What Is Your Goal?

Health & Fitness? – Getting your body moving while training will have an immediate impact on your resting heart rate, lung capacity and stamina. Through consistent training you will improve your core body strength, coordination and steadily improve your muscle tone and flexibility without lifting weights!

Weight Loss? – Our training will change your body. Increased muscle and flexibility will burn calories and improve your metabolism. Our Kickboxing training is designed not just for real, empty hand, self defense, but for improved cardiovascular and aerobic capacity along with fat burning benefits.

Decreased Stress & Increased Energy? – The success you will achieve in our system will give you more confidence and a positive attitude. By providing you an escape from the rigors of everyday life you will have a renewed enthusiasm and spirit, enabling you to excel in all areas of life. We provide a positive environment; we look for the best in every situation and this will inspire you to reach new heights and accomplish things you never thought possible.

This type of alternative fitness training cannot be found in any gym or health club.  You will develop greater stamina, agility, balance, coordination, and patience; all of which enhances our daily mode of living.

It is within reach!   We believe that anybody can do it!   Today is the day!

At East Coast School of Self Defense we recognize that people train for many different reasons, students come from all types of backgrounds. By placing you in a positive peer environment, you will be inspired to succeed. Your classmates and our staff will miss you if you are not there and will motivate you to train with consistency and determination. If you are looking for fitness, discipline or just something fun to do, anybody can fit in. With our proven teaching and training methods you will be able to train for a lifetime; we will teach you the skills you need to protect yourself should the need arise and, just as important, raise your consciousness and awareness so that you can avoid having to use your skills.

At East Coast School of Self Defense we believe that a true martial artist will always continue to think, learn and grow mentally, physically and spiritually. Since opening in June 2003 the martial arts programs at our academy have been evolving. Through careful study and training, we put to the test Bruce Lee’s philosophy of “hacking away the unessential”. Ongoing training in the Filipino arts and American Kenpo form the basis for our curriculum, a hybrid system attempting to find the best of all worlds. As we continue to pursue our training it is understood that all of our work is toward the goal of true self defense as well as tactical fighting skills. Nothing we do will be geared toward winning in sports competitions.

As such we have divided our adult Curriculum into four fundamental areas.

Counterpoint Tactical System (CTS) Training

CTS is a reality based mixed martial arts (MMA) system. The curriculum created by Zach Whitson* has its foundation in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). There are four major training areas in our current CTS classes; stick training, knife training, empty hand (kickboxing), and stand-up grappling/ ground fighting (any emphasis on submissions will only be for the preservation of our training partners). This system will teach you to engage an attacker, put him or her on the ground with decisive strikes (armed or empty hand), locks and throws so the student can successfully finish and safely disengage from the attack. Training in CTS includes aspects of varied martial arts; Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Cacoy Doce Pares, Kenpo Counterpoint, Wing Chun, Jiu Jitsu and Silat to name a few. Mr. Haas has been training the elements of CTS with Master Whitson since 2002.

The Counterpoint Tactical System has specific rank requirements for each level. No belts or traditional uniforms are worn in class. The curriculum consists of “blocks” of material that can be trained individually or, more practically, combined with other blocks to develop proficiency and ease of motion very quickly. CTS training is for committed, motivated students with an open mind that want to do it all.

American Kenpo Karate

This program revolves around physical conditioning, self-defense training, and the deeper meaning of the Martial Arts. There will be an education in the art of Ed Parker’s American Kenpo meant to improve coordination and confidence and provide stress relief. American Kenpo Karate is an art unsurpassed in practical empty hand self-defense. It is a challenge to the Mind, Body and Spirit for all ages and all levels. Kenpo is an art based on real life self defense using powerful striking techniques in combination with a thorough understanding of motion, action and reaction. American Kenpo emphasizes logic over tradition and is a practical empty hand system. Mr. Haas has been training American Kenpo since 1995 and is a 3^rd degree black belt under Manny Reyes Sr. – Hialeah, FL.

Kenpo Karate has specific rank requirements for each belt level. Students wear their belts with a traditional Gi (T-shirts are allowed for daily training). The curriculum is based upon Ed Parker American Kenpo forms and techniques with some additional materials from various boxing and kickboxing systems as well as CTS, Jeet Kune Do and Savate. American Kenpo training is a more traditional approach, combining a good work out and progress with a strong emphasis on basics

Doce Pares Eskrima – Eskrido - Pangamot

The Cacoy Doce Pares System is a close quarter stick fighting system. The close quarter style is characterized by the fast and powerful curving strikes which are employed within its sparring methodology created by Grand Master Ciriaco “Cacoy” Canete.

Students enrolled in the East Coast School of Self Defense Doce pares program are introduced to three main specializations of Doce Pares including "Eskrima" - as SGM Cacoy says “Do not be a ‘stick fighter’, be a fighter with a stick”; "Eskrido" Eskrima techniques mixed with Aikido- and Judo-style locks and throws; and "Pangamot" an empty-hand defense system against weapons. From the outset, students focus on working with both single and double sticks. The students’ time is spent practicing a simple skill set of twelve basic strikes and twelve basic blocks and counters along with several simple sparring drills designed to maximize close quarter stick fighting abilities in a very short period of time.

Doce Pares Eskrima is often mistaken as a "simple" fighting art.
However, this only refers to its systematization, not it's effectiveness.

As a student progresses, they understand that there is a very complex structure and refined skill set that lies beyond the basic drills. Since you may not have a weapon available, or might lose a weapon, the body becomes the weapon. Because the weapon is seen as simply an extension of the body, the same angles and footwork are used either with or without a weapon.

Boxing - Kickboxing

Muscle and Fitness Magazine reports that kickboxing can burn over 800 calories per hour, and you'll be toning up your entire body as you rev up your metabolism. It's a high-power cardio routine that's great for weight loss and getting you in shape, fast.

When it comes to getting up a good sweat and working powerful body mechanics to supplement any fitness program and your martial arts training, Kickboxing is the way. Training in Filipino, Chinese, French and American Kickboxing is the foundation for these workouts. True ring or street application is always at the core with improved strength and fitness as the goal.

Get the gain without the pain.

The classes are taught by Black Belt instructors that will show you how to properly execute the motions so you will avoid injury and be able to get the most out of the program. As an added bonus, the techniques taught during these sessions can be used for self-defense not just self-improvement.