THE RED CORNER

NEWS AND UPDATES FROM THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 16th, 2024

 

Happy Monday Team!

Let’s give a big round of applause to our two athletes, Makhi and Tre, for outstanding performances at Gut Check Championship this past Saturday night.  Both athletes exhibited extremely high level skill, composure, conditioning, and courage en route to two dominant wins over some tough opponents.

As a coach, I am of course thrilled for the athletes who get to enjoy the fruits of their hard work (after all, they’re the ones who train, who sacrifice the time, and who have to walk into the fire on fight night and bare themselves to the world at large).  But I’m also excited to see that what we focus on actually works.  After all, isn’t that the point?  To learn what works?  And to know that our time and energy is moving us forward in our development?

So, a little bit of validation is always nice!  But that’s what makes these combat sports exciting — the games are always changing, so our approaches must constantly evolve.  We have to go out there and test what we do and see what works and what doesn’t.

Over time, you start to see patterns, and you start to develop a signature style.  The North Star “style” is not so much a product of my efforts, rather it’s a massive collaborative effort that involves all the coaches, all the fighters, and all the students.  It’s an interplay between all the elements that produces something unique.

With that said, we are holding our first Level 2 Shorts Test on Saturday, October 12th, at 12pm.  This is a test on the foundations of the North Star Thaiboxing style, and will act as both a challenge and a review.  It is designed for all students with 3+ months experience and will be a requirement for all students interested in progressively more difficult tests that are currently in the pipeline.

Traditionally, Muay Thai gyms do not operate under a belt or ranking system like many other martial arts.  As such, many gyms opt for “shorts tests” instead.  These are not participation trophies — these involve meeting performance and technical standards that can only be met through hard, consistent training.

While the test is free, the shorts are $45 — you can opt to test without purchasing the shorts, so there is really no excuse not to come hang out and have some fun on a Saturday afternoon in October!

To register for the Level 2 Shorts Test, click here!

 

In BJJ news, we are welcoming our new Fall Guest Instructor to the lineup this week.

Coach Valor Boyer returns through October and will be running our Jiu Jitsu 201 classes on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm.

The term “world class” is thrown around often, especially in internet marketing, but rarely is it intended literally.  However, Coach Valor Boyer is literally a world class grappler in that he is recognized as one of the best in the world in his division.  If you have trained with him previously, you know how true this is.

I am extremely excited to be able to bring such knowledge and talent onto the mats.   Let’s make sure to roll out the red carpet for him this week and show up in force on Wednesday evening!

We have two big Jiu Jitsu tournaments coming up — Grappling Industries on 10/5 and Tap Cancer Out in mid November, and a ton of work to do to prepare.  No more days off — I’ll see you on the mats!

 

For reference, our full event lineup is below:

• 9/18 — Coach Valor Boyer begins his Guest Instructor residency
• 9/24 — September Slamboree
• 9/28 — Major League Muay Thai featuring Gianna Vadino in Santa Monica, California
• 10/5 — Grappling Industries in Broomall, PA
• 10/12 — North Star Level 2 Shorts Test
• 10/23 — ISKA International Championships featuring Gianna Vadino and Tim Green in Vienna, Austria
• 11/14 — Tap Cancer Out in Hatfield, PA
• 11/22 — WAKO Kickboxing Nationals in Delaware

 

 

–Coach Jackson

You can find this week’s Monday Mindset HERE

You can find this week’s Junior Samurai Stripe Challenge HERE