Bates Area Civic Association

On a post at truxtoncircle.org, one neighbor on 3rd St. said:

Primal Fitness is a gym at 219 M St NW.  It sits in the old firehouse and you wouldn’t know it was there if you didn’t go inside.  Anyhow, they offer classes in judo which I have been taking for 4 months now.  I have really enjoyed it and wanted to let other folks in the neighborhood know about the classes.

Judo is a Japanese martial art that has its origins in the ancient art of jiu jitsu.  At Primal Fitness, the classes focus on teaching the sport of competitive judo, which is popular internationally and has been an Olympic sport for a long time.  Judo focuses on techniques where you learn to throw an opponent in many different ways.  It also consists of grappling where you learn to control, pin, and apply techniques that force them to submit.  If you have ever watched mixed martial arts then you have seen many of the techniques.  Sport judo does NOT include punching or kicking.  Judo is much safer than most contact sports such as football and serious injuries are very rare.

The classes meet on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6-8.  There are two black belt instructors.  One is a nationally ranked female competitor, while the other is a male who is actually a Truxton Circle resident.  The classes offer a ton hands-on instruction and it is a unique opportunity to train closely with very skilled teachers.  Classes are open to males and females, and people of all sizes and prior skill levels.  I walked in as a guy in my mid-30s who was out of shape and had never trained in a martial art before.  Judo is great exercise, a wonderful stress reliever, and most of all, fun.  It also teaches many techniques that are very practical and effective as self defense.

One last thing- I am not getting paid to promote this class or Primal Fitness and I do not work for them.  I am just a neighborhood guy who wanted to share this to see if any neighbors would like to join us.  If so, please drop by during one of our classes to see what it is all about.  You will find everyone to be friendly and welcoming.  Or if you would like more info, just respond to this post with your e-mail and I would be happy to talk to you more about this.  I hope to see some of you at the dojo.