Titan Fitness & Martial Arts Thai boxing student Jordan Katz won his first fight at a United States Kickboxing Alliance (U.S.K.A.) event held in Hamburg, PA at the Hamburg Field House on July 25, 2009. Jordan dominated the action for the three rounds leading up to a third round TKO. We encourage you to watch the youtube video of Jordan’s fight. We at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts congratulate Jordan on a great effort and victory in his inaugural bout.
After much hard work, two Titan Fitness members are ready to fight in their first matches.Shawn Slater, 24, and Jordan Katz, 21, are competing in a Muay Thai fight on Saturday, July 25 at the Hamburg Field House, where they will see if all their training and hard work has paid off.
Slater, originally from State College, Pa., graduated from Penn State in 2007 with adegree in Crime, Law and Justice.He’s been training at Titan Fitness since January of 2007.
Katz is currently a Penn State student from Monroeville, Pa. majoring in Information Science and Technology.
Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, differs from traditional western boxing by allowing eight points of contact; the hands, elbows, knees and shins are used in Thai boxing, compared to just fists in western boxing.
To get ready for his upcoming fight, Slater has upped the intensity of his workouts, and has added extra workouts twice a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about the past two months.During training, Slater likes to see how far he can push himself mentally and physically.
“I’m confident in my abilities, (but) this is my first fight so I don’t completely know what to expect… I’ll do my best,” Slater said. “When I’m sparring hard, I try to think about nothing and use the openings my opponent gives me.”
Katz also said that “ideally nothing” will be going through his head during the fight.“Hopefully I will have drilled and sparred enough times that I will just react,” Katz said.
Katz, who’s been training at Titan Fitness for almost a year, has been training between eight to ten times a week for the upcoming match, compared to usually having only three Thai workouts a week when he’s not preparing for a fight.
“I enjoy being part of a sport again; I haven’t had that since high school… Mostly, I enjoy the nature of the sport. It’s one on one, there are no assists. You’re either to blame or to congratulate, its all on you,” Katz said.“Knowing that I am prepared is all the confidence that I’ll need.”
Despite their confidence, neither Katz not Slater know much about their opponents, both of who are also facing their first fight.
Slater is already looking ahead in his career, hoping to have more Muay Thai fights and eventually start competing in mixed martial arts after more training.Throughout his training at Titan Fitness, he’s said he has had great experience with both Bruce Lombard, martial arts director, and Paul Zelinka, who created lifting and conditioning routines for Slater, as well as being knowledgeable with nutrition.
While training in Muay Thai, Katz is also in Titan Fitness’ Elite Training and said being a part of Titan Fitness has been a great experience and recommends it to anyone interested in martial arts.
When he’s not training, Slater enjoys watching successful fighters John Wayne Parr in Muay Thai fights and Sean Sherk in mixed martial arts events.
This past Saturday, five Titan Fitness Thai Boxing students successfully passed their tests and achieved ranks in the Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A. (TBA). Emma Vautour, Jordan Katz, and Shawn Slater received their level one rank while Nicole Weatherholtz and Sandi Richter earned their level two rank. The test was administered by Thai Boxing certified instructor, Jerry Matthews.
In the TBA, a student can receive the rank of apprentice instructor by passing a third test conducted by the founder of the organization, Ajarn Surachai Sirisute at one of his seminars. The TBA is the oldest and largest Muay Thai organization with an international following.
We at Titan Fitness would like to congratulate these five students on their fine achievement.
Titan Fitness & Martial Arts is presently accepting new students for summer classes. Those classes include mixed martial arts, women’s kickboxing, Filipino martial arts, and boxing. If you are interested in any of these programs, contact us at 814/235-1015 or via email at info@titanfitness.com to schedule your free lesson. Classes for existing students start during the week of May 18 with beginners classes starting the following week on Tuesday, May 26 (Titan is closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day).
Please visit our website for the class of your choice. You can then check our summer schedule to see if the class fits your availability. We look forward to a great summer and hope you will be a part of it with us at Titan Fitness.
As reported in an April 20 blog post, Kristen Althouse competed in a U.S.K.A. sanctioned Thai Boxing event in Hamburg, PA. Her fight was one of the most exciting of the night and was judged a draw. Enjoy the great effort put up by Kristen.
Titan Fitness & Martial Arts debuted its new television commercial during Spike TV’s UFC Live Fight Nights earlier this year. The commercial features a fast-paced montage of the offerings at Titan to include Mixed Martial Arts, Women’s Kickboxing, Thai Boxing, Submission Grappling, Boxing, Filipino Martial Arts, and Elite Training.
The commercial is superbly paced by the song “Let ‘Em Go” by local band, The Clover. Titan Fitness would like to express its gratitude to the band for the use of such a perfect song for the commercial. You can visit this talented band’s My Space page at http://www.myspace.com/69leafclover to get more information about the band, sample their great original music, and view a schedule of upcoming appearances.
