Fighting Words - Pittsburgh Martial Arts, Boxing, Kickboxing, Self-Defense and More!

Happy 4th of July!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:09:30 GMT

Happy 4th of July to everyone. I'm closing the gym Fri and Sat (4th and 5th) and will not be available for private lessons on Sun.

Be proud of your country, be safe and have fun!

Coach Bob

Free Training!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:43:02 GMT

Yeah, that got your attention...

Here's the deal... I'm going to be taking on a staff member to help out at the gym a few hours a week in trade for training. If you've been wanting to train in boxing, kickboxing or self-defense / martial arts but haven't been able to afford it, this may work out for you.

Here's what I want...

-male or female
-UNABLE to pay for lessons
-serious about training, possibly competing in the future
-serious about contributing to the gym with whatever needs done (cleaning, handing out flyers, answering phones)
-can work at the gym 3 - 4 hours a week, usually on Saturdays

Here's what you get...

-full membership, includes all classes, open gym times and sparring times
-additional one-on-one training
-some starter gear

Our training is second-to-none. This is a great opportunity for the right person. Send me a message if you are interested, I'll be setting up meeting / interview times this week. You can also call me at the gym, 412-823-7538.

Later,

Coach Bob

Atlantic City Fights This Weekend!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:26:03 GMT

Hey All,

The gym is going to be closed Friday and Saturday due to travel to AC for a muay Thai fight. Justin is fighting Kris Lindsey from Grant's Martial Arts. This will be the second time these guys are going to fight. The first time was an international rules fight and Kris won. Justin's been working hard and fighting a lot (5 fights in five months) this'll be his 7th fight! It'll be a great fight and you should go. Message me for details.

Justin hates when people wish him good luck so... I won't.

Coach Bob

Update

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:52:40 GMT

Justin fought a good fight this this weekend in Allentown. Both guys did great, landing bombs back and forth. Unfortunately, Justin got caught in the second round and the fight had to be stopped. Justin's record is now 4-1.

Now for the good new... these guys get to do it again in less than a month! This time will be a Thai rules match that allows clinching, knees and a few takedowns.

It's guaranteed to be a war!

It'll be in Atlantic City, NJ on May 24th. I'd like to get a bunch of people to make the trip with us. So... who's in? Tickets are $25, $20 if we buy ten, $15 if we buy before May 1st at noon. Let me know you're coming and get me your money.

Later,

Bob

HEADS UP!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:41:04 GMT

Just giving everyone a heads up that we are out of town for the weekend due to competition. There will be no private lessons or open gym on Sat (Apr 26th). Everything will be back to normal on Monday!

Good luck to Justin, heading into his 5th fight, he will be fighting a tough guy with twice the number of fight that Justin has. Should be a war!

Later,

Bob

Upcoming Seminar

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:24:19 GMT

On April 13th, we will be holding a Gun Defense seminar. It will run from 12pm until 3pm and will take a very practical look at a deadly situation. Please join us and feel free to bring anyone who might be interested, it is open to all.

The cost is $45 per person or $35 if you are a member of Pittsburgh Martial Arts & Boxing Academy.

View the event flyer here: Gun Defense Seminar Flyer

Thanks,

Coach Bob

New Orange Belt!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:47:50 GMT

Congratulations to Joe for passing his Orange Belt test!

To progress to Orange Belt, Joe had to learn over 60 techniques that cover all ranges of fighting. As part of the test, all techniques have to be demonstrated in the air to show technique and balance, on a heavy bag to show power and finally during sparring to show timing, speed, accuracy, and an ability to perform the techniques "under fire". Simple memorization isn't enough - you have to actually be able to do it when it counts.

The ranks in our system are White Belt, Orange Belt, Green Belt, Red Belt and Black Belt and those wishing to earn rank (not required) can expect to spend a MINIMUM of one year at each level.

Joe has worked extremely hard and done a great job!

