Martial arts festival benefits St. Jude's
If you've ever been curious about martial arts or self-defense, take a trip to Bloomingdale this weekend.
Matt Numrich, chief instructor and owner of the Elite Defense Martial Arts Center, has organized an event for women, men and children who wish to explore the world of martial arts combat.
It will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the martial arts studio, 215 E. Lake St., Bloomingdale.
A fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the martial arts fest will feature a child safety seminar, self-defense classes for adults, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training and a two-hour grapple-a-thon.
All proceeds will benefit the hospital, which specializes in research and treatment for catastrophic diseases and pediatric cancer in children.
"We've been supporting St. Jude's for the past 10 years. We've done little events, but nothing this big," Numrich said. "We're super excited about it."
The event will take place simultaneously in both Bloomingdale and Rockford, where Numrich also owns a martial arts studio. He hopes to raise at least $5,000 for the hospital.
Studio staff and students have all volunteered their time to run the event. Visitors will be asked to make a minimum donation of $5 to $10 for most of the seminars and classes.
Numrich believes one of the event's highlights will be a two-hour grapple-a-thon. It's a ground fighting and wresting match where people make pledges for how long a fighter will manage to survive on the mat.
For every 15 minutes a fighter can stay on the mat, his pledges will donate at least $2. The more pledges a fighter has and the longer he can stay on the mat, the more money will be raised for charity.
Another special activity will be a child safety seminar. Designed for parents and children ages 4 to 12, it will focus on teaching children how to stay safe, watch out for strangers, self-defense moves against strangers and anti-bullying techniques.
There also will be self-defense classes for women and separate ones for men.
"When you teach self-defense to a person you have to break it down by gender and age," Numrich said. "Something I teach to a 240-pound man would be different from what I would teach a female who weighs 100 pounds."
For those who enjoy the explosion of the Ultimate Fighting, an introduction to adult Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will be offered.
"We get to serve the community by passing on some safety information," Numrich said. "But, at the same time, we get to serve a higher purpose through St. Jude's."
Martial Arts Fest
Located at Elite Defense Martial Arts Center, 215 E. Lake St., Bloomingdale. The all-day fest features seminars and classes about self defense and a competition. For details, call (630) 675-5020 or visit www.selfdefensechicago.com
TODAY
10 to 11 a.m. Child safety seminar, $5 donation
11 a.m. to noon Female self defense, $5 donation
Noon to 1 p.m. Adult self defense, $5 donation
1 to 3 p.m. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, $10 donation
3 to 5 p.m. Grapple-a-thon