High Quality Martial Arts

High Quality Martial Arts and Services at Bruce McCorry’s Academy

written by: Master McCorry and Master LaRosa

Martial arts is a field that combines the strength of tradition and the vigor of the present day. It has remained popular throughout centuries, attracting more learners with passing time. Martial arts is such a widespread discipline that the choices are many when we look for a place to learn. Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts Center at Peabody (Massachusetts) is one of those organizations that give prime focus to the quality of their services.


Quality Martial Arts at Bruce McCorry’s: An Overview
Since 1978, Bruce McCorry’s Academy has remained a familiar name in Massachusetts. A brainchild of Master Bruce McCorry, the academy was established with a vision to make the people aware of the limitless potential of martial arts as a discipline. Since then, quality has been the motto of the academy.


The academy offers courses in all major martial arts such as Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Tai Chi, Kickboxing, MMA and XMA. From the beginning, inclusiveness was a mantra for the academy. The major programs in Bruce McCorry’s Center are open to anyone regardless age whereas the common practice is to introduce some or other age limits. People from all age groups - children, youngsters, adults and seniors - enroll at the academy. Since the aptitude and physical capability is different for different age groups, the teachers usually adapt each class to suit the individual needs of the learners.

The academy has taken a number of steps to realize its vision of high quality martial arts. Customized programs are only one among these. Keeping the busy school schedule in mind, Bruce McCorry’s offers two special programs for children – the Afterschool Martial Arts and the Summer Program. Since preschoolers need a different approach, another course - the Little Ninjas – is offered for their benefit. Learners with special needs are also offered a unique program which makes it possible to give individual attention and personalized coaching to them.


Each course functions upon a carefully structured syllabus. Some courses like the Afterschool program have a syllabus with national recognition. In the case of some courses, the academy follows a syllabus which is designed by qualified martial art experts and teachers. The highlights of the course include a systematic introduction, reference to theoretical and philosophical aspects of martial arts, and time-bound practical sessions. Masters also provide guidance on the right way to practice at home, the best accessories to choose and so on. The practical sessions are facilitated by teachers with experience. Those who handle the children’s courses are trained specifically in safety measures.

Quality with Safety
Quality is always combined with safety in Bruce McCorry’s. For the safety of children, the academy offers transport for students of the Afterschool Program at an affordable amount. Safety is a priority even inside the classroom. Any fighting method that involves possible danger is specifically excluded from the syllabus for children. Thus, kids at Bruce McCorry’s do not have to face difficult sessions such as ring fighting or cage fighting.



Bruce McCorry’s Center has a free introductory course for those who want to experience Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts at first hand and decide only later. If you are looking for quality martial arts, you can give Bruce McCorry’s a try.   www.brucemccorrys.com  - 978-535-7878

MMA and Traditional Martial Arts

Is MMA a Threat to the Values of Traditional Martial Arts?
written by: Master McCorry


MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts has been comparatively a new entrant to the age old traditions of conventional martial arts. In fact, though attempts in the line to create a single martial art with the elements of different arts date to the 1960s, MMA in its current form, was the result of the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was inaugurated in 1993. Originally, the Ultimate Fighting Championship - or UFC as it is popularly known - had kicked off as a platform to find out the best fight technique of all. However, in the course of time, the different martial arts that played out in the UFC arenas mingled together and UFC became the stage to what came to be known as MMA. The popularity of MMA soared after the television appearance of the series The Ultimate Fighter in 2005. Since then, we are witness to an MMA phenomenon, when the sport got immense attractiveness all over the world, especially in the United States.

The Erosion of Traditional Values in MMA
Along with the rising popularity and zest of the MMA, a number of analysts and martial art enthusiasts have started pondering the other side. A number of analysts have come up with bold remarks on how the glamour and competitive zeal that is associated with UFC tournaments have resulted in an erosion of the values that were an integral part of the traditional martial arts.


These analysts have tried to point out how the commercialization of MMA has led to a disappearance of values like respect, mutual cooperation and tolerance in the modern MMA arenas. The argument is that when MMA is commercialized, especially with a television audience in mind, it causes many contestants and promoters to forget the values of sportsman spirit, respect and modesty.

Blending the Strength of Tradition with MMA
How is it that MMA, a sport with elements absorbed from all the traditional martial arts that cherish these very values, does a volta-face like this? The reason that most analysts put forward is this: even though MMA draws a lot from the traditional martial arts, only a portion of the current MMA practitioners are actually trained in these traditional arts. This has led to the current situation in which many MMA artists have started considering themselves more of a fighter than a martial artist.

MMA, in itself, is an art with a lot of positives to it. The benefits of MMA are doubled by the fact that it has acquired the status of the most popular martial arts in countries like the US. Even the modernized facet of MMA with its focus on healthy competition and sports-like spirit is an aspect worth keeping. If the core values like respect, humility and cooperation could be blended with these, MMA has the potential to be the greatest martial art of all. For this, we need training institutions that teach MMA without effacing its humanitarian outlook.


There are a number of martial art institutions in the US, like the Bruce McCorry’s Martial Arts Academy (Peabody. MA) that emphasize the core values of conventional martial arts even in radical arts like MMA. What we need is an MMA with a human face and academies like Bruce McCorry’s  gives us that.