As a girl, it's often intimidating to walk into a Boston martial arts gym - even though MA has become much more open in terms of gender in the past few decades, it's still a very male-dominated area of sports (aren't they all?). Which is why I was pleasantly surprised with my experiences at AIM (Academy of Integrated Martial Arts). Right from the start, AIM was friendly and welcoming. After the first class, I felt like I had made new friends. After the second Boston Self Defense class, I almost felt like part of the family. And a family it is - outside of classes, the group periodically invites all students to meals and other outside activities. After only three weeks at AIM, several invitations have been extended.
But it's not just about what goes on outside, of course - it's also about what AIM is like as a dojo. Jeff and Sioux are extremely competent leaders, and really know their stuff. They have studied many forms of martial arts, from karate and tai chi, to tae kwon do and kickboxing in boston - and everything in between! Learning self-defense has involved picking up numerous pieces of all of the defensive arts. One gains not only skills, but also confidence, capability, and, yes (the third "c"), compassion.
Click Here to check out their website, and definitely come check out a free class at AIM sometime soon! You won't be disappointed. (And, if you are, you haven't spent a dime or signed up for a thing!)
Martial arts in Boston, also called fighting systems, are systems of codified practices or traditions of training for fights, usually without the use of firearms or other modern weapons. Currently, students study martial arts for a variety of reasons including competition, fitness, boston self defense, self-improvement, meditation, mental or character development, and self-confidence.
"Martial arts" was transliterated in 1920 in Takenobu's Japanese-English Dictionary from Japanese bu-gei: "the craft/accomplishment of military affairs". This way of defining the term martial arts is translated directly from the Chinese term, wushu, literally, "martial art", meaning all kinds of Chinese martial arts.
This phrase is slightly opposed in its English language usage. Its strict definition should be "arts for military use" (flying fighter aircraft, sniper training, and so forth) but in regular usage it is used to refer to formalized methods of training to battle without modern technology. It is nevertheless valuable to distinguish between fighting systems intended for soldiers in battle (even without modern technology) and fighting systems meant for sport or for civilian practical self defense in boston.
Boston Karate will help you find your 'inner warrior'. Karate Do is the way of the empty hand and is very much about self knowledge and is not all about being violent. Follow a traditional progression to Black Belt. Study Japanese etiquette, terms and skills, get in the best shape of your life, learn practical self-defense (in Boston), and compete if you desire. Boston Karate is female friendly, their highest ranked students, in fact, are women.
Karate or karate-d. (the way of the open hand) is a martial art of Okinawan origin. Rather than being the creation of a single person, culture or time period, karate is a combination of different Okinawan fighting techniques, improved intermittently with admixture from various Chinese martial arts. In recent times, it is categorized by some as budo, brought to the Japanese main islands from Okinawa in 1921 by various Okinawan teachers who moved to Japan during the early 20th century. One who studies karate is sometimes referred to as a karate-ka. Karate-ka means a karate practitioner.
Karate focuses on explosive striking techniques, such as punching, kicking, knee/elbow strikes and open hand techniques. In addition though, grappling, joint manipulations, locks, restraints, throwing and vital point striking are included in the finer points of the form. Simple punching and kicking is too one shallow to be labelled true karate.
Generally, karate training is seperated into three main areas, kihon, kata and kumite. Kihon is the study of the basic moves, the basic components, nessecary to perform the art. Kata means 'form' and is a set of movements and techniques, linked together by the principles that the kata expresses, represented as a concrete sequence of moves against imaginary opponents. Kumite means 'sparring' and develops from well-defined kata to open sparring.
It is nessecary to remember that the kihon/kata/kumite area of the curriculum is by not a complete definition of the sum of the art, nor is it even the most 'traditional' technique. There are many varying expressions of karate technique located in the different styles, teachers and cultures, and none may be held as inferior or superiorto the others without a robust experiential knowledge of the art.
Boston Kick Boxing and Boston Muay Thai is Not Tae Bo! Get in 'fighting shape' with actual fighters' training methods and techniques. Jump rope, hit and kick the heavy bags and pads, work with focus mitts, practice footwork and shadow boxing and of course, get awesome abs! This is not a fighting class.
There are many additional deriviatives of this style, as well as mixed styles which have been used in specific competitions (e.g. K-1). The rules of 'Boston kick boxing' also change between these different styles.
The words Boston kickboxing is often disputed and has come to become more associated with the Japanese and American variations. It must be noted that many of the above styles do not call themselves 'kick boxing' as such, even though the general public uses the term broadly to mean all of these different martial arts. The term itself was invented by the Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi for a variation of Muay Thai and Karate that he designed in the 1950s; this word was later used by the American style. When used by the practioners of these 2 styles, it ussually refers to them specifically rather than the martial arts they were created from.
Boston Kickboxing, as a derivation of Boston Muay Thai, Karate as well as other forms, was designed to compete succesfully, against these martial arts. The original development of the styles (as well as the name) happened in Japan. However there were also other, similar influences gaining prominence in the United States, and American martial artists from many different disciplines toured both areas promoting the creation of a unified kickboxing in boston standard.
Boston Muay Thai ("Thai Boxing") is the Thai term for an indigenous type of martial art taught and studied in several southeast Asian countries including Cambodia (where it is known as Pradal Serey) and Myanmar where it is widley known as Lethwei .
Traditional Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand as a martial art utilized by the military. The military form of Muay Thai is known as Lerdrit, and today's "Sport Muay Thai" gently differs from the original art and uses kicks and punches in a ring and with gloves like those used in regular boxing. Muay Thai is called "The Science of Eight Limbs", as the hands, feet, elbows, and knees are all utilized heavily in this art.
Sit Dang Muay Thai in Boston is lead by Kru Jeff Burger who studied and was certified at The Muay Thai Institute in Bangkok, Thailand. This Institute is run under the direct guidance of The World Muay Thai Council, the official governing body for Muay Thai worldwide. Training with Sit Dang Muay Thai in Boston can be for fitness or for competition. The environment in class is very relaxed and beginners are definetly welcome. There is no sparring in the Level I class. Sit Dang student Sioux Gerow is a 2004 USKBA Women's Amateur World Champion in Thaiboxing and they will be building a bigger winning team in 2005.
The world of Martial Arts in Boston, self defense classes in boston included, contains so much more than a gym. All of the studio's programs are classes - with teaching and guidance, to keep you motivated and making progress. Boston's Sit Dang Muay Thai offers excelent programs in Boston Kickboxing, Boston Self-Defense, and Boston Karate as well as periodic seminars on varied topics in boston martial arts.
The K.I.C.K program offers after-school karate as a positive character building program for children ages 6 and up. K.I.C.K. Boston Karate is a positive, enjoyable and very safe program for students to promote skills they can use their entire lives. Classes are designed to build fitness, karate skill, discipline, confidence and self esteem, respect for themselves and others, team spirit and cooperation. Kids who participate in Team and Community Karate events become members of Team KICK and are entitled to free testing, promotions and best of all compeition. Boston North End Kids Karate classes at the K.I.C.K. clubhouse 51 North Margin St which is located directly across from Pizzeria Regina. The K.I.C.K. after school Karate programs are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.