Best Regards,

Mr.B (Paul)

Check out this video of an exhibition match between Charlie McShane and Mr.B.

This month and next month we will be focusing on our first and most important lesson, Integrity and honesty. Starting next week your children will receive their first homework assignment to help them learn about the importance of honesty and the meaning of integrity.

Reminder: we will be closed on Thursday the day of Thanks Giving but will open on that Friday and Saturday, so bring your friends and family to class. Also we will be changing our Saturday schedule to two different classes separated by rank, in order to keep the class size down. First class will be from 9:00am – 10-15am, it will be open for White belt and Hight White belts, yellow belts are welcome but I would encourage them to come to the second class. The second class will be from 10:15 am – 11:30 am, and it is for Yellow belts and Up. Both classes will follow a specific format. The first 45 minutes will be the SuperKids Karate portion and the 30 minutes will be the SuperKids Gymnastics class. If you have any additional questions you can call me at 860 233 3000.

Thank you for your support,
Paul (Mr.B)

Also I have been working on our new website day and night, and I just had a great idea. I would like make this website more family oriented and would like to have a section for all of our members to share their stories, experiences, or changes you have noticed in your child life since they have started our program. I think it will be cool to see all the kids and their accomplishments. You can send me your stories to my email. (paul.bratslavsky@gmail.com)

Thank you,

Paul (Mr.B)

Paul (Mr.B)

Want to burn calories, learn self-defense moves and not hurt anyone in the process?

Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense, SuperKids Karate and Mixed MArtial Arts of New England can teach you how through a uniquely tailored program called SuperFit. The Park Road business offers SuperFit and more that are based on the Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu style of martial arts. The style of Jiu Jitsu was developed by several generations of the Gracie family from Brazil. Son and grandson Royce Gracie made his name for being a regular winner of the Ultimate Fighting Championships in the early 1990s. He then molded his training method that he used to prepare for his matches in to SuperFit workout. “Royce defeated opponents in the UFC without punching or kicking. He was the first to win it in an eight-man match in 1994,” said Paul Bratslavsky, a partner at Royce Gracie with Jim Hughes here and in East Windsor. “As he became more known he traveled around the world to showcase his talent and then he developed SuperFit. The martial arts we practice here is also adapted by the U.S. military. There’s no punching and no kicking, he added. “Police officers train here. It teaches them to stay safe and not get injured. It means you can spar 100 percent of the time and you will not hit your partner. It’s like playing chess at 100 miles per hour.”
The one-hour workouts can include fitness, mixed martial arts and kickboxing, or Gracie Jiu Jitsu self-defense.
They all start with a warm up to get heart rate up, then Mr. Bratslavsky will lead the group in jumping jacks or running in place.
“I change it up every day so no one workout is the same,” he said.
“Then we go over basic kicks and punch styles to raise your heart rate and do core strength using weights, rubber bands and body weight exercises,” he added.
“Then we’ll slow down a bit and I’ll go over basic self-defense techniques for 15 or 20 minutes. We do core strengthening, adding elements of boxing and kickboxing.”
From there, he creates a circuit-training circle.
“You work for one minute at each station for as hard as you can,” he said.
“Just when you think it’s done, we’ll do 100 sit ups or another exercise just to show you that you can push yourself a little bit more,” said Mr. Bratslavsky.
It’s not a typical workout. We try to think of it as personal training. Our motto is to have a good time and have fun, but also get a great workout.”
Marilyn Tyler has been his client for more than eight years. She estimates she has taken more than 1,300 classes.
“It’s like a second home to me,” she said. “Paul keeps switching it up. I never get bored and I get a great workout.”
She called Royce Gracie “a small, friendly, motivating atmosphere. Everybody becomes your friend there.”
“Paul is great. He’s truly a professional. People who don’t love to work out will like this because it’s disguised as fun. I really think it’s one of the best-kept secrets.”
Mr. Bratslavsky is a certified personal trainer who has found his passion teaching others how to be healthy.
“It’s a very personal experience for me,” he said.
“When I was 19 I had a daughter. The life change hit me hard. I had to get a second job and quit school. I went from 145 pounds to 212 pounds,”he said.
“When you’re stressed out, you don’t even notice the change. A friend came to visit me and he didn’t recognize me. That’s when I got back into it.”
He started taking cardio kickboxing classes and “one day the teacher got stuck in traffic and didn’t show up, so I warmed up the class. The teacher said to me ‘you should take one of my days and teach.’”
He took her up on the offer and liked it so much he studied to be a personal trainer, working at an area martial arts studio until it cut staff. Soon after that, Jim Hughes asked him to teach. He joined the staff in 2004 and has been a partner for several years now.
These days, the studio is a family run affair. Mr. Bratslavsky’s wife, Viviana, also helps out, and his sister Katie teaches Zumba there.
Mr. Bratslavsky also teaches children karate, Jiu Jitsu, self-defense, basic gymnastics and life skills through the program he and Mr. Hughes call SuperKids Karate. They hold it during the week and on weekends.
“SuperKids karate is my forte,” he said. “I love working with kids. Here, you don’t just show up to get your belt. We instill in kids they have to strive to set goals and earn them.”
“I tell a story about a kid not getting his belt because he didn’t do his homework and respect his grandparents. They listen when I tell them,” he added.
“I make sure they’re practicing at home and I give them homework assignments.”
Some of those assignments include listing three ways you show respect and draw yourself as you look with your newly earned karate belt. It’s about focus, respect and self defense, according to Mr. Bratslavsky.
He doesn’t charge for promotion tests, either, which is is a fee normally paid to instructors to take a test to earn a belt.
Those who want to try taking some classes can go to the Royce Gracie for two weeks for free. An individual membership is $99 per month. For families of any size it’s $169 per month.
“No one should ever feel uncomfortable about getting started,” Mr. Bratslavsky said. “We’re a family here. Besides that, everyone in class started in the same place.” WHL

