THE RED CORNER: NEWS AND UPDATES AT THE NORTH STAR ACADEMY

March 25th, 2024

 

Happy Monday Team!

We are in the last week of March which means we’re wrapping up a bunch of our curriculum, as well as hosting our monthly Slamboree on Tuesday.

For our Striking 101 students, Slamboree is an opportunity to test into our intermediate program.  So, what do you need to qualify?

Well, for starters, you’ll need the proper gear.  This includes boxing gloves (which you already have), knee pads, and sparring grade shin guards.  We have knee pads and shin guards for sale at $10 and $70 respectively, although you never have to purchase gear from the pro shop!

The term “sparring grade” refers to a certain level of quality and construction that provides excellent protection for your training partners.  Often, students will tell me “why do I need thicker shin guards?  I don’t mind if I take a bump on my shin with what I have” and my reply is always “well, I don’t want to get kicked with those” 🙂

So, make sure to always take the approach towards training of how to be the best and safest training partner for your teammates.  When we are all committed to each other’s safety, then we can all train hard and get the real work done!

Slamboree is also a giant BJJ open mat.  Although we ask you to arrive in your gi (for, ya know, the ‘Gram) you are welcome to shed the uniform and train nogi all night.

For our Youth Students, we have GRAPPLEMANIA on the last class of the month — in this case, it’s Thursday.  All pending promotions will be carried out on Thursday so if your child is due to their next belt, we’ll be promoting them this week!

Lastly, don’t forget that our free BJJ workshop featuring IBJFF standout Valor Boyer is this Wednesday at 7:30pm!  This workshop is geared towards the nogi De La Riva guard and the berimbolo.  While this workshop is open to all levels, there will be a lot of inverting and the subject matter may be a little esoteric for the very new student.

I don’t want to discourage you from attending, but self-select and show up (or not) as you please.  Note, there will be no 201 or 101 level BJJ classes on Wednesday.

And while this workshop is entirely free, we encourage you to tip the host if you have a good time.  Suggested tip is $10-20.  And if you start wrecking the upperbelts with your new skills, we recommend $40 🙂

Looking forward to seeing you all on the mats!

 

–Coach J

You can find this week’s Monday Mindset HERE

You can find this week’s Stripe Challenge HERE