WACO, Texas — Martial Arts of Waco was made for people to learn different styles of combat and to have an outlet.
"I found out there was a need, usually jiu-jitsu and muay thai usually follows Crossfit, and Crossfit slowly die down a little bit, and I saw there's a need for it," said professor and creator of Martial Arts of Waco, Darren Turner.
"Striking man. It's action, it's a street fighter, it's fighting everything like that," said coach at Martial Arts of Waco, Tracey Thompson.
At face value, people see martial arts for its violence, but looking beyond, it can be seen that there's more.
"I would say the fellowship and the brotherhood — there's a lot of trust when it comes to sparring and training and especially when we're talking about throwing punches, and to dial it back and still be able to get up and go to work the next day, just that trust that's there as well," Turner said.
"The athletic aspect of it — everybody thinks they can come in here straight off the street, you know, you get people who storm gyms, 'Oh, I'm a street fighter', stuff like that," Thompson said.
"As soon as they go, they're ducking their head — 30 seconds you're done. You don't know how to pace yourself, you have no condition, you can't hold your hands up," he said.
People of all ages join for classes, and that first day experience is truly unforgettable.
"It's totally different — it's definitely something new, you think you know some things, and then it's just like, 'Ok, let's just take that all away and start over," said student, Stance Harrell.
"But I would definitely recommend it though, because it's always good to learn new things."
"It's an everybody sport — age has a factor in it but everybody who comes in here for the exercise of it makes them feel younger," Thompson said.
Whatever path you take to achieve your resolution, always remember to follow through and finish.
