Feeling a bit sluggish and weighed down after indulging in too many holiday goodies? Or perhaps, you’re looking for ways to relieve stress and build confidence. If so, then the New Year is a great time to shed some of those excess pounds, get back into shape and learn some self-defense skills. There are many options available to do just that.
Among the options is kickboxing – the popular activity provides a total body workout, builds lean muscle, burns calories for weight loss and helps relieve stress. It keeps participants mentally sharp and helps them reach health and fitness goals.
Masters & Champions Martial Arts studio is located at the intersection of Grand Blanc Rd. and Dort Hwy.
Adam Bell, Owner of Masters & Champions Martial Arts in Grand Blanc, is among those who have successfully turned a passion since childhood into a thriving academy.
“This is the school where I started my martial arts training at age 11 in the late 1980s,” Bell explained. “I have moved up through the ranks of this martial arts style to the current rank of Fifth Degree Master Instructor. I also hold the rank of First Degree in Taekwondo, and have held ranking in several other martial arts over the years.”
In 2006, Bell was able to purchase the business from his instructor and has been the sole owner and head instructor since then.
“Our school started teaching Cardio Kickboxing in the mid-90s, when the Tae Bo craze was happening, and we jumped on the bandwagon, so to speak,” he said. “Just like Billy Blanks did during that time, we were teaching an aerobic exercise program with martial arts.”
Blanks is an American actor, martial artist and fitness personality. A nationally ranked competitor, he won a bronze medal at the 1981 World Games, before creating the Tae Bo exercise program.
Bell said those who taught the Cardio Kickboxing class had to be instructors in the traditional martial arts programs so that when punches, kicks and more were performed, they were taught properly and not just “randomized in the air” with music blasting.
“I have been instructing the Cardio Kickboxing class now for almost 30 years and teaching martial arts for around 35 years.” Bell started Cardio Kickboxing in his late teens while training at his martial arts school, had achieved the level of black belt and was already instructing classes.
“My instructor asked if I would be interested in teaching the Cardio Kickboxing classes, as well,” he recalled. “I have the coordination of a rock at times, so I wasn’t sure if I could. But with my other instructors’ help and time, it is now like second nature to me. It is a great workout, and you get to practice some skills you learn in the traditional class along with self-defense techniques. Yeah, who wouldn’t want to try that? Students also get to do a variety of different things like heavy-bag work, free weights, partner drills, focus mitts – it’s not a boring class, to say the least.”
“We are here to help people learn what they can achieve with hard work, patience and perseverance.”
Adam Bell
Masters & Champions Martial Arts originally opened in the mid-80s under the Grand Blanc Taekwondo Academy. More than 3,000 students have come through its doors over the years, most in the traditional martial arts program, but since the mid-to-late ‘90s when they introduced the Cardio Kickboxing class, a new world was opened to students who attend to get a great cardio workout and later, want to try martial arts. Currently, the school has 50 to 60 students actively training, about 15 of whom train in Cardio Kickboxing.
“First and foremost, we are a traditional martial arts school,” Bell explained. “We welcome students from four years old to 94 years old, or older. That is my life’s passion! We are one of the first schools in the area to offer a free two-week trial for anyone who walks through our door. I want people to try our programs before they pay anything for it. The martial arts and working out has so many options, I want to make sure people like what we teach before they put a dime into our programs.”
Adam Bell gives personalized instruction to each one of his kickboxing students.
The Cardio Kickboxing program is for people 14 years old and older. “In a nutshell, it is an aerobics program. The difference is that you will learn basic martial arts and self-defense, all while getting a workout and having a great time.”
“It is amazing how many people come into the class and cannot even make a proper fist,” said Bell. “We will make sure that not only will you have a great punch, but also learn multiple ways to use that punch, learn different kicks, combinations, find muscles you didn’t even know existed. Each of our instructors brings their own strengths to the table.” All of the instructors have trained in martial arts for years.
Masters & Champions offers classes with lower-impact training and more focus on movement, stretching and basic skills. Others are designed to allow students to learn at their own pace.
