FAQ

YES! We encourage parents and children to come observe our programs and to have a tour of our facility!  Please contact us and let us know what program you would like to observe and we can inform you of appropriate days and times to come in.  

We offer free trials year round for new students.  This allows the child and the parents to get a feeling of what they will be doing in Youth Martial Arts. If you would like to schedule a free introductory lesson please contact us for information on available days and times to come in.  Understand that even though we have three Youth classes per day, we fill quickly.

We offer classes six days a week, multiple times per day.

You child gets one “main” day per week for the half off special ($99/mo.) and one additional “backup” day (no additional charge).

We only require one day per week for the children to test at the end of the quarter.  However, we offer up a second day the children can come during the week which we call the “backup day.”

If there is an extended break, your child gets sick, snow day, vacation, etc. they can come to the backup day instead of their main day.  Or, a child can come to as many main and backup days as they would like to help make up for future dates they may not be able to attend class.

We recommend students try and come to as many backup days as possible to make up for future dates they may not be in class.

For first time members, your are also welcome to pay the standard rate of $199 per month which afford you the ability to have your child come 4 days a week during their set days/times and also makeup any classes outside of planned breaks.

Our Youth Program will be split into three levels; Fundamentals, Intermediate, and Advanced

FUNDAMENTALS:
Brand new students ages 5-10 start in the Fundamentals program where they will get a mix of Striking and Grappling arts. Minimum Youth belt rank will be White Belt and five years old will be the age minimum. Maximum belt rank will be Green w/ II Stripes and the maximum age will be 10 years of age.

INTERMEDIATE:
The minimum belt rank at the Intermediate level will be Orange Belt and/or 10 years old once they have mastered the fundamental curriculum. This is the secondary group during the 4:30PM, 6:30PM and 1PM Saturday classes.

ADVANCED:
The minimum belt rank at the Advanced level will be Brown Belt and/or 12 years old once they have mastered the Intermediate curriculum. The advanced students will choose an “elective” of one of the teen classes, which are a specific art; Striking, Grappling or Sticks. These classes meet in the evenings with the rest of the teen students.

Fundamentals:
YMA Uniform – $49.99
YMA Gloves – $29.99
YMA Shin Pads – $29.99

Intermediate & Advanced:

BJJ Uniforms – $119.99
Boxing Gloves – $39.99
Thai Shorts – $39.99
CPAMMA Shirt – $19.99

All equipment and uniforms must be from CPAMMA to provide consistency in the class across all students.

Youth testing is done quarterly.

Mighty Mites = $19.99
Youth Martial Arts = $39.99
Youth Black Belt Test = $39.99 + Hourly Private Lesson Fee

Testing fees cover the testing process, certificate and new belt.

By enrolling your child in one of our programs you are reserving a spot for your child in that particular month. Unfortunately we have a limit on the number of students we can have in one class which ensures a safe student to teacher ratio. We monitor our program ratios by the month and because of this we also charge for the program by the month. 

Youth Martial Arts and Mighty Mites are ongoing programs. We currently follow the college semesters with small adjustments to accommodate for the first day of school, holidays, etc. Additionally we have small breaks for summer, winter breaks, along with spring and fall breaks.

No. Simply put, Youth Martial Arts is about “Fun, Friends & Fitness.” We stress that all techniques are used as tools. Just as a baseball player only uses his bat to hit balls and only swings his bat in appropriate places, we use our techniques to “hit pads.” and save our Martial Arts for in-class use only. To help students remember this we stress the five rules of YMA:

1. We keep our whole bodies to ourselves.√
2. We save our Youth Martial Arts for in gym use only.√
3. We hit the bags/pads.√
4. We walk in the gym.√
5. We keep our shoes off the mats.√

Yes and No. Unfortunately there have been a number of fallacies surrounding martial arts and self defense. One is that a martial artist is able to defend themselves when being attacked. In detailed case studies including real live attack scenarios it has been proven that even the most competent martial artists have trouble defending themselves. In addition, it has been taught that a series a moves is all one needs to stop an attacker. Research has shown that this is not the case. Because of this, children who study self defense usually learn that punching and kicking a “bad guy” is enough to win. This is something we like to refer to as “false security.” It has been proven that teaching children the following is a more effective vehicle to avoiding problems:

Self Knowledge – Phone number, parents names, parents place of work, address, safe places.