Congratulations Justin!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:06:32 GMT

Got back from the Arnold Classic last night where Justin won the International Rules Kickboxing, 162lb division. He fought a great fight, dominating the entire fight. He really improved his kicking game, even landing several to the head. His opponent fought hard and landed some nice leg kicks that Justin is gonna be feeling for the next few days.

Unfortunately due to injuries and forfeits, Justin was only able to get one fight. He was really looking forward to fighting more than once in the same day but it just didn't work out.

His next fight will be at the end of April in Allentown, PA. Good work, Justin!

This week's schedule and good luck!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:03:19 GMT

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that due to an out-of-town competition, the gym will be closed Fri (2/29) and Sat (3/1) and I also will not be scheduling any private lessons after 1pm on Fri. No other days will be effected.

And while we're on the subject, let's wish Justin good luck. He will be competing at the Arnold Classic in the International Rules Kickboxing Division on Sat in Columbus, Ohio. Justin's put his time and hard work in at the gym and will do well. Good luck to him!

Later,

Coach Bob

Weather Closing

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:11:56 GMT

Daytime classes are canceled today, Feb 12th. We will open at 4pm. Thank you.

Congratulations!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:45:43 GMT

This weekend Justin had his third International Rules kickboxing match and won a unanimous decision. It was a great AND HARD fight. In the first round alone, Justin knocked his opponent down twice and he got knocked down once.
The second and third rounds were pretty even with both guys leaving it all in the ring. This fight brings Justin's record to 3 wins 0 loses. Justin's extremely tough and hasn't had a single easy fight. He's off to a great start.

Emily was supposed to fight on the same card but unfortunately did not fight.

Good Luck Fighters!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:25:57 GMT

Good luck to Justin and Emily of Pittsburgh Martial Arts & Boxing Academy.

Emily will be having her third Full Contact Rules fights and Justin will be having his third International Rules fight on Jan 26th in Allentown. Both have worked extremely hard and will do well.

If anyone would like directions or details on the event, send me an email to Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com

Because the event is out of town, there will be no open gym or private lessons scheduled this weekend.

Later,

Bob Barnum

"The New Schedule Is Great"

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 04:09:17 GMT

After a couple weeks of the new schedule, it seems to be all great. We've got lots of people training more often, a great gym energy... I'm glad it's working out for everyone! Don't forget, if the schedule doesn't work for you, you can schedule a private lesson ANY time that there's not a group class, even in the middle of the night!

Train Hard... Harder!

Bob

Christmas and New Years Schedule!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:37:23 GMT

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

The gym will be closed tonight and tomorrow (Dec 24th and 25th) and New Years Eve and Day (Dec 31st and Jan 1st). All other classes will be unaffected. The NEW SCHEDULE will take effect on Jan 2nd!

Bob

Stretching versus Warming Up versus Loosening Up

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 04:44:36 GMT

I've students who come into class, usually that have trained somewhere else, that want to stretch before their workout. Sounds reasonable, right? WRONG! People often confuse “stretching” with “warming up” and they use the terms interchangeably when in fact, they are two completely different things. I wanted to take a second to address this in plain English, without the technical jargon that the spandex warriors usually throw at you.

Just so we’re clear, you should ALWAYS warm-up before a workout. The problem is when people start to warm up, they’ll usually go right into basic stretching that we all learned back in high school gym class. That is not warming up. Warming up is slowly raising the temperature of the muscles you plan on using during your training. The best way to do this is by actually doing the same techniques you’ll do in your training, only in a slower, controlled fashion.

For example, I usually have people start off by practicing basic footwork – moving forward, moving back, side-to-side, circling and hard pivoting. This serves two purposes. First, you can never practice footwork enough and it often gets overlooked. Second, it allows you to slowly warm-up the muscles that you’ll be using in the actual training. After this, you can go into some slow punching, focusing on the technique, throw some kicks, lower and slower than you normally do, etc. Again, you’re going slow, focusing on the techniques. This will warm you up AND improve your technique. Other great warm-ups are jumping rope, slower shadowboxing, etc.

