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Life lesson from Jiujitsu
Perseverance: The Key to Success in Jiujitsu and Life Jiujitsu, like many martial arts, requires a high level of discipline and perseverance. The sport is …
Our kids uniforms represent our Lightning Kicks philosophy
Dear Parents of Our Martial Arts Students, As you know, the kids’ uniform is an important part of their martial arts training. Not only does …
want to know the most important aspect of self-defense
Situational awareness is the ability to identify, process, and comprehend information about one’s surroundings to make informed decisions. In self-defense, situational awareness is critical for …
Let Lightning Kicks unlock your potential
Lightning Kicks is a high-energy martial arts program that combines elements of kickboxing, Jiujitsu, boxing, wrestling, and taekwondo to provide a full-body workout that tones …
How Belt Promotions Work
First, I need to emphasize the importance of the process, not the outcome. Belts will come as long as you keep showing up, work on …
Kalamazoo MMA Legend talks about MMA training in Kalamazoo and Portage
Jeremy Horn talks about MMA in Kalamazoo and Portage: Hi guys, this is Jeremy Horn. I trained some of the biggest names in this sport …
BJJ BJJ Gym Culture
BJJ Gym Culture is one of the most important factors to consider when looking for a new gym. For those of you who haven’t quite committed …
BJJ Jiujitsu Near Me
Like most other things in my life, “Jiujitsu near me” in Google started a fantastic journey at Lightning Kicks. I was overweight, struggled with self-esteem …
BJJ Jiujitsu for women in Kalamazoo – Brazilian Jiujitsu is for Women too
“Why would I want to roll around with a bunch of sweaty people?” If you’re anything like me – I questioned the appeal of Brazilian …
BJJ A Dog’s Guide to the Perfect Training Partner
The great American novelist Mark Twain once said “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.” Many people inherently …
BJJ The Best Way to Win is to Lose… a Lot!!!
The best way to win is to lose a lot! I know, it seems crazy right? What are you going to say next James, the …
Confidence You are stronger than you think
The last I checked we are living in the 21st century. We’ve experienced the Enlightenment, entered into the “modern” era, phased through “postmodernity,” and now …
BJJ BJJ in a Girls World
I signed up for Jiu Jitsu in late January of 2020. Finally. Jiu Jitsu was something I had thought about and wanted to try for …
BJJ Do you have what it takes?
There is a clear ambiguity and ambivalence for many men in understanding when they know they finally “have what it takes,” and with the continued …
Discipline Death of the Toxic Man is the Birth of the Hero
Who is the toxic man if it is not the untested man? Indeed, it is the man who can feel the tug of the heroic …
Kalamazoo You’re Lying To Yourself
Several weeks passed since the day the Boy showed me his special trip to the camper, as well as several trips to see my therapist, …
Discipline GET UP
And there I found myself watching the sun dive into the lake, staring into the beauty of the moment, befuddled as to why my finances …
Discipline Becoming Human
This went on for weeks on end, until one day, I found myself at Lightning Kicks, my second home, and was on the verge of …
Discipline The Hero’s Journey – Part 1
It was the pain. It consumed his every thought and could feel it reverberate down his spine and into his toes. It started off as …
Discipline Fighting with Mental Health Part 1
Here are some staggering statistics that most men – to their detriment – are too proud to admit: Over 6 million men suffer from depression …
BJJ Where My Ladies At?
I was talking to my bestie on the phone and casually mentioned that my first BJJ class was coming up the next week. “I’m sorry, …
Discipline Fighting with Mental Health Part 2
One of the most powerful moments of my life was hearing another grown man tell me he loves me. I still remember it like it …
Our Philosophy Standing Up to Bullies
Let’s face it, most men in our day and age have never been in a physical altercation no less actually thrown a punch with the …
Discipline Follow Through
“Man, he would’ve been so good!” This is something I’ve told Amir so many times in regards to the countless young men (and women) who …
Discipline Fighting Mental Health Part 3
“Breathe, Tanner, breathe!” I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a little light sparring and I still really didn’t know what I was …
Our Philosophy Facing Our Fears Together
I know what you’re thinking. “This place is full of meatheads and bullies, those with a penchant for hurting other people.” The truth is, that …
Jiujitsu I found my meaning of jiujitsu in a room full of all-Americans
I grew up renting UFC VHS tapes on Fridays from our local video store. It had to be Fridays because I got out of school …
Womens Self Defense The most important women’s self defense secret
When it comes to self defense, there are many variables that can effect the outcome of an encounter: knowledge (how much technique you know), mental …
Mixed Martial Arts Are you traveling this summer?
