All posts by Steve Joncas

Daddy Daughter Date Night – Saturday May 7th, 2016

It doesn’t matter how many good people we are surrounded by, because there is always a chance the bad ones are lurking nearby. Why let YOUR daughter be a VICTIM when we can EMPOWER her instead? Sign up today to protect her when you’re not around.

DD Date Night - FINAL

This event has limited spots so make sure you sign up today either in person at one of our Academies (New Sudbury or Hanmer), by phone 705.222.7655 or online by clicking the button below:



Nerf War Kids Party – Saturday, April 16th

Get excited!  We are hosting our FIRST EVER Nerf Battle!!

The kids are going to love this party!  We provide the guns, the snacks and ALL the fun!  Bring your kids to battle it out with the instructors at the Academy on Saturday, April 16th from 6pm – 8pm.
nerf

This event has limited spots so make sure you sign up today either in person at one of our Academies (New Sudbury or Hanmer), by phone 705.222.7655 or online by clicking the button below:





March Break 2016

What are your plans for your kids this March Break?

 

Looking for more than just child care?  Looking for adventure, an opportunity to learn useful skills?  And a whole bunch of fun?

We have the answer!  Our Outdoor Winter Survival Camp!  We are joined by Conservation Officer, Mitch Turcott who will take us out into the wilderness to teach us how to survive!  Do you know what to do if you are lost in the woods?  Do your children?  We will give them these tools in this one-week, hands-on training camp.march break

We will also be training with Jiu-Jitsu head instructor, Steve Joncas on the mats to teach the kids street self-defence and  school playground survival skills.  Nothing is going to stop these kids by the end of the week.  The confidence they will gain alone will just be radiating from them.

In our camp we  will cover how to build a fire, how to build a shelter as well as navigating skills.  We won’t just learn how, the kids will be given special assignments to actually test the skills they are learning!  Real-life scenarios to put our new techniques into practice.  We will also be covering what to do if we are verbally or physically attacked by a bully and learn about healthy eating and lifestyle habits.  And of course, lots of fun, games and crafts!  We always end the week with our Healthy Lunchtime Challenge.  The camper with the healthiest lunch wins an awesome prize!

Of course there will be plenty of time for fun indoor and outdoor activities too.  We will go sliding, have an outdoor Jiu-Jitsu training session and make a bracelet that the kids will learn is actually a survival tool!

We are holding our camp at our Hanmer location at 5931 HWY 69N in the Hilltop Plaza.  We are offering drop offs at our New Sudbury location to be arranged upon registration.  If you have any questions please call 705-222-7655 or email info@sudburybjj.com

Sign up right here!  $199 for the week!


Women’s Self-Defence Session

We had an amazing time at our Women`s Self-Defence class this past Saturday.  And we were overwhelmed with the response we received from the community.  Over 70 women were in attendance as we focused on a specific scenrio and shared with them some options they can use to be more aware, and defend themselves.  The energy in the room was fantastic as we introduced them to Women’s Jiu-Jitsu.

I`m excited to announce that we will be hosting a 12-week Women`s Self-Defence Program running every Saturday afternoon from 3:30 – 4:30.  The program starts Feb. 6th and continues until April 23rd.

Women's Self Defence poster

During the 12 weeks we will be teaching  you how to neutralize the 15 most common attacks ranging from having your hair grabbed to being pinned to the ground by a weapon-bearing assailant.  Each one-hour Women`s Jiu-Jitsu lesson addresses two techniques.  You can participate in this program without previous experience.  Unlike most self-defence systems that rely heavily on strength, speed and coordination, the techniques shown employ leverage, technique, and timing, so anyone , regardless of age or athletic ability, can make them work against larger opponents.  Arm yourself with the best weapon in self-defence – Jiu-Jitsu.

Cost: this program is free with our unlimited membership.  It is $239 for non-members.

Where: Sudbury Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai Academy – New Sudbury Location – 790 Lasalle Blvd – Montrose Mall

When: Every Saturday from 3:30-4:30 starting February 6th running until April 23rd.

How to sign up:

Call 705-919-9499 – Visit our Two Locations – or use the button below to commit now!


Please email me if you have any questions – jenn@sudburybjj.com

See you on the mats,

Jenn

 

Valentine’s Day Events – Adults and Children

Valentine’s Day Events – Adult and Children

Jiu-Jitsu Date Night

We had such a blast at our last Jiu-Jitsu Date Night we thought what a perfect time to host another, Valentine’s Day!

