I am sure that
most of us have heard the term “McDojo” before. It is a term used to describe a
chain or individual martial arts establishment that lacks legitimacy or one
could even say is poorly managed. As the sport of Mixed Martial Arts exploded
into mainstream entertainment the martial arts world experienced a flood of
these so called McDojos attempting to hop on the band wagon of Mixed Martial
Arts popularity. To the untrained eye it is hard to tell a legitimate school
from a farce, especially when they are toting flashy equipment and a clean
facility. But time has shown that simply hopping on the popularity train does
not prove enough to maintain a successful gym. Schools were opening under
individuals with martial arts experience but no business sense, vice versa.
When the dust
settled from the excitement of the opportunity that MMA presented, schools were
failing due to lack of business experience, or lack in legitimate training
credentials. Certain gyms were forced to downsize and some even forced to
close. But there are always exceptions to the norm. These came in the form of
gyms run by professional trainers or fighters themselves; those that had the
passion, experience and love of the sport. These gyms excelled where others
failed. Long Island Mixed Martial Arts is one of those gyms and is a prime
example of the criteria previously stated. They first opened their doors in
November of 2011 and have been steam rolling the New York MMA scene ever since.
Owned by now current UFC Welterweight Ryan LaFlare and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Blackbelt/ MMA Coach Gregg DePasquale; Long Island MMA was bred of a true love
for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts and it truly shows in the way that members
experience their training.
There are other successful gyms in the
Long Island area however, a key point that sets Long Island MMA apart is the
fact that everyone that comes in to L.I.M.M.A. receives attention and is
treated with equal priority. This is likely a big part of why the team of amateur
fighters at Long Island MMA is so talent rich. Everyone has potential and the
coaches at Long Island MMA make it their mission to bring out the best in all
of their students! Aside from the more than qualified coaching staff another
key part of running a gym, like any business would be an education in such an
area. While Ryan LaFlare is a professional athlete, he also has a college
education. Ryan graduated from Farmingdale State College with a business
degree; a degree which has helped turn his once small gym from Lindenhurst into
a massive 12,000 square foot facility located in Farmingdale NY. It is the
business know how of its owners that has kept Long Island MMA constantly growing
and improving, rather than downsizing like so many other schools have had to
do. At Long Island MMA classes are
constantly being improved; be it adding more of them or simply improving
existing ones. Needless to say, with the foundation and care that makes up Long
Island MMA the only place that it will be going is forward to even greater
things!
