technique, Traditional, Training, unique and personal, Women

I cannot understand it: by Calasanz

My system was created and modified with the purpose of helping women, often considered the weaker gender, to understand survival. I strongly believe that women consider themselves the weaker sex which it is not true. I would advise any female to read up on wing chun, why the style was created, and what the creator was capable of understanding. Women can carry a baby for nine months and man cannot; if that is not the definition of strength, I do not know what is. Strength or even the flipside of people considering themselves weak is not just related to women but applies to anyone who should ever happen to be in a situation when life or death are the only two outcomes.

I would love it if my life would have been a little more simpler, I spend time watching crime dramas and I cannot understand why someone can just let other person hurt them. I really believe that people should avoid being hurt or even killed in cold blood, or they should avoid being injured or murdered because they either get scared or refuse to take action to prevent it. I told my sister, “Die fighting.” Never let a man cause you harm because you are a woman, fight back, don’t let anyone hurt you, yes still you can be smart and not over do it. Understand that anyone is vulnerable when they believe that the person will not fight back.

I cannot comprehend how 85 people can die by watching somebody shooting at them and the men just decided to jump in the river to escape by swimming for their lives. How could something like this happen? 85 people dead at the hand of one individual, something is wrong with those that chose to run away. Why couldn’t five or 10 guys risk their lives and rush this guy? They could have overtaken this man and ended it early with not as many casualties. I am completely angry that something like this actually happened.

Survival is something we should all know, it should be a human instinct so fight back when we are in danger of any kind. Women, children, or anyone, do not let things like that happen, fight back, don’t let someone come and bully you or make you a victim. Again, look for the right moment, don’t rush but don’t die without a fight, make your life mean something. Life is too beautiful, planet Earth is too beautiful, stay here as long as you can.

Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave.Norwalk,CT06851

1-800-414-9544

Published in:

on July 27, 2011 at 3:00 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Calasanz System, fight, fighting, Martial Arts, Self Defense, Training, Wing Chun, Women

Honoring Yourself: Women and Self Defense – by Calasanz

Women and girls live with the reality of violence on a daily basis, whether it’s date rape, domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Women have to worry about going out at night, what they’re wearing, where they’re going and who they’re going with. Many can’t even find refuge in their own homes. One out of every four women is a victim of violent attacks and violence does not discriminate. Violence knows no age, marital status, class, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Regardless of the pervasiveness of violence against women, we have yet to see a war against it.

The war against women must begin in the heart and soul of the female population. On a mental level, you must realize that you are worth defending and that you are your first line of defense. On a physical level, you can make your body strong and learn the tools necessary to defend yourself. Why spend endless hours in a gym peddling a stationary bike to nowhere? What utility is there in zoning out on an elliptical trainer? Why not opt for a fitness regime that not only makes you strong and healthy, but also teaches you how to use your body as a weapon?

While many fitness centers offer kickboxing, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. The class you have been taking will do you no good in a real self defense situation. Many of these courses are taught by fitness instructors who have no idea how to teach the martial arts, let alone apply them in a self defense situation. We have seen a mass exodus from many of these so-called kickboxing classes with women (and men) suffering from a variety of injuries due to a lack of knowledge on the part of these instructors. We have had to undo the bad habits learned in these classes that lead to poorly executed techniques, torn ligaments and even broken bones.

Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave.Norwalk,CT06851

1-800-414-9544

Published in:

on June 22, 2011 at 1:55 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: balanced, Calasanz System, counter attack, fighting, Kickboxing, Martial Arts, Self Defense, Training, Women

Training Students from other Systems Part Two: A Lifetime of Lessons – Calasanz Extended Biography

Continued from: “Training Students from other Systems Part One: A Lifetime of Lessons – Calasanz Extended Biography”

In another case, a guy who was a third degree black belt visited me and enrolled in one of our Street Survivor classes. I paired him up with a 16 year old who had been training with us for only one month. I had them do some practical drills and the 16 year old got the best of him. He kicked him in the shin and dropped him to the ground. He got up from the floor and started crying when I told him that the kid who just knocked him down had only been training for one month!

Another problem with training students from other systems is that some lack the basics. There are many good martial art schools out there. The way I can tell if someone has had a good teacher is to look at their basics. Do they have a strong foundation? Can they throw a punch? Can they throw a kick without losing their balance? Are their stances strong and grounded? Some students from other systems know a lot of techniques, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know their basics. It is just a house built on a very shaky foundation. I had one woman come to my school who failed to mention that she had a black belt from another school. She told another one of my students of her rank, who later told me. I thought training her would be easy. Wrong. I gave her three techniques and asked her to put them into a sequence. Start in a front stance, switch to a horse stance and then switch back into a front stance. It took me 10 minutes to get her to do this right. It should have taken a well-trained black belt 3 seconds to do this properly.

