Happy Monday Team!
I am exciting to announce our return to a more formal grading and testing system to both hasten, and focus, the progress of our students in their pursuit of striking mastery.
One of my most bittersweet memories as a coach was Wednesday, March 11th, 2020. We had a packed house full of striking students on the mats with over 25 testing out of the fundamentals program. It was intense. Probably one of our biggest and most energizing nights we had ever had on the mats since we opened in 2017.
Of course, a few days later we closed down and didn’t reopen for a few months — to small outdoor classes in the park, a totally different vibe.
It’s been a crazy rollercoaster these last two years (and I know I don’t have to tell you that at all 
!), but coming full circle now and returning back to the testing system we had previously used feels appropriate.
Over the last two years, making any sort of long term plans, or establishing any institutional changes, has been difficult. We switched from being proactive to reactive, just trying to stay mobile enough to maximize what we could offer under whatever circumstances emerged at the time.
Anyway, mark your calendars for Wednesday, May 18th, at 6pm. We’ll be hosting a Fundamentals Test for our Striking program. This is the formal process through which students can move up into our 201 program.
Students who want to participate in this test will need a minimum of 4 weeks training under their belt, as well as all necessary gear (mouthguard, gloves, and shinguards). There is no cost to test.
More advanced students who have not yet previously tested are welcome to participate as well. Consider it a review.
Those who pass the test will be permitted to start in our 201 program, with testing running monthly. Students will be required to demonstrate and explain techniques, as well as perform certain minimal conditioning drills, to pass. If you do not actively prepare for this, you will have a very difficult time.
We’ll have more information for you shortly!