News

MMA Classes Fight Bullying

Updated Monday, March 11, 2013

Written By: Joe Melillo

These days kids of every age need as much help as they can get when it comes to being self confident and independent.

March 11, 2013
Big Flats (WENY) - These days kids of every age need as much help as they can get when it comes to being self confident and independent. Well a local program is helping kids do just that.
     At Power of One MMA in the Arnot mall, Classes usually look like a normal gym class, but for the past two years the classes have expanded to include a younger generation with their P.R.I.D.E. Program. Dylan Smith is the Youth Coordinator for Power of One.
“Pride is an acronym for Positivity respect integrity discipline and empathy and those are the five words that we really base our program around,” says Smith.
     It might seem weird, these kids are being taught how to punch and kick to combat bullying but really the program teaches them how to stay in control. Cullen Mawhir is a 5 year old in the program. Cullen's mom, Nicole was nervous about her five year old taking MMA classes
     “I'm thinking the cage fighting on tv so i'm a little hesitant at first,” says Nicole. “It's a real advantage of improved focus he dose really focuses his energy much better now he also learns anti-bullying techniques or issues that he wasn't even aware of before.”
      “It increases their self confidence its one of the biggest goals of the program is to increase their self confidence and their self worth,” says Dylan.
      Power of 1 MMA teaches more than 150 kids from ages 4 to 12 and are in schools around the Southern Tier.