This may surprise you but it was Steve who was concerned about the level of romance we would be able to offer for the ‘special day’.   We put our brainstorming caps on and came up with a great way to strike the balance of trying something different and the traditional feel of Valentine’s Day.

jiu-jitsu


Jiu-Jitsu Date Night



Kids Movie and Pizza Night

Let us handle the babysitting for your Valentine’s Day plans.  On Saturday, February 13th from 7pm – 10pm we will be hosting a Movie and Pizza night for the kids!  With Kung Fu Panda 3 hitting theatres soon, we thought it would be the perfect excuse to watch the first two over again!

Kids Valentine's Day Party
Movie and Pizza Night!

Bring a Buddy for HALF PRICE!!

Our Early Bird Pricing is Feb 1st – $20.  The price will increase to $25 after.  Reserve your spot now!


Kids Valentine’s Day Party



Youth Leadership Program

We are SUPER excited to announce our newest program, targeted towards Youth!  Our Youth Leadership Program is designed for participants ages 12 – 18.  We will be running bi-weekly sessions from January until June on Saturday evenings.

We’ve already had a lot of positive feedback about the program, and it hasn’t even started yet!  We’ve also been receiving a lot of questions.  I’m going to do my best to answer them now.

youth

What exactly is the Youth Leadership Program?

We’ve had a lot of youth come in and out of our doors over these past 10 years being in business.  We have heard the struggles parents have with keeping them motivated, developing their confidence, their social skills, their eating habits, getting them to help with things around the house.  One big thing parents want/need is another voice.  Someone else to really drill home all of the messages they want their kids to hear, but they aren’t really hearing because parents talk so much!  White noise!  This is where we come in.

We also had this idea when we looked around the city for weekend social activities for teens.  What are your kids doing on a Saturday evening?  Hanging out with friends?  Yes of course, but what are they actually doing?  When I asked parents this, they say video games, watching movies, or worse, getting into trouble.

Our program is offering a place for your teens to be social, be active, get to try new things, and develop their leadership skills which will help them when they go away to school, live on their own and enter the job market.

What will we actually be doing?

Our curriculum is well balanced between learning and fun.  Between developing skills and enjoying the moment.  Here are some examples of topics and activities that we will be covering:

Topics:

  • Public Speaking
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Goal Setting
  • Stress Management

Activities:

  • Grocery shopping, food label reading and cooking class
  • Yoga and Meditation Class
  • Music Night
  • Snowboarding

Who is this program for?

Our program is designed for pre-teens and teens ages 12 – 18.  We are providing a social outlet.  If that is a bit intimidating for your child, signing up with a friend is a great way to help break the ice.

Our intentions for this program is to provide activities for our city’s youth on a Saturday evening.  The same old movie and video games are getting tired.  Let us inspire them.  Let us motivate them.  Let us just hang out with them!

We are only accepting 12 participants in our first program and spots are filling up fast.

Feel free to email me directly if you have any questions jenn@sudburybjj.com or call the Academy 705-222-7655 to book your spot in our unique group.

Looking forward to working with your children,

Jenn and Steve.

January Women’s Self-Defense Seminar

In response to a recent attack in NYC, where a woman was dragged by her ponytail from a public place to an isolated location, the Gracie Academy Certified Training  Centre’s around the world are offering FREE Women’s Self Defence Seminars on Saturday, January 23rd.

Our seminar runs from 3:30 to 5:30 and is open to the general public.  We would like to show you some of our ideas and suggestions about how to use the ponytail grab as an opportunity rather than a threat. As women, we shouldn’t have to change the way we style our hair just to stay safe in public.

Please invite all the special women in your circle.  The concepts and techniques we will introduce you to may one day save a life.

For more information on the attack and the content of our presentation, please check out this video:

https://www.facebook.com/GracieAcademy/videos/10153800754639076/

For more information on this seminar, please call 705-222-7655 or email jenn@sudburybjj.com

See you on the mats,

Jenn and Steve

December Events – 2015

We’ve been announcing all of these events in class all of November, but just to make them even more official, here are our events and details for December 2015:

Charity In-House Tournament – Saturday, December 12th

Our final chapter in our Children’s Character Development Program is Charity and what better way to incorporate the lessons we are learning into a day full of Jiu-Jitsu fun!

