Here is a link to an article about the gym that appeared in the on-line news magazine my 02818 dot com. I was training Neil when the reporter came in and he watched us train for a while. Mainly a general information article that covers all the points. Enjoy.......
From
the outside of this old building it appears to be an abandoned
building. However, when 5 p.m. comes around, the building just off Main
Street morphs into a breeding ground for some of the best-trained
fighters in Rhode Island.
It’s the Battleground Training Center, a gym geared to boxing and mixed martial arts.
“We
want people who want to train smart and blow off some steam,” said
owner Chris Jacobs. “This is the type of place I would have wanted as a
teenager.”
Battleground, between Crestar and Centreville Bank,
offers an eclectic mix of training sessions in a variety of different
disciplines. Six days a week, they offer classes in boxing, mixed
martial arts, submission grappling, muay-thai, ju-jitsu, Brazilian
jiu-jitsu, and Filipino kali.
“We have a true mix of martial arts training here,” said Jacobs.
It’s
two o’clock in the afternoon and William Shultz, an East Greenwich
resident, is in deep concentration as he trains 29 year-old Neil Brzoza
in the new 1,500 square foot spring loaded matted cage. The heavily
patted Shultz, a muay thai and Filipino kali specialist, is being
pummeled by various kicks and punches from Brzoza. Besides the pair,
the gym is empty and Brzozas’s repeated strikes, sound like a leather
belt hitting bare skin, reverberate throughout the gym.
Members
must be at least 18 years-old, however, Jacobs will make an exception
for minors depending on parental consent and their grades in school.
Prices
for membership range from $60 to $80 per month. The $60 membership
grants participants access to the boxing program, while the $80
membership gives members a pass to all of the other training sessions
offered at the gym.
The boxing program, one of the most popular
in the gym, is headed by former female lightweight champion of the
world Jaime Clampitt. Clampitt, nicknamed The Hurricane, carries a
professional record of nineteen wins, 4 loses and 1 draw. According to
Clampitt, the boxing program at Battle Grounds attracts roughly 50
members per week.
“It’s funny, a lot of the guys know who I am
and respect me as a boxer,” said Clampitt. “But someone new coming in
to train would question, who is this girl and how is she going to teach
me?”
One of Clampitt’s prized pupils is Phil Dudley, 26 of West
Warwick, who began training at the Battle Grounds two years ago when he
moved to Rhode Island from New London, Connecticut to started taking
classes at New England Tech. Prior to joining Battleground, Dudley had
never boxed before.
“Boxing is something I always wanted to do
and in Connecticut I didn’t have a gym by my house,” said Dudley, a
2009 Golden Golves champion in the 132-pound weight class. “I always
loved watching boxing but once I got into it, I fell in love with it.”
Although
Dudley has only been training for two years he already boasts an
impressive 9-1 amateur record. One day he hopes to reach the summit of
the sport.
“I am going to go as long as I can go,” said Dudley. “My ultimate goal is to be the champ.”
“This kid has done more in two years than most guys do in their entire career,” said Clampitt.
While
boxing remains one of the gym’s main attractions, another big draw is
the Mixed Martial Arts training. Mixed Martial Arts or MMA as it is
known, has seen a meteoric rise in recent years coinciding with the
popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The UFC has
become the most widely known professional MMA league in the country.
While the top ranked boxers in the world can only be seen on premium
channels like HBO, the UFC hosts weeknight shows on cable television
channel SpikeTV, including the popular reality series The Ultimate
Fighter. The UFC also offers a higher number of pay-per view events
each year than boxing.
“More and more gyms are starting to add MMA because financially you can offer more programs,” said Clampitt.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Congratulations to Kyle for his win in his Muay Thai fight Saturday night in Fall River, MA. His opponent came to fight and put in a valliant effort, but Kyle was able to control most of the fight. You did a great job representing Battleground and Mongrel Muay Thai! This brings Kyle's record to 7 & 3.
I'll post some pictures in the Gallery. Sorry folks, we're not posting the fights on You Tube at this time.
TheEast Coast Krabi Krabong Camp
With Ajarn Steve Wilson will be held on Oct. 3rd and 4th at the Battleground Training Center in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Training starts at 9:30. Please arrive by 9:00 to register.
Battleground Training Center 461 Main Street East Greenwich, RI 02818
william @ mongrelcombativearts . com
Best regards, Kru William
Just a note....
The camp went really well. It was a very good time for all that attended. I spent all day Friday working with him mainly on the Nattapong KK. At the camp we went over lots of fun, nasty open hand Muay Boran/Kachuek and then we went into the KK. We spent most of Saturday going over the
version of KK from Col. Nattapong of the Thai Military. Different, but good. Then we spent most of Sunday going over the Buddhai Sawan KK of Ajarn Sumai that we've been doing. We then expanded on it it into other areas and new training drills. I'm already thinking about when I can bring Ajarn Wilson back.
Kru William
What can you expect to experience coming to the East Coast Krabi Krabong Camp with Ajarn Steve Wilson? This Review by Dog Brother Loki "Tricky Dog" Jorgenson who has previously hosted Ajarn Wilson will give you a good idea……
Weapons Alert!!! If you aren't charmed by a length of well-balanced cold steel, ignore this review. You won't be missing anything.....