Adam’s daughter Genevieve is a regular attendee of kickboxing classes.
“I teach many drills at different levels, so those wanting a hard workout can do one version while others can do a more toned-down version to make sure they are not overwhelmed,” Bell informed. “This class will improve coordination, stamina, confidence and will teach you to be more self-aware. In today’s world, the self-defense aspects are priceless.”
Bell says martial arts have always been a fantastic activity for people with physical challenges. “A good instructor will be able to teach and succeed despite a student’s physical limitations,” he stated. “It is understandable that some won’t be able to perform a jump or spinning kick. Heck, I have had students who struggled to stand up for more than 20 minutes at a time. If they are willing to try and learn, we will do everything we can to teach them what we know.”
Bell reports that Cardio Kickboxing will help with stamina, flexibility, speed, stretching and a bit of strength training. “Starting this month, our school will resume offering the Tai Chi program for those who want a workout but are limited or nervous about the impact training of the cardio class. If you have ever wanted a low-impact workout, Tai Chi is the class for you. It is amazing how much you will work with so little movement – or what you think is so little movement.”
Over his 35 years of training/teaching, Bell has enjoyed many success stories. He shared two, one about a traditional martial arts student, and one from the Cardio Kickboxing class.
“The cardio story is funny and not funny at the same time,” he said. “About 20 years ago, a very dedicated student in her mid-to-late 40s had trained in our cardio program for just over a year, when she traveled with friends to a large city out of state. The next week, she came running into class excited and jumping to tell me something. I asked her what was going on and she said, ‘I was mugged!’ My first reaction was, ‘Are you okay? Did you call the police?’ She explained that she and her friends were walking down the street when a man approached her from the front, grabbed her by the collar and demanded money. She said her instincts from training kicked in – she immediately kneed him between the legs, then did a combination learned in class: jab-jab, cross, hook, elbow. She squealed with excitement, ‘I broke his nose and he got arrested!’
“The martial arts story is more of a success story. I have had many students who wanted to learn martial arts – many are curious, some have struggles in life and hope this will help, and some are kids with a parent who wants to help them in some way or another. The second story fits that category. I was still a young teacher when a boy around 10 or 11 years old came to the school. He was very shy, kind of clumsy, not sure of himself at all. I kept having to tell him, ‘When you talk to people, look them in the eyes, or at least at their forehead. The ground will not hold the answers to what you want to know.’
“Over the years, he progressed through the ranks, gaining confidence and strength,” Bell continued. “His personality started to come alive in class and eventually, he wanted to help teach. He not only achieved the level of black belt, but is still training with us today. Now in his early 30s, he recently became a Fourth Degree Master Instructor. Arthur Kessie is a devoted instructor and like a brother to me. It has been truly amazing to watch him, and many others start so young and grow up to achieve the goals in their lives and the club.”
Happily married for 23 years, Bell has two teenage daughters, and fitness is a family affair.
“Genevieve is 19 and a First Degree Black Belt. She has told me she wants to run the school one day, but we’ll see if her mind changes as she gets older and lives life. She also attends Cardio Kickboxing classes once or twice a week, as well. My youngest, Gwendolyn, is 17 and so busy with school sports, she stopped her martial arts training at orange or purple belt level.”
Bell said his school is not the biggest for martial arts or aerobics, but has a group of highly-dedicated instructors who want nothing more than to teach and be there for the students. “We are Genesee County’s oldest-running martial arts school. We like to make sure that our students not only learn the techniques, but also understand them and why they are used.
“Some schools promote students to ranks as long as they pay tuition and put in the time,” Bell added. “We make sure students do not promote to the next belt level until they understand what and why they are doing these motions. Martial arts is not about violence and aggression; the exact opposite, in fact. One of our chief rules we teach is, ‘Run rather than hurt.’ We are here to help people learn what they can achieve with hard work, patience and perseverance.”
Masters & Champions Martial Arts is located at 3100 Grand Blanc Rd., Grand Blanc. For more info about the school and the classes offered, call 810.695.6245, visit MastersandChampions.net or email abell@mastersandchampions.net.
