Comment: Why drop your hands every time you kick?

Response: Thank you for your comment.  What you are watching here is a set of drills. Calasanz’s reality based system includes a lot of focus mitt work emphasizing power strikes.  Your observation is correct in that the student leaves himself totally vulnerable.  What you are not seeing is the corrections made by the instructor regarding the student dropping his hands between attacks.  The YouTube video was instructive for the student in watching his form and later correcting it with his instructor’s guidance.

Comment: Definitely able to deal out alot of punishment.–fast and devastating.

Response: Thank you for your comments.  What you’re seeing here is clips of Calasanz training and obviously we have taken the most sensational pieces to create an exciting montage.  Behind the scenes is a lot of hard work and consistent, well-planned training.  In keeping with Bruce Lee’s philosophy, Calasanz agrees that 10 minutes of smart training is more productive than 2-hour sloppy workout.  Thanks again for your encouragement!

Comment: What did Bruce Lee say? If he can’t win a fight in 30 seconds (or some insane short period of time) he might lose the fight. I think what he meant by that is if he hesitated to use his most devastating techniques he may lose. You don’t need a 3-5 minute round to end a fight when you use the right striking techniques (like to the head or eyes, neck and joints) and the fighting spirit to use them.

Response: Thanks for your comment and your observations. We agree 100%. In the mid-1980’s, Calasanz created a name by teaching the simplicity of the “single blow.”  In addition, he taught his students what he calls his “system side kick,” which emphasizes economy of motion and was a successful technique at many tournaments with his competitors. You may want to go to our website and check out “Calasanz: A Lifetime of Lessons,” a free brochure describing some of Calasanz philosophy on this topic. Thanks again for your interest.  Best of luck in your martial arts training!

Comment:  looks like mr miyagi teaching muay thai. ive done muay thai for a while now and neva kicked a bag with pads on lol, and if my shins were to bruised up i just would kick the bag full stop!

Response:  Thank you for your comment however misguided.  Calasanz has been teaching martial arts longer than you’ve been on this earth, so he knows a thing or two about conditioning. Our shin conditioning goes beyond the usual slamming of the shin against a heavy bag. It is a multi-exercise approach that will gradually build up the shin so our students avoid serious injuries and blood clots.  The taped bag that is being kicked in this video is very hard. If you can sustain a kick on this bag even with a shin pad, you’re okay. We prefer to train intelligently. If you want to cripple yourself, then go ahead. If you don’t train wisely in your 20’s, you will pay for it in your 50’s.

Comment: These are “pointless techniques, that will get you killed in the street”, and you can be sure that those who understand how you are attacked on the street would immediately make sense of what this lady is doing.

Response: Since the mid-80’s, Calasanz has earned his reputation as an instructor, especially with members of law enforcement.  He has taught self-defense to numerous police officers, special agents, state troopers, bodyguards and military personnel.  Men and women from these professions still come to his school. If his techniques were “pointless” and would “get you killed in the street,” his school would have closed a long time ago.  Calasanz has been very innovative with his use of power, speed and flexibility.  His system is focused on counter attacks that work for women.  The woman in this video is one of the strongest he has ever encountered after training in his system.  Her hip and torso power is extraordinary, which make her defensive movements powerful.

 Some students are so eager to learn, devoted, and talented that we want to “groom” them for the future.  We see so much hope and promise in them that we pour a lot of time, effort, and energy into their training, with the expectation that they will carry our dojo or system into the next generation. It can be devastating when this person walks out.  We’re human and we’re going to feel let down, betrayed, disappointed and maybe even a little pissed off. This is not very “Zen-like.” In these situations, it is important to have to have a good balance of feelings and logic. One cannot dominate your personality. If you’re too emotional, you’ll be out of control. If you are too logical, you’ll be too cold.  You have to have the right balance. Maintain your composure and realize that students have their own motivations for doing what they do.  Appreciate the time you’ve had with them, but know that most will move on and we have to let go.

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

Calasanz Woman’s Fitness

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.

Calasanz adult & youth fitness

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 Personal Training

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.”