Rochester Phoenix Martial Arts - Dojo Blog

Master level instruction for all students. Call or text Leigh at (585) 354-8946 to get started.

March 22nd COVID 19 Updates

3/22/2020

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an order mandating all New Yorkers to stay at home.

While people will still be allowed to leave for certain things, like grocery shopping or solitary exercise, non-essential gatherings like martial arts practice will still be banned. We are not sure how long this order will be in place.

The health of our students, their families, and loved ones is important to us. We encourage everyone to follow this quarantine until the COVID-19 is under control.

In the meantime, we are offering online classes and content daily to our members. If you haven't gotten the details on this yet and you or your child is a current student, please contact Sensei Leigh.

If you are looking to start training, we thank you for your patience and ask that you check back here or contact us to know when we are holding classes again.

COVID - 19 and Classes

3/16/2020

Dear students and friends of Phoenix,

We care about our students health and the health of your family and friends. As many of you have heard, there are now two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 in Monroe county. Health officials believe there will be more cases in the next week.

We have students who attend Phoenix who have health conditions that can make them susceptible to upper respiratory infections, who have friends / family who have compromised immune systems, and who are over the age of fifty.

We’ve decided to cancel classes until March 23rd. It is recommended that people refrain from large group activities and avoid being in close proximity to others- neither of these is possible with training.

Your health and the health of your families matter to us. Training will resume soon.

Thanks for your understanding and patience. As always, feel free to contact us with any concerns. Brennan and Leigh can also provide you with some study materials in the meantime.

Health and Fitness in Jiu Jitsu - But How's it Actually Benefit You?

3/3/2020

Jiu Jitsu has some surprising health and fitness benefits for kids as well as adults. Sharpening the mind and working the body, Jiu Jitsu will improve many areas of your life:

Coordination and full body awareness

Gritt, focus, and discipline

Confidence

Accomplishing goals

Socializing

Health and fitness via the ‘Jiu Jitsu lifestyle’

Self defense

Okay, great, but how do these translate into real life?

Pretty soon after you start training you’ll start feeling a bit better, those endorphins will kick in after class. You just spent an hour and a half (which flew by, btw) working out! Whew!

You’ll find yourself remembering the items on your grocery list and grabbing the canvas bag before entering Wegmans, because Jiu Jitsu is working your brain as well as your body.

That obnoxious coworker or kid in your class won’t bother you so much. You’ll look him/her directly in the eyes, speak louder, stand a bit taller, be firm in your boundaries. Heck, you’ve survived being tossed over someone’s shoulder and almost got that choke on them last week- what can this bully possibly do to you?

Now that you’ve got more energy and focus, maybe it’s time to tackle that project you’ve been putting off. Jiu Jitsu has taught you how to break things up into smaller parts and to steadily work until the job is done. You’ve got this.

Everyone’s grabbing some food after class tonight, you want to come? Oh, and there’s that Nerf War next week. Why not? It’ll be nice to hang out with some new people.

Suddenly that garbage plate with extra meat sauce and greasy pizza doesn’t look so good. You feel better in BJJ class when you eat light and drink more water.

The thought of an altercation used to make you nervous, would you survive if you ever got into a real fight? Now you know what to do. You’re better equipped to handle yourself and protect others.

You matter, so treat yourself right. Health and fitness are not ambiguous terms, these are things that will directly improve your life. Give us a try and see how much better you feel after a month.

Meet Sensei Brennan Strimple

2/12/2020

Brennan Strimple is one of the owners and head instructors here at Rochester Phoenix Martial Arts. Most students have seen his Batman - like prowess in action at the dojo! He can commonly be found tying people up in Jiu Jitsu or upside down doing handstand push ups.

How did our very own meta human start out? Brennan began his martial arts career at four years old. He trained with his father in Japanese Jiu Jitsu with Frank Morocco. As a teen he discovered Kyokushin Karate and achieved his black belt under Rick Sanderson.

Teaching is one of Brennan’s favorite parts of owning a martial arts academy. He started teaching at Samurai Martial Arts in Spencerport once he earned his black belt in Isshin Ryu Karate.