Our SuperFit program is a great work out for moms and dads. If you are interested you can stop in and give it a try.
Monday & Friday 9:30 AM
Tuesday&Thursday 6:15 PM
Saturday 11:30 AM

The need and the benefits of physical education:

Physical inactivity is recognized as one of the most substantial health problems in the United States and has been shown to be related to chronic disease such as heart disease, type II diabetes, and hypertension (Dobbins et al, 2009). Heart disease, type II diabetes and hypertension has been well documented in the adult and older adult populations but until recently was not considered to be a childhood problem. Now, it is understood that these chronic diseases are a serious issue in the child and adolescent populations. With the realization of this problem, both the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) have prioritized the school setting for health promotion activities for the improvement in child and adolescent’s physical activity levels (Dobbins et al, 2009).
Childhood and adolescent obesity has been on the rise since the 1980’s. In fact the rate of childhood obesity is now two times greater for children 2-5 than it was in 1980 (Ogden & Carroll, 2010). Similarly, rates of obesity in children 6-11 and 12-19 have increased from 6.5% and 5.0% to 19.6% and 18.1% (Ogden & Carroll, 2010). The current statistics show a threefold increase in the rates of childhood and adolescent obesity.

The strong emergence of the exercise science discipline has allowed better understanding regarding the role physical activity and exercise plays in the prevention and treatment of obesity. Physical activity is considered to be crucial in the prevention and treatment of obesity because it balances the energy equation. That is, if an individual consumes more calories in a day than they expend, they will gain weight. Physical activity and exercise can prevent weight gain by increasing the amount of calories that an individual expends. Our understanding of the additional benefits of physical activity is becoming well understood. Physical activity has been shown to improve components of physical fitness (strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and anthropometrics), reduce blood pressure and blood cholesterol, as well as improve self-esteem and psychological health (AHA, 2011) (Kaminsky, 2010).

Physical education is important to the provision of physical activity, improvement of skills in physical activity, sport and exercise, and the promotion of health-related fitness (Connecticut State Board of Education, 2000). Physical education, sport in schools, and extra curriculum activities, such as Martial Arts practice is thought to be the primary means for which children receive physical activity in developed countries.

NASPE recognizes physical education as having physical benefits, cognitive benefits, affective benefits, and quality of life benefits for children in elementary, middle and high school (NASPE, 2001).
Physical education classes provide children with the opportunities to learn fundamental motor skills and set the foundations for lifelong physical activity, exercise and sport participation (Bailey, 2006).
Here at SuperKids Karate, our program is specifically designed to compliment your children in their physical education by providing the best possible program for their needs based on their age and grade level.

