Martial Arts in Montclair

Winner of more than 100 mixed-martial-arts competitions, Tiger Schulmann shares his pride and love for fighting and self-defense with both adults and children in gyms across five states. From first-time grapplers to expert muay thai fighters, students of all fitness and experience levels are welcome to dive into a class at Schulmann’s. At more than 47 locations, adults can take classes in kickboxing, MMA, and jujitsu—the last of which instills students with the skill and confidence to take down opponents of any size, strength, or telekinetic ability. Kids, meanwhile, can learn martial arts for fun, or gain useful experience in bully prevention; the kids’ classes help victims immediately identify and safely diffuse situations when pitted against an aggressor.

Having garnered a black belt under the Brazilian tutelage of Renzo Gracie and his family, professional mixed-martial-arts fighter Jamal Patterson mentors students in "The Gentle Art" of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as well as other martial-arts forms. Whether he and AllStar's coaches are leading women's self-defense seminars, children's anti-bullying classes, or advanced Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions, they focus on self-reliance and body awareness through the use of fluid motions and poise. Participants in various classes learn movements that stave off attacks without the need for weapons, name-calling, or balloons filled with spoiled milk.

A US Marine, two-time Iraq veteran, and soon-to-be third-degree black belt, Johnny Guerrero is like a Swiss army knife of self-defense techniques. He earned black belts in Brazilian jujitsu and ninjutsu—the traditional fighting form of Japanese assassins—and has studied styles ranging from judo to Greco Roman wrestling. He draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of self-defense along with his first-hand experience of combat to aid students on their journey to becoming warriors—the very reason he started Guerrero Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The school’s curriculum is designed to teach students to fight with speed, skill, and accuracy. Instructors tailor Brazilian jujitsu and mixed-martial-arts lessons based on level expertise, allowing beginners to learn from experts and experts to challenge themselves to intense competition. Children's classes cater to kids with special needs and focus on antibullying instruction to keep kids safe at school. Each teacher receives training in both child and adult psychology, which aids them in chopping through even the thickest of mental blocks.

At LaSalle Mixed Martial Arts, founder Michael LaSalle—whose resumé includes fighting in the 1999 Golden Gloves match and honing jujitsu skills in Brazil—shares his lifelong passion for mixed martial arts with pupils as young as 4 years old to students as old as adults. His classes focus on Asian and Latin American combat styles, including muay thai, Filipino weaponry, and Brazilian jujitsu, and they cultivate a noncompetitive, fun environment as pupils learn grappling techniques and how to defend themselves from throngs of rabid lucha libres. In addition to emphasizing technical skills and developing strength, the children's mixed-martial-arts program encourages kids to hone valuable life skills such as self-discipline, self-esteem, and concentration.

Beyond mixed-martial-arts classes, the studio also offers fitness classes, including cardio kickboxing and strength and conditioning training, and women's self-defense classes.