And yet - given our school's mission - to focus on southeast Asian weapons training, we would be missing out big time if Ajarn Stephen Wilson and Krabi Krabong hadn't come to town. For just about any other martial artist, especially those with Thai roots, Krabi Krabong is simply something you have to experience to understand.
And so we did on Nov. 20/21 2004 in Vancouver, Canada.
As many of you no doubt know, Krabi-Krabong is a traditional Thai weapons martial art still practiced in Thailand. This tradition focuses on hand-held weapons as well as empty hand techniques. Specifically the:
* Krabi (sword)
* Plong (quarterstaff)
* Ngao (staff with blade in the end)
* Daab Song Meu (a pair of swords held in each hand)
* Mae Sun-Sawk (a pair of clubs like oversized tonfa)
Although for most Thais Krabi Krabong is a ritual to be display during festivals or at tourist venues, the art is still taught according to a 400-years-old tradition handed down from Ayutthaya's Wat PutthaiSwan. The King's elite bodyguard are still trained in Krabi-Krabong.
Ajarn Stephen Wilson himself is part of the Household of the Thai Royal Family, Bodyguard Division, having trained extensively at the Buddhai Sawan temple in Bangkok with Ajarn Samai (now passed on).
We hadn't really had much contact with Ajarn Stephen prior to the seminar (except by e-mail) - but we were pretty keen to get more direct instruction in KK. Our previous sources had been sporadic influxes of instruction from Guro Dan Inosanto, Ajarn Arlan Sanford, and Guro Marc Denny over the previous 4 years.
And the results? Just what the doctor ordered!!! Ajarn Stephen is not your usual martial artist - not only is he a wealth of information (on KK and lots of other aspects of Thai culture) but he is also very sincere in his devotion to the arts. He doesn't put out any ego or any trashy flash. He is entirely honest about what he knows and what the arts are about. And he knows very well of which he speaks and teaches.
What does that translate to? Insight. Into a very traditional martial art. Not repackaged for instant consumption by a mass market. But transferred with all its original integrity to students with open minds. Not stripped down to some "street-wise" bastardized eclecticism. But taught with a mind to the principles that makes this a seriously bad-ass open field fighting system.
How bad-ass? Ask a Dog Brother. Ask this Dog Brother - after having my hand broken in a toe-to-toe shoot-out with one of ajarn Sanford's fighters (Jeff "Sleeping Dog" Inman), I got the message. I wanted to know exactly what was under the hood on the raw, powerful fight coming out of Sante Fe. So I started asking around four years ago. Krabi Krabong.
Give power, Receive power,. Crash the gates and bring them down in splinters!!
This is a gloriously crazed way to go to battle. Half-beserker and half-monk, a well-trained KK fighter is an oversized kitchen blender coming at you on puree!! Not for the faint of heart. And yet emminently sensible - combining defense into offense, meeting a powerful rush and turning it aside to return witn your own power, clashing blades in simple, brutal, battle-field effectiveness.
This isn't sophisticated - it had to be taught to a 100 would-be soldiers at a time over a short period of a few weeks. And yet it is deeply rooted and principled.
Now back to the seminar - by request, we spent two very different days looking at just those elements: o the fighting principles and physical drilling o the Wai Kru and Ram Muay
The first day was aimed at training in some of the basic principles of movement, attacking, defending and countering. The second day we looked deeper into what makes this system Thai - the Wai Kru is all about respects and awareness of relationship to other - the Ram Muay is a precise exercise in body control and mental focus, blending elements reminiscent of classic kata, dance performance, and personal ritual. Combined, the two of them define a way to fight.
Sound similar to many other arts? Maybe. And yet after 20 years in various martial arts, it was like nothing else I have trained from Japan, China, or the rest of Southeast Asia. And I love it!!
I am not even trained in Muay Thai - I wish that I were - then my kicks would be all the more effective. What other blade art teaches the correct timing for kicks (other than low-line stop kicks)?
We are looking forward to having Ajarn Stephen back again - his brand of honest and integrity combined with his skills and an abstruse sense of humour make for a great learning experience. If you have trained Muay Thai, or think of the sword as a way of life, you really should check this out. And if you know you want Krabi Krabong, definitely contact Ajarn Stephen.
P.S. Remember those mae sun sowks in the list of weapons? Make sure you ask about those - those are even better than the swords!!! Yeah!!
-- Loki "Tricky Dog" Jorgenson
Email: william at mongrelcombativearts dot com
William
MONGREL MUAY THAI: APPRENTICE INSTRUCTOR TESTING
Congratulations to John, Neil, and Nicolas for passing their Level One Apprentice Instructor test. It's obvious that they have worked hard on learning the material as well as developing excellent form and great conditioning to get through the sparring section. A special thanks to Eric for helping out during the testing. Eric was set to take the test as well but had to postpone due to a knee injury the previous weekend while working kick-counters. When he's healed up and feels ready I'll set up a special testing session for him.