Kristen Althouse and Allison Glenny stepped into the ring at a United States Kickboxing Alliance (U.S.K.A.) Kickboxing and Muay Thai event held at the Hamburg Field House in Hamburg, PA this past Saturday night. The event drew competitors from a number of schools in New York and Pennsylvania.
Allison won a convincing unanimous decision in her bout. Allison showed great poise in her first-ever Thai fight utilizing a varied attack to keep her opponent off guard and on the defensive for the entire bout.
Kristen’s fight was one of the most exciting bouts of the night. Kristen showed great perseverance as she withstood an initial barage of punches and kicks in the early stages of the fight before imposing her will and taking the fight to her opponent on the inside delivering an effective assault of knees that nearly broke her opponent. The close fight was ruled a draw by the judges prompting the fight promoter to call for a rematch of the two combatants in July.
We at Titan Fitness & Martial Arts would like to congratulate both Kristen and Allison on their achievement and thank them for representing the gym as tenacious, yet classy and respectful competitors, the way combat athletes should carry themselves.
The following is the Titan Fitness & Martial Arts schedule of classes for Summer 2012. Classes start the week of May 14, 2012 (unless otherwise noted).
Mixed Martial Arts/Combat Submission Wrestling & Thai Boxing
Intermediate & Advanced: Tuesday through Thursday 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Beginners: Tuesday through Thursday 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Monday & Wednesday 6:30 PM to 7:30 pm, Thursday 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM (Starting May31, Thursday times switch to 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM)
Boxing I & II Monday & Wednesday 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM Friday 7 PM – 8 PM
Youth Martial Arts
Tuesday & Thursday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (until May 29, 2012)
Summer 2012 Free Lesson Schedule
Titan Fitness & Martial Arts offers free lessons as a way for new students to try out a class prior to making a commitment to taking the class. The following is the free lesson schedule for the summer semester.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Boxing: Mondays and Wednesdays 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Women’s Kickboxing: Tuesdays 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Free lessons start the week of May 7. All free lessons are by appointment and can be scheduled by calling us at 814/235-1015 or by emailing us at info@titanfitness.com.
With the increased popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), Mixed Martial Arts programs are the fastest growing segment in the martial arts industry. Titan Fitness has been proud to offer Mixed Martial Arts since 2003. The program is structured through the curriculum of Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW), founded by mixed martial arts pioneer, competitor, and now coach Erik Paulson. Mr. Paulson’s CSW is one of the most complete MMA systems in that it combines elements of kickboxing, clinching and grappling, and submission fighting. It blends techniques from styles such as, Muay Thai, Savate, Western Boxing, Greco Roman and Freestyle Wrestling, Shooto, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Mr. Paulson has trained and worked with world renowned fighter like Ken Shamrock, Josh Barnett, Sean Sherk, and Brock Lesnar.
Titan Fitness Mixed Martial Arts classes are taught by Bruce Lombard, Titan Fitness Martial Arts Director, certified CSW coach under Erik Paulson, and one of Central Pennsylvania’s finest mixed martial arts instructors and coaches. The classes are structured with a progressive of skills in the various elements of CSW and may be learned for both self defense, competition, or both. Students can also earn student level rank in Mr. Paulson’s Combat Submission Wrestling style of MMA.
The MMA program aims to enhance a student’s technical, physical, and mental ability in self-defense situations and/or combat sports competition. The program is structured under the Combat Submission Wrestling (CSW) curriculum founded by 2-time World Light Heavyweight Shooto (MMA) Champion, Erik Paulson. The training focuses on three main areas: striking, clinching, and grappling. Each area is broken down into the following elements:
Striking – Muay Thai Kickboxing (wiki), Shooto (wiki), Western Boxing (wiki), Jun Fan/JKD (wiki)
Clinching – Muay Thai (wiki), Vale Tudo (wiki), Greco Roman Wrestling (wiki)
Grappling – Shooto (wiki), Catch-as-can wrestling (wiki), Freestyle Wrestling (wiki), Greco Roman Wrestling (wiki), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (wiki), Judo (wiki), Sambo (wiki)
With the blend of these systems, CSW provides the martial athlete with an avenue to enter into a variety of competitive arenas such as, submission grappling, Thai Boxing, and mixed martial arts.
Call (814) 235-1015 or email us at info@titanfitness.com to schedule your free introductory lesson.
Membership Fees
The cost for the Mixed Martial Arts program is $75/month. This includes three hours per week of instruction plus a full gym membership at not only Lionheart Fitness (Downtown Athletic Club I), but also at Downtown Athletic Club II (412 W. College Avenue) and the North Club.
Gym Membership Features
Titan Fitness Martial Arts classes include a full membership to Lionheart Fitness, a state of the art facility on Sowers St in downtown State College between College Avenue and Beaver Avenue. In addition to the Cage, Ring, Grappling Room, and striking pads, the facility also has over 50 cardio machines, a killer power rack, free weights, medicine balls, clean locker rooms, sauna and shower facilities. Not to meantion over 50 parking spaces. A complete fighter need good cardio and quality strength training that a facility like this one can provide.
Call (814) 235-1015 or email us at info@titanfitness.com to schedule your free introductory lesson.
