FAQ

1445 West College Ave.

State College, PA 16801

Striking Arts – We will supply you with a pair OF GLOVES for your free trial class or you can bring your own.  You can also sign up before your first class and purchase gloves for a discounted rate because you signed up in advance.  Any glove that is closed and does not expose the fingers or palm will be fine.  If you are purchasing your own please avoid any gloves sold at Wal-Mart or Dick’s Sporting Goods as we have had students report injuries from them,  Appropriate gloves can be purchased at CPAMMA.

Grappling Arts - We will supply you with a gi to try out a class or you can sign up before hand and purchase a gi for the special rate we have running for that particular day.

Clothing - Simply wear something comfortable to move around in. Shorts and a t-shirt for example will do just fine.  We do not wear shoes on our mat so bare feet or socks is preferred.  For Jiu-Jitsu classes you will need to purchase a gi.  We will provide gis for your free trial class.

ADULT CLASSES

Attendance & Class Format:

During the slower times of the year there is a chance for our auxiliary time slots to have smaller numbers.  In the case of 3 or less students the format for a class will be “open.”  For striking classes the class will hit pads.  For Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Wrestling and Wrestling the format will be “Open Roll.”  An instructor will lead these classes but no new material will be presented.  We recommend using such time slots to work on techniques you have already learned and to ask instructors specific questions relating to your training.  Such classes can be highly valuable to the students who attend!

Open Mat / Low Attendance:

Instructors will wait 15 minutes in the event that there are no attendees for a class/open mat.  In the event that after 15 minutes there are no students the instructor reserves the right to cancel the class/open mat.  Please make sure that you are at the class/open mat on time.  While this rarely happens, it does become possible when bad weather is imminent as people choose not to travel.  This also becomes a possibility during breaks or holidays so please plan accordingly.

Certified Instructors:

Each class will be run by a certified instructor or a certified assistant in the particular art of the class.  One of the great qualities of CPAMMA is the expansive list of instructors that all students have access to.  We make a point to make sure each student sees at least two different instructors in their training.

YOUTH CLASSES

Certified Instructors :

In the case of Youth Martial Arts there will be a certified Black Belt Instructor (Sifu Ryan for example) in at least one of the classes for each child per week. It is important to our head instructors that they see each instructor at least once per week.  In some instances there is the chance that a child may be with another instructor/assistants for more than one class in a row.

Age Diversity:

Mighty Mites is age specific (3 & 4 year olds) but all Youth Martial Arts classes include children ages 5-12 years old.  Adult/Teen programs may also have students who are of a younger age.  Having such age diversity allows students to become comfortable with students of a different age along with having training partners of all sizes.  All of the classes are safe regardless of size or age.

Number of Classes:

All Youth Martial Arts students sign up for one main class per week and one auxiliary class per week.  The $99 payment is for four classes a month.  However, we offer the secondary auxiliary class each week to allow students to make up a class in the event that they miss their main class time slot.  We encourage parents to have their child(ren) come to both classes each week as often as possible to make up for times that a child cannot make a class due to something outside of their control.

The following are CPAMMA's requirements for competing in each respective discipline.

Some people want to compete as soon as possible.  They are looking to find the gym that will put them in the ring/cage so they can feel like a fighter and tell all their friends that they fight.  Fortunately, that is not our goal.  Our goal is for our students to *win* fights.

Moreover, a number of our previous students have gone on to compete as successful professionals fighting in organizations such as Strikeforce and the Ultimate Fighting Championships.  We have had multiple Golden Gloves boxing champions, undefeated Muay Thai fighters, multiple Real Contact Stick Fighters and a very successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu / Submission Wrestling team.  Why?  Because we teach to win.

If you want to be part of one of the best teams on the East Coast, look no further.  However, don't expect to be rushed into competing.  We'll make sure you're ready and we'll do our best to help you win.  Here are our requirements for competition:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu / Submission Wrestling (No-Gi):

- At least 1 semester of consistent training (2-3 times per week)
- Instructor Approval

Boxing:

- At least 1 year of consistent boxing only training (2-3 times per week)
**If student has been doing "kickboxing" it is expected to take longer until they are ready**
- Instructor Approval

Kickboxing (No Elbows or Knees to the Head):

-  At least 1 year of consistent training (2-3 times per week)
- Blue Arm Band
- Instructor Approval

Muay Thai (Elbows, Knees & Kicks to the Head):
-  Muay Thai & Boxing - At least 2 years of consistent training (3-5 times per week)
- Level I Muay Thai Assistant Instructor 
- Instructor Approval

Mixed Martial Arts:
- Blue Belt in BJJ or equivalent (Blue - CSW Rank)
- Boxing requirements
- Kickboxing requirements
- Instructor Approval

 Reality Based MMA (Dog Brothers Gatherings):
- Heart
- Mind 
- Balls

If you would like to be part of our competitive team please email info@cpamma.com and express your goals and ambitions to us.  We'll set you on the right path to being a successful competitor.  But be forewarned, nothing is earned without first putting in hard work and dedication to the specific art you want to compete in.  If you're looking for the fast track to looking cool, look somewhere else.