Today, Brennan both teaches and studies a variety of martial arts. He is a four stripe purple belt in Jiu Jitsu, and is praised for his strategy and attention to detail. His grappling also extends to throwing arts such as Judo and Aikido.

Brennan’s favorite part of teaching is seeing students grow, learn new skills, and start thinking for themselves. He loves watching students transform from practicing basic techniques to truly transforming those skills into their own art. He also enjoys learning new teaching methods so he can help students advance quickly and smoothly.

His goal for his personal martial arts advancement is to ultimately become a Jiu Jitsu master. He works on this by training in Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Aikido, and by learning about fitness and anatomy.

In the future, he hopes Rochester Phoenix Martial Arts will continue to grow in terms of students and class availability. He envisions an academy where students can focus full time on advancing in terms of health, fitness, and spirituality; instead of doing so just a few times a week.

You can catch Sensei Brennan Strimple throwing, joint locking, teaching, and performing amazing physical feats Monday through Saturday here at Rochester Phoenix Martial Arts.

Sensei Brennan Strimple

Holiday Party!

12/11/2019

Rochester Phoenix Martial Arts
Holiday Party

December 21st 5:00-7:30

Everyone is welcome! Students, instructors, kids, family, and friends of Phoenix. This is a party for everyone, kids and adults. The more the merrier!

Please bring a dish to pass.

June 27th, 2019

6/27/2019

I knew we'd eventually get there, I remember talking about it with Brennan 5 years ago when we first opened....

TEEN CLASSES!

Time flies, especially when you're an adult. Teens face a unique challenge when it comes to martial arts training. I mean, the martial arts have so much to offer for teens. Discipline, fortitude, perseverance, and learning the benefits of hard work to name a few. In a practical sense, it also offers them a new set of peers and mentors. Consistent hobbies with awards and achievements also look good on college applications.

However, teens are not kids. They don't want their training watered down, they don't want cheesy games, but they may also not be ready for adult classes. This is especially true for teens who might be mentally mature but physically small.

We are now offering teen classes Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30-6:15

Special pricing for teens is available

April Events!

4/11/2019

- Family Class is moved to Fridays from 4:00-4:45

- UFC Night is April 13th! All of RPMA is invited, so if you want to come text me for details

-Notice the prize shelf? If you bring in a friend to try out class, you and your friend can pick something off the shelf. Think about how much fun you have here and how it has impacted you. We all want that for our friends! Plus, the more people here the better it is for your training. Different body types, takes on training, and insights help all of us.

- If you're interested in Summer Camps, make sure you reserve a spot for your kiddos. Our camps fill up fast and we limit the size to ensure quality.

Nerf Battle Night Postponed

1/18/2019

We are supposed to get hit with a serious snowstorm here this weekend, so Nerf Battle Night is postposed until Next Weekend, January 26th. Stay safe everyone! Please call or text with any questions.

Nerf Battle Night!

12/3/2018

Nerf Battle Night is awesome!!!!

Kids bring in their arsenal, experience two hours of a nerf war free-for-all, eat pizza, and end with a team game. It might seem like a silly thing to do- but we do have reasons for hosting so many of these.

Kids don't have a ton of highly active, slightly rough, and fun activities. Not all kids play sports. Not all schools have a strong PE program. And not all kids enjoy playing outdoors during the winter- which in Rochester- is a long friggin time! ❄🌨❄⛄ Nerf War gets kids up and running, jumping, sprinting, and diving- and they love it!!!

If you missed the last one, make sure you come to our next one! No obligations to sign up, and it's open to all.

Saturday January 19th
5:30-7:30

Kids bring their guns (they just need to shoot the blue and orange darts)
Eye protection
$5

Morning Jiu Jitsu Classes Now Available!

11/26/2018

We are happy to now be offering morning Jiu Jitsu classes!

Mondays and Wednesdays 6:00-7:00am

The class is bing taught by Vince Delmage, a four stripe purple belt who is a Gracie certified instructor.

We're always looking for ways to make training more feasible for our students. Morning classes will give students an opportunity to get some Jiu Jitsu training in before their hectic day begins. Students can still come to the evening classes, this simply provides another opportunity to train.

Get in touch immediately to schedule an appointment or get more information by calling or texting Leigh at (585) 354-8946

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