Our System

The system we teach has its roots in traditional Chinese Kenpo.  The White Tiger system is a distinctively different branch of the Kenpo tree with its own look and style with an emphasis on speed, power and aggression.  We teach a primarily striking based approach to self-defense with a focus on developing a balance between kicking and striking skills. 

The system has continued to evolve over the years and as part of that evolution the lack of ground fighting skills in traditional Chinese Kenpo had to be addressed.  By incorporating the fighting techniques of Western Combat Wrestling into the White Tiger system we have been able to integrate all the elements needed for realistic self-defense by blending the time tested principles and techniques of the east with the progressive scientific approach of the west. This approach enables us to give our students a complete training experience by complimenting their striking skills with the additional contact and sensitivity to interaction only possible through the hands on experience of grappling.

Our Approach

Every student takes private lessons in addition to group instruction.  The private lessons are where the level specific material is taught whereas the groups are designed to be supplemental by spending quality time on developing and maintaining basic skills.  This approach ensures every student has a positive experience by eliminating the “sink or swim” approach commonly found in most schools and also allows every student to progress at his or her own pace.

A central tenet in our school is the belief that the way you train is the way you will be conditioned to fight.  This requires a balance between training solo as well as training with a partner.  We have found the combination of the two produce the best results by developing the confidence, understanding and intensity needed to defend against an attack.

Physical conditioning plays an important role in the application of technique.  The better the physical condition of the student the easier it is to use and control the body.  With this in mind the training at our school is designed to improve the strength, flexibility and coordination of every student regardless of their physical condition when they start.

The most important defensive tool a person has is how they view a confrontation.  Knowing when to fight is just as important as knowing how.  Developing the ability to stay focused under pressure is just as important as developing the confidence to act.  For these reasons an important part of our instruction focuses on tying physical development with mental preparation.

The emphasis of our system is on simple and effective self-defense.  Instruction for competition is available for those interested; however, the main focus of our school is to teach the options, targets and situations that will never be addressed when training for competition.  In this way we are able to teach the knowledge and skills an average person will need to offset the advantage of a bigger or stronger opponent. Training for competition is great for developing fighting skills but training for self-defense allows us to teach what the rules do not allow.

Our School

The Training Mat was founded with the intent of developing every student to the maximum extent of their potential using a system that was both practical and challenging.  We discovered early on that in order to achieve this goal we needed to take an approach that was very different from standard martial art instruction.
Our approach to instruction consists of the following key points:  

• Emphasis on Private Instruction.  A one size fits all approach does not work.  Weekly private lessons are included with enrollment to enable us to gear the instruction towards the fitness level and ability of each individual student.  This also allows us to address each student’s specific needs and interests.  In this way we are able to get more accomplished, faster and with less effort.

• Unlimited Use of School.  In addition to student lessons the school is available any time we are open so students have a place to train.  We are open 7 days a week.  11:30am to 9:30pm Monday through Friday and 9am to 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

• Full Time instructors.  Our instructors have dedicated themselves to teaching full time so we will always have flexible hours to match even the most demanding schedules.  Our staff has over 60 years of combined teaching experience.

• Affordable Family and Group Rates.  In addition to our already low rates we give additional discounts for families or individuals interested in training together.  You will be hard pressed to find someone with lower rates than us! Click here to learn more.

• Positive School Environment.  As instructors we strive to enhance your training experience by creating a school environment that is fun and enthusiastic.