Now, it’s time for stretching, right? Not so fast. The other thing people get confused on is stretching to loosen up versus stretching for flexibility. Before a workout, (after the warm-up) the only stretching that should be done is very light loosening up. This would consist of stretching just until you barely feel any tension and only holding it for a few seconds. Things like bending down to touch your toes, picking your knees up into your chest, a couple of low leg swings, hurdlers stretches, etc. can all be done but shouldn’t go past your natural flexibility.

During the warm-up and stretching (loosening), you should try to hit all the muscle groups that you’ll be using in your training and making sure to rotate all your joints. Basically, when you do something hard and fast, it shouldn’t be a wake-up call for any part of your body.

Now, for those of you with flexibility issues or who just want to increase their range of motion a little, there is stretching for flexibility. This type of stretching should be done at THE END of your training. At this point, your body temperature is at it’s highest and you’ll get the most gain out your stretching with less chance of hurting yourself. For this type of stretching, you can use the same stretches you did at the beginning of your workout. The only difference is now you can push yourself a little deeper into the stretch and hold it a little longer. This is the best (safest) way to increase your flexibility and it’s also a great way to cool down before stepping out of the gym and sucking in that cold air.

Train hard... harder... harder... harder!

Later,

Bob

NEW SCHEDULE, OTHER STUFF AND A DEAL FOR NEW MEMBERS!

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:17:05 GMT

Hope everyone is doing well, here's what I've got going on... Lots of changes at the gym. To be easy, I'll just list 'em. THERE'S A SPECIAL DEAL FOR NEW MEMBERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BULLETIN!!!

1) NEW NAME - Pittsburgh Martial Arts & Boxing Academy, we used to be Martial Arts Academy of Pittsburgh AND East Pittsburgh Boxing & Kickboxing Club. It's a long story how that ended up happening but it's settled now.

2) NEW SCHEDULE - Lots more training time and much more flexible. No more joining separate programs. If you're a member come to any class you want. We've even added some daytime classes.

3) NEW MEMBERSHIP STRUCTURE - Like I said, no more joining separate programs. For most of you, this means you'll pay LESS and get more training options. For some of you, you'll pay a little more but still very reasonable.

4) CREDIT / DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED - Still working out the details on this but we'll finally start taking cards.

5) NO "FIRST CLASS FREE" - You can get a free trial class by being referred by a current member only. Otherwise, you have to enroll in a trial membership for $30 that will get credited back to you if you join. We've had too many people take the class that have no intention of joining. This should weed out the people who aren't serious.

6) MINIMUM GEAR REQUIREMENT - At minimum, everyone needs to have a mouthpiece, handwraps and a cup (for men) with them for every class. New students will be given two weeks to get everything they need for class.

Here's a link to a printable (.pdf) copy of the schedule and prices.

Schedule and Rates

I didn't forget the DEAL! Here it is: Any new member who comes in this month (DEC) and pays for January membership will get the rest of this month FOR FREE! As I'm writing this there's more than half of the month left and you can tack that on for free.

Any questions, let me know! If I don't see or talk to yinz before the holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Later,

Bob
412-823-7538
Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com

Emily's VERY SHORT fight

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:53:34 GMT

Here's footage of Emily's 2nd fight.

Bad Weather Policy

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:49:10 GMT

Wear a coat! Just kidding...

In the event of bad weather / bad roads, please call the gym at 412-823-7538. If we are not going to open, there will be an announcement on the voice mail. The announcement will also be posted on the blog, FightingWords.PittsburghBoxing.com

IF THERE'S NO ANNOUNCEMENT, WE WILL OPEN AS NORMALLY SCHEDULED.

Thanks,

Bob

Good Article...

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:01:01 GMT

Check out the article at this link...

Gun Bans

Later,

Bob

Fight Footage

Bob@PittsburghBoxing.com (Bob Barnum) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 05:01:11 GMT

Justin fought a good fight on Sept. 8th. Here's the footage.

Later,

Bob Barnum