Some experienced students started training in a style that was not particularly suited for them. For example, I have had some students over 40 who started training in a style that emphasized a lot of high kicking and jumping. Other styles demand low stances or too much snapping when kicking. It is no wonder that they come to me frustrated and feeling that maybe martial arts is not for them, even though they really enjoyed it. Any style can be practiced by anyone. It is up to the instructor to tailor the system to fit the student. Unfortunately, many schools have a “one size fits all” approach. This means that you have to keep up with the class with little or no special attention. I like to tailor the techniques to the particular student.

One woman enrolled in my school after 10 years of training in another system. She lacked confidence, could not fight and wasn’t very street smart. I personally trained her for 3 months and saw her confidence and skills improve dramatically. After the 3-month period, she decided to take the group class. I paired her up with another woman who was fairly new and had not had any martial arts training. This bothered her. I was hoping that by putting her with someone new, it would remind her how far she had come in her training. When she first started, she could not block a shin kick without experiencing pain in her leg. I told her that this would soon change and it did. Experienced martial artists who come to train with me are very often asked to assist with lower ranked students once we have taught them the basics of the system. Because there are students with different ranks, everyone learns from someone else. I also expected someone who had trained in martial arts for over 10 years to understand the importance of learning how to teach and assisting lower ranks. She could not see this. All she saw was that we put her to train with someone who was not as good as she was and this upset her. She had a lot to offer and the higher ranks had much to offer her. This is one of the ways we help students improve their skills. Unfortunately, she couldn’t understand it not matter how much we explained it.

This brings me to the case of a student who came to me after he had been hired by the sheriff’s department. He was having a problem dealing at job in controlling the people he was either arresting or transporting. He had taken martial arts classes for a long time and even though he was a good kicker, he had no concept of the streets. He asked his instructor for help and his response was “you’re smart enough to put it together.” So he came to me. I worked with him for 2 weeks. He had a lot to offer, he just needed someone to help him translate it into something practical. His teacher was not willing, but I was. After the 2 weeks, he never had a problem again. This man went on to become a police officer and trains with us to this day and has referred countless numbers of law enforcement officers to this school.

To be continued…

Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave. Norwalk, CT 06851

Published in:

on April 12, 2011 at 9:24 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: balanced, black belt, Calasanz System, Disipline, fighting, kicking, physical arts, Self Defense, Training, unique and personal, Women

Training the Beginner: A Lifetime of Lessons – Calasanz Extended Biography

Continued from: “Teaching the Calasanz System – Part Three: A Lifetime of Lessons – Calasanz Extended Biography”

I tell my beginning students to stop focusing on how they look and concentrate on how they feel. Do they have more energy? So they have more confidence? This is what is important. If you stick with something long enough, you will eventually see the physical results. But within a few months, you start to feel more secure in that you’ve learned something about defending yourself.

Our first job with beginners is to work on their coordination. New students sometimes come to this school with misconceptions about martial arts training and their own abilities. For example, I have had many new students who have only worked out on machines. Some of them have a hard time making this transition, especially when they have to rely on their bodies to do the work. I had one woman who enrolled in the school after having spent several years working with machines. She told me that she wanted to take the traditional approach to studying the martial arts. It took me many months to work on her coordination. She was studying for her green belt and had to break a board. She was nervous about this so I arranged for a black belt instructor to help her get ready for the break. Her training required that her instructor to swing at her, she would evade it and then strike the pad with her shin. The next day she came into my office and complained that she had a tiny bruise on her shin. She was very angry and I was even more upset that we were having this conversation. A tiny bruise is inconsequential to what she had learned. I told her that a tiny bruise is nothing in comparison to what she learned here at the school. I reminded her of all I went through just to teach her the basics. She was now coordinated and able to train on her own without equipment. She didn’t want to hear it. She left in the middle of class and didn’t return.

We’ve had many students who have trained here because they couldn’t train anywhere else. We had the patience to work with them and help them develop skills that they never thought they would have. Once they learn how to control their bodies, they go off to other martial arts schools or take up dancing, yoga or some other type of physical activity. Now we have trained them to adapt to any physical activity. We get a lot of students who end up coming back because of the amount of attention we pay to their training. When they return, they find they have forgotten what they worked so hard to attain. Some of them don’t understand that it is the skill of the instructor and their commitment that can help them maintain a healthy body for the rest of their lives.

To be continued…

Calasanz Martial Arts and Fitness

507 Westport Ave. Norwalk, CT 06851