Clarion Mixed Martial Arts Offers Summer Fun With Day Camps, Classes

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published May 10, 2021 4:45 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — There is more than just martial arts available through Clarion Mixed Martial Arts as summer approaches.

Clarion Mixed Martial Arts is the brainchild of Hillary and Leo LeFay who also operate several other businesses from the 1130 Center on East Main Street in Clarion.

The couple founded the business in 2009 when a renewed interest in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) was bringing a lot of attention to the realm of mix martial arts.

With her own background in kickboxing, and her husband’s background in karate, as well as his training from his time in the Army, the couple discovered a liking for the newly burgeoning realm of mixed martial arts. With this in mind, they decided to learn Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is martial art-based primarily on grappling and submission holds.

“It just made sense in a town with a major wrestling program at the university to take advantage of some of the experts available,” Hillary explained.

They built up the program over the years, adding more teachers with different techniques, offering classes for a range of abilities and age groups.

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Currently, Clarion Mixed Martial Arts offers classes for all ages, from pre-karate and “Kid-Jitsu” through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and karate.

Pre-karate is available for children as young as three years old and focuses on teaching children basic self-discipline and control over their own bodies.

“The kids have so much fun with this, and they absolutely love it,” Hillary said.

Kid-Jitsu is a class based on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, designed for kids ages five through 12. It focuses on grappling, takedowns, and throws and does not involve any punching or kicking.

According to Hillary, the Kid-Jitsu program focuses mainly on physical exercise, self-discipline, and learning leadership traits and includes everything from warm-ups and exercise counting activities to grappling.

“It (the Kid-Jitsu program) has a lot of different focuses,” Hillary noted.

“There’s really no MMA for kids, per se. A lot of parents worry that’s what we’re getting into, but our classes are more about respect, self-discipline, and controlling your body.

“None of the kids are encouraged to do any fighting. If anything, giving them more confidence in themselves will make them less inclined to pick fights and things like that.”

While the pre-karate and Kid-Jitsu classes are more about instilling traits like self-discipline, for those students who do wish to take the martial arts aspect of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu a bit further, they also offer a kids competitive class, focusing on learning rule sets and a competition mindset.

They have an all-ages general Jui-Jitsu class, open to anyone regardless of experience, and offer lessons with multiple options depending on each students’ goals. Hillary said that in this case, those goals can include anything from a good workout to competition training.

A karate class open to all ages is also available; it is taught by local instructor John Miller.

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Hillary noted that each karate class is tailored to those in attendance, from adults to children, as well, and the learners are divided up by skill level within the same class.

The classes draw both men and women, as well as boys and girls, of all ages and skillsets and offer a wide range of possibilities from a fun, healthy workout to the preparation for competition, according to Hillary.

Along with the classes, the summer months also bring some events activities to Clarion Mixed Martial Arts: Summer Day Camps.

For Summer 2021, they are offering three summer camp opportunities: Action Camp, Brazilian Jui-Jitsu Camp, and Game Camp.

Action Camp

Action Camp is a half-day camp that will run from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday, June 7, through Friday, June 11. They also offer an opportunity for students to stay each day until 6:00 p.m. to try out one of the daily kids’ martial arts classes.

Action camp is open to children ages five through nine and each day will include martial arts, crafts, obstacle courses, games, snacks, and more.

“This has kind of a superhero theme and involves a lot of physical games, like laser tag.”

Brazilian Jui-Jitsu Camp

Brazilian Jui-Jitsu Camp will run from 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. from Monday, June 21, through Friday, June 25. It is open to ages eight through teens.

The camp will include everything from learning about the history and theory behind the art of Jui-Jitsu to hands-on lessons and training. It also includes games, movie time, an obstacle course, and snacks.

“It’s a really fun very physical camp.”

Game Camp

Game Camp runs from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday, July 19, through Friday, July 23.

This camp is very different from the others, according to Hillary.

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“It’s a lot of more social stuff,” Hillary explained.

Game Camp is open to ages nine through teens and offers board games, card games, video games, strategy games, and physical games.

The camp includes learning about game design, mechanics, and the basics of theory. The students will also participate in daily game tournaments, have an opportunity to design their own games, and even take on an escape room.

Game Camp includes a half-day option for 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Both Game Camp and Jui-Jitsu Camp include a pizza party on the final day of camp.

“These are a great opportunity for kids to get together and have some fun, all while learning and growing.”

Additional Information

More information about both the regular classes and the summer camp opportunities are available on the Clarion MMA website.

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