At the elementary level, physical education introduces children to basic motor skills; jumping, basic tumbling, skipping, hopping and kicking (NASPE, 2001). At the middle school, level physical education is responsible for fine-tuning of the basic motor skills. At this level, children learn activity specific skills and develop more advanced body awareness which enables them to better utilize their physical skill set. During the high school years students learn how to relate physical skills to health-related fitness (NASPE, 2001). This makes students more likely to engage in physical activity later in life. Removal from physical education, and lack of physical skill acquisition, causes children and adolescents to be removed from physical activity altogether, and, makes them less likely to engage in physical activity (Bailey, 2006).

Physical education and Martial Arts practice has showed cognitive benefits across the elementary, middle and high school years. Physical education is believed to enhance academic performance and attitudes toward school (NASPE, 2001). While the exact mechanism for this remains unknown, it is believed that physical activity increases self-esteem, mood and mental-alertness (Bailey, 2006). Children at the elementary level learn through interaction with their environment. Physical education is believed to enhance this interaction and develop mental schemes in young children (NASPE, 2001). Peer interaction is important in the cognitive development of middle school children. Physical education provides an interactive learning environment for early teenage children (NASPE, 2001). During the high school years, young men and women have the opportunity to make their own decisions about the role of physical activity in their lives. Physical education plays a vital role in providing positive influences and teaching children more advanced health-related knowledge, that can increase the likelihood that they choose to engage in regular physical activity.

The affective benefits of martial arts practice include improvements to self-esteem, attitudes and feelings of self-efficacy. School physical education programs are uniquely placed to contribute to the developments of ‘prosocial’ behavior in children because of its ability to reach almost every student (Bailey, 2006). At the elementary level, physical education, particularly success in physical education, may develop help develop positive self-esteem in children (NASPE, 2001). Physical education is credited with shaping the leadership, social and goal-setting skills of children in the middle school years while helping young men and women develop concepts of self-realization (NASPE, 2001).
Finally, physical education can influence an individual’s quality of life. Mediated by increases in physical activity and physical fitness, physical education, helps prevents disease and disability later in life. Skills learned in physical education classes help shape the views that individuals have regarding physical activity, sport and exercise. Regular engagement in these activities provides enjoyment and friendships that individuals can benefit from throughout their lives.

Kyle Chmielecki
University of Connecticut
MS · Allied Health · Health Promotion and Exercise Science

Title:

Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: The Importance of Preparation. By Daniel R.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu emerged when Helio Gracie, a man who was considered too small to participate in martial arts, decided to create his own form of jiu jitsu. His new form relied not on the size, strength, or athletic ability of the fighter, but leverage and timing. This would allow smaller fighters, like himself, to have a better chance of defending themselves from larger opponents.

Helio’s sons, Rorion, Rickson, Royler, and Royce began an academy to teach this successful form of self-defense in California in 1989. The strategy of Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu stresses to always be prepared. You should always be aware of how to escape if you suddenly find yourself in a bad situation, such as knowing where the exits are located in the case of a fire. Practicing Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu’s techniques of self-defense is crucial to our preparation as repetition enables one to efficiently defend oneself by having a fluent fight plan. It is always beneficial to be prepared for whatever conflicts may arise.

The fight plan of Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu can begin two different ways. The first option is to run away from the fight, hoping you avoid the fight altogether or come back to the fight on terms that are more to your advantage. The other option is to avoid harm by getting closer to your attacker, because he or she will be unable to throw powerful punches of kicks from a close distance, and follow that by wrapping your attacker’s arms to prevent harm and especially to prevent the possibility that your attacker is trying to reach for a weapon. One should attempt to tire his or her opponent, force the opponent to the ground, and end the fight with a submission hold. The idea is often to end the conflict without hurting one’s opponent because it can prevent the situation from escalating, which often occurs when someone gets physically hurt.

Self-defense is very important in today’s society, especially on college campuses. As I approach the end of my final year at the University of Connecticut, I’ve seen countless fights off-campus, been at parties where stabbings have occurred, read about the recent murder of Jasper Howard on-campus, and heard of attempted rapes in the UConn community. One of these rapes was prevented because the woman knew a form of self-defense and was able to fight off her attacker and find an exit. Still, this university is regarded by many as a relatively safe environment, which proves how important it is to know self-defense as the world can be a very dangerous place. Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu is a very effective form of self-defense that doesn’t rely on size or strength, which allows anyone to benefit from its teachings.