SPARRING REQUIREMENTS

Below are our guidelines on when students are allowed to spar with other students.  Following this guide will insure CPAMMA that the students who are sparring with strikes have had enough time to understand the art before they play the game that is sparring.  Sparring is a privilege in any Martial Arts and should be treated as such.

BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU / SUBMISSION WRESTLING:

Sparring allowed from Day 1 (with approval) with instructor present until first stripe

STRIKING:

- Yellow Arm Band can situational spar with Red Arm Band & Above
- Orange Arm Band can situational spar with Purple Arm Band & Above
- Green Arm Band can spar with Green Arm Band & Above

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS:

- Stand Up Sparring follows "Striking Requirements"
- Grappling Sparring follows "BJJ/SW Requirements"
- Striking on the Ground Sparring for Green Arm Bands & Above

 REALITY BASED MMA (FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS): 

- Stick sparring allowed from Day 1 with instructor present
(with approval) 
- Full RBMMA sparring with striking and grappling allowed when instructor gives approval

Yes!  In our efforts to offer ongoing enrollment we are always accepting new students who may or may not have any previous experience.  We will place you with an assistant instructor to go over the fundamental material needed to join the group.  Simply plan on attending your preferred class at it's normally scheduled time and we will make sure you're placed in the correct group.

The only difference between Striking (Muay Thai & Boxing) and Women's Kickboxing is that Women's Kickboxing is "women only" and Striking is "Co-Ed."  The split male/female in our co-ed classes are 60/40 so there are a lot of women that come to the co-ed classes.  Both classes will give you a great cardio workout that is built on the fundamentals of Muay Thai.  Competitive opportunities available for those interested.

YES!  If you feel that you will be missing classes in the program you are signed up for, you may add on a program to make up for the classes.  Additional programs carry an additional cost.  We cannot however allow someone to mix and match classes from different programs to fit their schedule.  Each spot in a program is reserved for paying students of that specific program.

We offer ongoing enrollment which means that you may start at any time during the year.  We also offer online learning, which will aid in your ability to absorb the material.

Being ready to compete is largely dependent on how much time you can dedicate to your training. In addition, please understand that everyone learns at different speeds. Our current fighters who are serious about their training and competitive carrier take all of the classes.  If you are unable to commit to a serious training schedule it will take you longer than someone who is willing to put in the hours of training to get good.  With that said, it should be every "fighter's" goal to "get good first" before they even think about fighting.

UFC is an organization, it is not a style, nor is it a class.  Similarly, athletes don't play NFL, . . . they play football.  If you are interested in learning the arts associated with the UFC we recommend trying out our Mixed Martial Arts program.

To use the Martial Arts facilities of Central PA Mixed Martial Arts, you need to be a member of one of the programs.

You can park in the lot directly outside of the gym for FREE!

You are free to learn about our payment policies by visiting the links online for our Payment FAQ, Rates, Payment Policies & Agreement, and Membership Policies.  We also list the instructions on submitting your 31 Days Notice HERE.

Yes!

We do everything we can to make sure our payment policies are as transparent as possible to every prospect and student.

#1.  For your convenience we send links to every prospective student with the details on our rates and payment policies when you inquire and when you schedule your free trial class.

#2.  When you come in for a free trial class, we do not allow anyone to try out a class without going over all of the payment policies and rates first to make sure it is a good fit and that everything is understood.  We explain that every membership is a minimum of two full paying months, paid for by the month with 31 days (one month) written notice to cancel or hold your membership and your payments stop after the next billing cycle.

#3.  All of our payment policies are listed in the signed agreement that every student must sign to become a member.  The membership agreement and payment policies are enforced at the time of sign up.

#4.  We even go the extra mile and have the following signs posted at CPAMMA to inform every student of the payment policies.  These signs are on the scan in monitors when you pass the front desk and also when you enter the mats to do classes.  It is impossible to train at CPAMMA without passing these signs every time you visit CPAMMA:

You are free to learn about our payment policies by visiting the links online for our Payment FAQ, Rates, Payment Policies & Agreement, and Membership Policies.  We also list the instructions on submitting your 31 Days Notice HERE.