Self Awareness – Trusting instincts, feeling comfortable in your surrounding, knowing the people you are with, etc.

Because of this we steer away from the physical side of self defense. In addition, the most effective techniques have been deemed inappropriate for children. All of the things parents tell children not to do are within the physical side of REAL self defense. These include biting, pinching, pulling hair, screaming along with others and they are the less violent tactics. Additionally, we have found that it is very easy to instill fear into young children. It is not fair for them to think they are going to be attacked 24/7. The majority of children will go through out their life without having to worry about being attacked. Take a poll yourself and see how many children were attacked by a person they did not know as a child. Research shows that this is very low. In most cases children are abused by people they know very well such as family members and friends. This is where Self Awareness comes into play giving the children the ability to discern what “does not feel right.” Only giving a child the physical tools to defend themselves and not the mental tools is not fair. After all, if a child can avoid scenarios they are less likely to be found in an altercation. We could teach children that if they do a, b, and c they will be able to take down an attacker but this has been proven a fallacy. Schools who do teach “how to defend against an attacker” usually have this aspect of their program as a money making tool which draws in parents that are unaware of the lack of validity within the material.

Sparring starts at the Intermediate and Advanced levels once a student understands the techniques. Understand that we do not let any children spar or compete until they have been approved to do so.

CPAMMA has one of the most competitive Youth Muay Thai and Youth Jiu-Jitsu teams on the East Coast. If your child is interested in competition they can do so once they are ready and have been approved to do so.

In Youth Martial Arts we do not enter into the religious beliefs as other arts do.  Rather, we focus just like any other sport would, on physical and mental stimulation.

Yes.  If you child has earned their blue belt (or any other rank for that matter) in a previous style they can come into our class maintaining their current belt color.  However, they will still need to learn the material presented in the class which may differ significantly from what they have learned.  Because of this we ask that children do not test for the next rank until they have fulfilled the requirements set forth by our curriculum.  The only exception is that if they already have achieved the rank of black belt in another system they will need to drop down to black belt candidacy and wear the appropriate color belt until they are ready to test for black.  This does not mean they do not have a black belt in (insert style here), they simply do not have a black belt in Youth Martial Arts.

Our ranking is as follows:

Mighty Mites: White Belt W/ One stripe per semester they attend. (Up to 9 stripes)

Youth Martial Arts:

White

Yellow

Orange

Green

Green W/ 1 Stripe

Blue

Blue W/ 1 Stripe

Red

Red W/ 1 & 2 Stripes

Purple

Purple W/ 1 & 2 Stripes

Brown

Brown W/ 1 & 2 Stripes

(Black Belt Candidacy)

Youth Black Belt

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Total, there are seventeen semesters which can be completed within six years before testing for Black Belt. Black Belt Candidacy means that the student has obtained the highest level before black. They then are observed by our head instructor, and when they are ready, test for their Youth Black Belt.  Do note that many students take an extra year or so to ready for Black Belt.

In regards to an age limit on students achieving their youth black belt we do require the student to be mature and competent enough to present the material they have been taught. With our youngest starting age being 5, thirteen years of age is the earliest a child could be ready to test for their black belt. We believe in achievement for children but hold testing for black belt status until they are ready. Students are not simply given their black belt after after a X years Youth Martial Arts. Doing so would be the equivalent of earning a high school education within less years than the required amount. We want to make sure each and every student who earns their black belt is deserving of the rank.  The age limit on earning a Youth Black Belt is 16.

Our maximum age for Youth Black Belt is 15 years old. Once they turn 16 they will no longer be eligible for Youth Black Belt and will start working on the “Adult” ranks. The minimum age for Youth Black Belt will be 12 years old. Do note that most of our YMA students who have attained the rank of Youth Black Belt have been in the middle of that range at 14 years of age. This means that if your child starts Youth Martial Arts at 5 years old, they can expect an average of 8 years to Youth Black Belt. However, as we always say “we never test a child until they are ready.”

No promoting to next belt until ready. **Understand that from White-Black Youth belt it takes a minimum of 24 semesters or 6 years. If your child starts Youth Martial Arts late, they may not be able to test for Youth Black Belt but will have the opportunity to test for the teen/adult ranks.**