Summer is right around the corner, if your summer travels takes you to any of the following areas be sure to drop into one of …
Confidence Lightning Kicks is for you
Do you like pushing yourself? I mean really pushing yourself. Like to the limit? Where you work to see how far you can push your …
BJJ All I Know about Fighting – Grappling
Well, this will show you how little I know about fighting, it can all be summarized in a single (maybe 2) blog posts 😀 This …
Jiujitsu The Fear of Failure, the Subsequent Lack of Commitment and Why it Ultimately Leads to… Well, Failure
Failure can be defined as simply as, ‘the lack of success’. Failure can be accompanied by a variety of emotions including embarrassment, anxiety, anger, sadness …
Confidence Student Spotlight: Nicci
How long have you been with Lightning Kicks and what made you decide to start? I started Jan 2020. My interest in martial arts started …
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Switching from an Extrinsic to an Intrinsic Locus of Control
What the heck does that mean? well, I’m not sure either, I just wanted to use some big words to peak your curiosity. Let’s see …
Our Philosophy When you’re fighting, don’t get caught watching the fight
Some people call it “being in the zone,” “flow,” or “the state of no mind.” For me it was about being completely in the moment. …
Gym Bag Gym Bag
The Elite Sports Gym bag has become my carryon for most of my recent travels. Check out this video to find out why. One very …
Jiujitsu Become a Superhero
Are you tired of being a mere mortal? want to know that you can defend your loved ones and yourself? Looking to get in the …
Kalamazoo Self Defense For Every Woman | Lightning Kicks
Our women’s self-defense workshop focuses on teaching techniques that have been proven to work against a real attack. This two-hour workshop will arm you with …
Kalamazoo Living the LK Culture
Lightning Kicks is centred on creating an atmosphere which facilitates both intense training, and personal development. Each student has the chance to grow through pushing …
Womens Self Defense Arguably the most important element of self-defense
If I had to pick only one component of self-defense that outweighs all the rest, it’s situational awareness; nothing else even comes close. Taking one …
Self Defense 3 ways to train yourself to get in shape
1. Find a workout partner who has goals similar to yours 2. Create a plan with your workout partner that includes how often you will …
Our Philosophy The LK philosophy off the mats
Life can be challenging. Everyone is fighting something, but in this family, no one fights alone. You may never step on the mat or in …
Jiujitsu Why I train Jiujitsu at Lightning Kicks
I’ve told a lot of people about training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and kind of tinkering with MMA. First off, yes there is a difference between …
Mixed Martial Arts Don’t let your preconceived ideas keep you from reaching the best possible you.
What do you think is one of the hardest things you will do in your martial arts journey? No, it’s not competing for a regional …
Self Defense Self Defense in the Sacred Battleground
Life can be so cruel, so undeniably and inexplicably cruel that it hurts. You can feel the pain in your bones, as if the world …
Confidence You don’t have to be scared anymore
Fear. It’s what keeps you there, in that place that is most comfortable, where no one can ever hurt you again. We’ve all experienced pain, …
Portage A Lesson from Fighting
I’ve found that when we are having a hard time wrapping our minds around something that has happened or is happening, we tend to frame …
Jiujitsu Local Martial Arts School to Provide Free Police Jiujitsu to all Local Law Enforcement
Portage, MI. Lightning Kicks Martial Arts, one of southwest Michigan’s longest-standing martial arts schools is now offering free police jiujitsu to any local law enforcement …
Self Defense Vital Factors of Effective Self Defense
We have seen a huge shift in the reason our students train in the past year or so. Initially, most of our students were training …
Police 4 variables to remember during a melee attack
You’ve been to this house many times and never had an issue, so you assume this will be just another routine call. You even think …
Jiujitsu Martial Arts competition: Do I have to compete?
