Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW) Founder and Mixed Martial Arts Legend, Erik Paulson conducted a two day seminar at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts in State College on October 24 & 25. This marks the third consecutive year that Mr. Paulson visited Central Pennsylvania to teach his brand of mixed martial arts, arguably the most complete MMA system in existence. Students from Titan Fitness, Virginia, New York, and other schools in Pennsylvania attended the two-day seminar. Titan Fitness & Martial Arts will be hosting another Erik Paulson seminar November 13 & 14, 2010. If you are interested in attending, continue to monitor our website at www.titanfitness.com for registration details as we get closer to the event.

Photos courtesy of Titan Fitness MMA student, Cedric De Toffel

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts will be hosting an Erik Paulson seminar October 24 & 25. This seminar marks the third year in a row that this living mixed martial arts legend has come to State College. Erik Paulson was a two-time light heavyweight shootwrestling champion. Following his fighting career, Mr. Paulson founded the fighting system Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW), one of the few complete mixed martial arts systems in the world today. It combines all elements of MMA to include boxing, Thai boxing, clinching, takedowns, and submissions. Mr. Paulson has had a tremendous influence on the present day mixed martial arts community training such notable fighters as Sean Sherk, Josh Barnett, James Wilks, and present UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar.

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts is proud to be the only facility in Central Pennsylvania certified to teach Mr. Paulson’s amazing mixed martial arts fighting system. If you are interested in mixed martial arts, we encourage you to attend this amazing seminar. Prices are $150 for both days and $80 for one day of training. We encourage you to go to the seminar link of our website for more information. Spots are limited but a few are available.  The best part?  If you are from the Central PA region, State College, or Penn State, you don’t have to travel very far to learn from one of the all-time MMA greats.  Do yourself a favor and take advantage of having the great Erik Paulson right here in State College.

Kathy Morrow is the youth Jeet Kune Do instructor at Titan Fitness and Martial Arts.  Kathy began studying martial arts under Sifu Bill Gebhardt in April 2000, in the Women’s Kickboxing and Jeet Kune Do programs of the State College Martial Arts Academy. Two years later, she started working as an instructor of Kickboxing and Youth Jeet Kune Do, and continued to teach as the SCMAA facility transitioned to Titan Fitness. In addition, Kathy has designed and instructed martial arts self -defense workshops and classes for women and youth in the community, including PSU students, Girl Scouts, summer camps, and middle school physical education. Kathy has worked with youth and families in such roles as counselor, teacher, scout leader, and parent educator. She is currently the coordinator of specials classes and the Extended School Program at the Centre Learning Community Charter School.   Kathy is the mother of three sons:  a teenager and twin toddlers.

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts beginner classes for the fall semester are starting this week.  The following is the schedule for the beginner classes:

Women’s Kickboxing:  Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 6 PM to 7 PM (starting Monday, August 31)
Boxing:  Monday & Wednesday 7:30 to 8:30 PM and Friday 6 PM to 7 PM (starting Monday, August 31)
Mixed Martial Arts & Thai Boxing:  Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 to 8 PM (starting Tuesday, September 1)
Filipino Martial Arts:  Tuesday & Thursday 5 PM to 6:30 PM (starting Tuesday, September 1)

If you have already signed up for one of these classes, we will see you this Monday or Tuesday.  If you haven’t signed up yet, a few spots are still available in each class.  To sign up for one of our classes, schedule your free lesson by calling us at 814/235-1015 or by emailing us at info@titanfitness.com.  Free lessons occur during actual class times now that classes will be underway.  We will be accepting new students over the coming weeks.  We look forward to seeing you in class and hearing from those you who want to schedule your free lessons.

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts is proud to have a continued affiliation with Penn State Boxing. As the unofficial “second home” of Penn State Boxing, we are proud to announce that we continue to offer discounted gym memberships and boxing instruction to all members of the Penn State Boxing team and club members. For more information, call us at 814/235-1015 or email us at info@titanfitness.com for more details.

For those interested in joining the Penn State Boxing Club, you can sign up Wednesday, August 26 at the White Building gym from 7 pm to 11 pm.  If you miss that meeting, but still would like to sign up, contact Penn State Boxing Club President, Tyler Choura via email at tjc5107@psu.edu.

After you join the boxing club, be sure to enhance your training with a discounted membership at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts.  We are located at 412 W. College Avenue in downtown State College.  Remember to mention your club membership to get the discount.  We look forward to having all of you as members at Central Pennsylvania’s only full-time, full service martial arts and boxing facility.

Titan Fitness & Martial Arts has a fan page on Facebook.  We encourage all Titan members and people interested in becoming members to sign up to become a fan.  Also, invite your friends to check us out.  Sign up to keep track of all the goings on at Titan Fitness including class information, fighter results, upcoming events, and general information about Central Pennsylvania’s only full-time, full service martial arts and boxing facility serving the Penn State and greater State College communities.

Simply log on your Facebook account, and go to the link below to “join the club”.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/State-College-PA/Titan-Fitness-Martial-Arts/21262699735?ref=ts

Dan Testa serves as an assistant boxing instructor at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts.  Dan has achieved much in his short boxing career.  He started as a boxing student less than two years ago with his first fight (a victory) coming only eight months later.  During that time, he compiled an impressive record of six wins against only two defeats with many of those victories happening as a member of the Penn State Boxing Team.  In March 2009, Dan qualified for the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) national tournament after his second place finish at the East Coast NCBA Regionals.  Dan continues to fight in amateur events throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

Dan has worked with many students both in the classroom and personal training setting bringing a high level of boxing instruction to his students.  In addition to his instructional duties, Dan is the assistant office manager at Titan Fitness.  Dan is a kinesiology major who will graduate from Penn State in the Fall of 2009.

Dave Vacco is the head boxing instructor and the Boxing I instructor at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts.  He also coaches the Penn State Boxing Team.  Dave became involved with boxing as a student at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts five years ago.  Since then, Dave has several years of experience competing as an amateur boxer under coaches John Robertson and Tommy Wilt, out of Altoona Boxing Club.  Dave has also learned from Walter Kravitsky, Steve Bumbaco, and Walter Blake.

As a boxing coach, Dave has coached dozens of competitive boxers in hundreds of bouts, including four All-Americans, seven NCBA national qualifiers, and one national runner-up. In the 2009-2010 season, Penn State Boxers had 52 fights.

Dave has a life-long love of the sweet science.  He teaches the “Boxer-mover” style, which involves slick footwork, out-fighting, and counter-punching.  Dave treats boxing as a chess match, teaching his boxers to strategize and out-smart their opponents.  The Boxer-mover, commonly called the “European Style,” or “in-and-out” style, is the most successful style on the international boxing scene, most notably utilized by the Cuban National Boxing Team.  By taking advantage of the scoring system of amateur boxing, the boxer-mover style teaches a boxer to score and get out, building up points and out-hussling opponents.  Dave learned this style from a former member of the Russian Olympic Boxing Team.

Dave also teaches aspects of “pressure-style” boxing, which involves relentless forward movement, head-movement, and attacking combinations.  Commonly this style involves steady hussle, trapping opponents on the ropes or in the corner. This is the style Dave’s coach, Tommy Wilt, used to win 6 open-class golden glove state championships, competing on the U.S. National Team, and gaining a 21-7 professional record.  Dave’s boxers have the pressure-style in their toolbox, allowing them to “switch gears” when the time is right.