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Martial arts, lacrosse facilities move to Lombard

Two established indoor sporting facilities are moving into Lombard, with hopes of catering to the needs of martial arts enthusiasts and lacrosse players.

Co-owner Greg Eck said Downers Grove Boxing & MMA opened Monday at 86 Eisenhower Lane North, just east of Finley Road, between 22nd Street and Butterfield Road.

MMA stands for mixed martial arts. Eck said the company's slogan is, "We were MMA before there was MMA."

"Old school, it means that you trained in two or more martial arts," he said. "What people think of now is cage fighting. We're old school MMA. You take karate, you take judo, you take jujitsu. You don't do it so that you can get into a cage."

The business moved from Westmont, where it was temporarily located for a few months. Offerings include boxing, karate, judo, jujitsu and kickboxing classes. The business does not, however, offer "ring time," Eck said.

"We don't train fighters, but fighters do train with us," he said. "We'll teach people the basics on how to throw punches and how to move their feet."

Several instructors at the business have more than 30 years of experience teaching martial arts. Three are also members of the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Eck said.

"We have a pretty strong pedigree," he said.

Classes are geared toward students 14 and older, although younger kids can come to classes with a parent, or if they have prior experience.

"We're run more like a club than a business," Eck said. "It's a place where we can work out with friends and it's grown to be a pretty tight-knit group. It's fun and friends and sweating a lot."

Memberships for unlimited classes and use of the facility are $75 a month, Eck said. There are no contracts and no initial deposit. Personal training sessions also are available.

For information, visit the company's Facebook page by searching "DG Boxing & Martial Arts." The company's website, dgboxingmma.com, will include more information in the coming days.

Next month, a few doors down, True Lacrosse will open in a vacant warehouse space at 120 and 131 Eisenhower Lane North.

"Our company is basically a training company and a travel team company," said co-owner Mike Gabel, adding that it caters to kids as young as 9 to high school students.

Gabel said the business is shutting down its two existing locations in Elmhurst and Niles and moving all operations to Lombard.

"The magnitude of the facility is definitely appealing for us," he said. "It's a lot bigger than what we traditionally had."

He said Lombard is also in a central location to a lot of the company's, much of which comes from Wheaton, Naperville, Western Springs and Glen Ellyn.

Although the sport is gaining popularity in neighboring communities, Gabel said it seems to have "passed over" Lombard.

"We'd love to help grow the sport in Lombard," he said.

The facility will include a training floor where kids can improve their skills with coaches, along with a condensed game field for small indoor games and full team practices.

Lacrosse season at park districts and schools is in the spring, which means the company's busiest time will be in spring, fall and winter, Gabel said.

For information about classes or the exact date the business will open, visit il.truelacrosse.com.

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