As you know, competing is just an option we offer to allow our students to have some fun with Jiu-Jitsu, test their skills in a safe environment, and help out a local charity at the same time.  Only compete if you are 100% sure you want to.  If you have any questions about whether your child is ready yet, please talk to one of our instructors.  We match the children up into categories based on weight, age and experience.  It is our goal for everyone to walk away from this with an awesome experience whether they win or lose!

Our charity of choice is the Food Bank.   Admission to the tournament is a non-perishable food item plus $5.  The same fee is for spectators.

Please be mindful when choosing your food item.  Legumes, lentils, brown rice, brown rice pasta, canned tomatoes are all good options that are really useful in the kitchen as well as in the body.

The tournament will be held at our New Sudbury location.  All Hanmer classes and New Sudbury classes will be cancelled that day.  The kids will start weighing in at 10am and the tournament will start at 10:30.  Please show up on time.

If any adults are interested, we will be having a submission only division for you starting at 1pm!

Adult Christmas Party – Thursday, December 17th, 7pm

Our annual adult Christmas Party is going to be a good one this year!  Steve was keeping this a secret (I was not lol).  He used to be in a band in the 90’s called The Cooperative.  Some of you might remember them playing around town.  I only hear stories and apparently they were kind of a big deal back in the day.

Well our Christmas Party is going to welcome them back for their first show!  I’ve been listening and watching Steve practice for this event and the music is funky and fun, it will surely get you out of your seats and on the dance floor.

The party will be hosted by The Fromagerie on Elgin St., downtown.  The tickets are $25 and will include food as well as the live band!  Everyone is welcome, students, parents of students, everyone!  Please join us to celebrate another great year at the Academy!

Kid’s Christmas Party – Saturday, December 19th – 10am

Of course we can’t forget the kiddos when we are celebrating Christmas!  This party is totally FREE and will be held at our New Sudbury location.  All kids in our program are welcome.  We will have some snacks, fun, games and a dance party!  The little ones don’t want to miss this!  All kids classes will be cancelled  so everyone can come to the party.  Hanmer classes will be cancelled for the day and New Sudbury schedule will run as usual from 12pm – 3:30pm.

If anyone has any questions about any of these events, please let us know!

See you on the mats,

Jenn

Who’s in for Date Night?

If you’re tired of the same old dinner and a movie date, we have an idea for you.  Join us on Saturday, November 28th for our first EVER Jiu-Jitsu Date Night.

Let me stop you right there as your mind wonders to ‘oh this is for experienced Jiu-Jitsu couples only’…it’s not!  Do you ever ‘play fight’ with your spouse?  I’ve always been a natural ‘rough-houser’ which is why Jiu-Jitsu is a perfect match for me.   Physical playfulness is so natural in relationships…add Jiu-Jitsu skills to the mix, and it makes for a fun time.

couples 2

What should you expect?  We will teach you a handful of techniques and then incorporate them into partner games so you can practice the skills and have fun doing it.  Think of couples yoga on 5 shots of espresso.  After that we will have a catered dinner from P&M’s Kouzzina and watch one of our favourite movies!

Jiu-Jitsu can be an intimidating activity to try – so why not try it with the person you love the most.  You have no choice but to Keep it Playful!

couples 3

And don’t worry about getting all sweaty on your date. (this might apply to newer couples, because some of us have seen it all!!)  We have showers in our academy, so if you get super sweaty from all the action, we’ve got you covered.

Have I covered everything?  If not, feel free to call 705-222-7655 or email info@sudburybjj.com to ask more questions.

If you are like HEY!  Sign me up right now! You can purchase your tickets below.

See you on the mats!


Date Night



 

Bring a Buddy Week – October 26th – 31st

Hey Everyone!

We are halfway through Bring a Buddy Week and I’m just making a blog post about it.  Better late than never!  We are seeing lots of new faces around the club and it’s fantastic.  Everyone is sharing their passion for Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and Fitness with their friends and families.  Are they just really want our super awesome prizes….which one is it?  Either way, we love the fresh faces on the mats!

Haven’t brought a Buddy yet?  What are you waiting for?  Did you know what you can win?  Every time you bring a friend in to try a class you get a ballot.  It’s up to you which box you put your ballot in, one is for a Brand New Hayabusa Grappling Gi, one is for Leather Boxing Gloves and Shin Guards and one is for 5 Private Lessons with any of our awesome instructors!

We still have invitations available at the front desk for you to hand out to your friends.  They look like this:

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And don’t forget to sign up for our Halloween Sleepover Party!  Spots are filling up FAST!!!!

See you on the mats!

Jenn