To compete or not to compete, that is the question. As a life-long martial arts competitor in Taekwondo, Kickboxing, MMA, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (both …
Mixed Martial Arts Here Is How MMA is More Than Just A Complete Body Workout
MMA training is intense and tough which makes it a great fitness workout. Pushing your body limits in MMA is much greater than other sports. …
Mixed Martial Arts The Benefits of Doing Exercise Regularly!
What if I tell you that working out regularly can improve yourheart health, strengthen bones, lose weight, and improve mood, would you do it regularly? …
Kalamazoo Kids Martial Arts in Portage and Kalamazoo
Paige is one of our kids instructors and jiujitsu blue belts. Paige is amazing with our kids and is super energetic and fun for in …
Self Defense Things you should know before going to a self defense workshop
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one self defense seminar is most likely not going to be enough to save your …
Our Philosophy Unity and Family
We have had a large number of new members join our family lately. Welcome! I’m so happy to have you. I’m very excited for you …
Jiujitsu Lightning Kicks rocks out at FUJI tournament
I had the privilege of coaching at the FUJI jiujitsu tournament in Lansing, Michigan. Lightning Kicks did a phenomenal job. I was filled with joy …
BJJ Thank you for making it a great 18 years.
Open letter to my Lightning Kicks family; What an amazing week it has been? We celebrated our 18 year anniversary, Lightning Kicks is now technically …
Jiujitsu We Win or We Learn, sometimes we can do both
Today, I had the honor and privilege to coach our students at the Grappling Industries Jiujitsu tournament. I was extremely impressed with their technical skills, …
Jiujitsu Why do I train Jiujitsu at Lightning Kicks?
I’ve told a lot of people about training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and kind of tinkering with MMA. First off, yes there is a difference between …
Womens Self Defense Update from Master Amir
April’s Women’s Self Defense Workshop We had another wonderful Women’s Self-defense Workshop last week. It is such a powerful and reassuring experience for me to …
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Patience
Patience Man, this is a tough one. I feel like a general consensus between human beings is that we want immediate gratification in almost any …
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu What it Means to be Dedicated – by Doc V
What does it mean to be dedicated to something? Not necessarily a person but an activity? What does it mean to be dedicated to working …
Our Philosophy Be an Alpha
What does it mean to be an alpha? Well, let’s start with what an Alpha is not. An alpha is not a bully, an alpha …
Jiujitsu EliteSports New 3/4 Spat Review
At my age, I can really feel the aches and pains of training two or three times a day. I have to rely heavily on …
Jiujitsu Elite Sports Rashguard, Shorts, and Gloves
I have been wearing this Elite gear set for a few weeks and I love it. The biggest thing for me is the thickness of …
BJJ Elite BJJ Gi Passes the Test with Flying Colors
Many gis are stiff and have to be broken in. Elite Gi comes with that feel right out of the box. Check it out. Product …
Jiujitsu Professional Jiujitsu in Kalamazoo
Congratulations to Professor James for his Pro BJJ win. This makes Professor James the first and only Professional BJJ athlete in Kalamazoo. If you are …
BJJ Lightning Kicks at Fuji Tournament
We had a wonderful time at the Fuji BJJ tournament in Dimondale. The event was well organized with a good turnout. The mats were clean …
Our Philosophy Lightning Kicks wants you
We would love to have you in for a free trial class. Our memberships include all of our awesome programs. You can pick from Olympic …
Self Defense Self Defense
If a bad guy gets the drop on you, you won’t have a whole lot of time to think about your response. For technique to …
Jiujitsu A great 2017 for Lightning Kicks
What a wonderful year we have had at Lightning Kicks. Amazing teamwork by our entire administrative and instructor teams. The work we are doing at …
Jiujitsu If you want to get faster, train slower
Cadets, I’m very pleased with the progress you have made in the area of Subject Control. I wanted to emphasize something that we talked about …
Mixed Martial Arts Prevent burnout
Morning cardio for weight loss at 6 am, kickboxing sparring at 10 am, strength and conditioning with my strength and conditioning coach, Tim Hermann, head …
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I’ve never trained before, what Lightning Kicks program should I start with?
One of the most common questions we get. As you can see from our website, we offer many styles of martial arts, which one is …
Mixed Martial Arts What is the Lightning Kicks Lineage?
Another question we get all the time. I don’t believe it is my personal fighting accomplishments that make Lightning Kicks such a special world-class school. …
