RONIN ATHLETICS

Ronin Athletics gym has been a pioneer in the education and training of Mixed Martial Arts, comprised of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing in New York City since 2001. We are the official Gracie Jiu Jitsu® Certified Training Center in all of Manhattan, New York City area.

We are located at 265 Madison Ave - 5th Floor, which is 3 blocks south of Grand Central Station and 2 blocks southwest of the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. Our building entrance is on the North East corner of 39th Street.

You’re fortunate to live in New York City because it offers a wide variety of MMA Gyms and Academies – inherent to the competitive nature of Manhattan, the quality of the instructors tends to be of high caliber. Ronin Athletics is considered the best Martial Arts Academy in New York City for those that want to learn: all aspects Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) including self-defense, sport and its concepts on the use of leverage, as well as Kickboxing techniques and footwork.

Contrary to how the sport of MMA (made popular by the UFC), Grappling Competitions or Kickboxing events may appear, the ‘full-contact’ aspect of these events only exhibit a very small portion of its benefits. Fighting has always been an entertaining spectator sport but those who compete typically train at academies who specialize in developing professional fighters – we do not. We believe we are the best Mixed Martial Arts Academy for the individual who wants to learn BJJ and Kickboxing to compliment and balance their lifestyle.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Ronin Athletics

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is arguably the most important skill to any MMA fighter’s arsenal. It was originally created by Helio Gracie for self-defense. Grandmaster Helio modified the techniques used by Judo practitioners to fit his needs. He was a frail man and was considered too weak to practice Judo, which relied on athleticism with some amount of leverage. He modified his self-defense system by finding the most efficient way to ‘weather the storm’ to be in the best position to respond at the right time, with the right technique, with the greatest amount of leverage (Gracie Jiu Jitsu Philosophy) – he called his art Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu

Gracie Jiu Jitsu is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) in its complete form, as it was intended by Grandmaster Helio. While the techniques taught share those with other Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools, the differentiating factor is its emphasis on Self-Defense as its guiding principle during the students development. Without the Self-Defense principle to guide the practitioner, he/she can easily waste valuable time practicing techniques and concepts effective in competition but useless in practical application.

Present day – BJJ Academies abound in New York City. However they have evolved to primarily focus on the sport aspect, almost similar to high school wrestling training with submissions and reliance on a point system. It’s a new sport for the few strong and athletic type. Ronin Athletics enjoys the sport aspect as well but maintains the teaching methodology used by Master Helio.

Kickboxing at Ronin Athletics

Kickboxing is probably the most varied and obscure Martial Art offering in New York City. Kickboxing is a single classification but can be organized into so many different experiences. From cardio/aerobics type classes, to a high intensity heavy bag hitting session, to shadow boxing paired with kettlebells or to the more ‘hard-core’ Muay Thai fight gyms complete with bruised shins.

Our Kickboxing program was originated by the gym’s founder, Christian Montes. Replicating the training methods he used during his years of experience fighting professionally in Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts. It is a blend of three types of striking disciplines: incorporating modern concepts of Western Boxing, Muay Thai and Dutch Style Kickboxing.

What sets Ronin Athletics Kickboxing program apart from all the Kickboxing Gyms in New York City is its perfect balance in applying the striking concepts: Technique, combinations, distance management, dynamic movement and timing – essential skills needed when training for a fight competition -without actually going to competition. Simply put – we do not train fighters.

Ronin Athletics provides the best Kickboxing training environment for individuals that want the middle road. We appeal to those that have interest in learning the technical concepts of Kickboxing and sparring in a safe environment, while not having to move towards the extreme fight gym environment. The technical aspects of the class is mentally challenging while the application of the techniques at a consistent pace is physically challenging. This approach to training Kickboxing provides sustainability in consistent practice – consistency is the key ingredient to proficiency.

Mixed Martial Arts at Ronin Athletics

Understanding the approach to the individual disciplines we offer: Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing, it is a lot easier to grasp why Ronin Athletics has a unique approach to training Mixed Martial Arts.We are not simply teaching you how to wrestle while punching – each dimension of fighting come with its own set of principles and having them come together cohesively require in depth knowledge. Our founder and head coach, Christian Montes is the only Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt in New York City with Professional Kickboxing Experience and the only Kickboxing Coach in New York City that has competed as a BJJ Black Belt at the national level. His commitment to teaching every day individuals is the reason he established Ronin Athletics.