Announcements

Closed Labor Day

Total Defense will be closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 2, 2024. Regularly scheduled classes will resume Sept. 3.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Belt Promotions

Congratulations to the newest blue belts at Total Defense and our sister school Principal MMA: Chris Alexander, Kayleigh Southerly, and Alejandro Salinas. Also congratulations to everyone who received stripes on their belts. Your dedication to your art and your support of your teammates make this world a better place.

Character Stripe Program Starts for Younger Kids BJJ

New program focuses on developing positive leadership and character traits.

In addition to their regular ranking stripes, awarded to show progress between belt ranks, students in our younger kids (aged 6-10) BJJ class can now earn character stripes.

Character stripes are denoted by black tape on the lighter end of a belt, while ranking stripes are white tape on the black end of a belt. Each month, students and parents are asked to fill out and return a worksheet before the stripe is awarded.

Designed by Kristen DeBruycker of Gracie Charlottesville, the character stripe program issues four monthly challenges. May’s challenges included remembering emergency phone numbers and practicing honesty, while June’s included focusing on acts of kindness and cleanliness.

“My goal for the character stripe program is to set my students up for success outside of my classroom,” Coach Olivia Huffman said. “If I can help build their confidence by teaching them basic self-defense and leadership skills, I have done my job as a coach.”

Thank you to Olivia for spearheading this important initiative.

(Pictured: Students display their first character stripe.)

Special Bimonthly Program on Wednesdays

This Wednesday, we start a new 7:30pm special program. Every two months, we will rotate in a new instructor and topic. For February and March, Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt Jacob Stearns will share his extensive wrestling knowledge to lead a course on wrestling takedowns.

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements concerning this Wednesday night time period!

Instructors Receive CPR Training

We will repeat the training every couple years when our certifications expire.

This past weekend, TDMA instructors took a 6-hour course from the American Heart Association on CPR and first aid. Conducted on premises, the Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED course gave instructors valuable information about performing CPR, operating an automated external defibrillator (which we will soon purchase for the gym), and first aid. AHA instructor Vicky Anderson brought along training CPR dummies, trainer EpiPens and AEDs, and hours of informative video.

This program was part of TMDA’s ongoing commitment to keep its students and visitors safe. We will repeat it every couple years when our certifications expire.

Updated Class Schedule

Happy New Year! Here are some reminders concerning our schedule:

  • Friday boxing has merged into our Saturday open mat. From 9-11am Saturday, enjoy an open mat for both our BJJ and boxing students. This is a great opportunity to cross-train if you’re interested in trying out another program.
  • However, on this Saturday, January 13, TDMA will be CLOSED for an instructor training workshop in CPR and first aid. This is part of our continuing commitment to keep our students and visitors safe.
  • We will be OPEN on the January 15 holiday for our normal schedule.

Holiday Schedule

Here is the Total Defense holiday schedule for the next couple weeks:

  • Monday, Dec. 25:  CLOSED
  • Tuesday, Dec. 26: 5pm & 545pm kids BJJ closed, 630pm adult BJJ open mat (all belts)
  • Wednesday, Dec. 27 – Thursday, Dec. 28: regular schedule
  • Friday, Dec. 29: CLOSED
  • Saturday, Dec. 30: regular schedule
  • Monday, January 1: CLOSED
  • Tuesday, January 2: regular schedule