Premier Martial Arts Youth Development Program
Martial Arts provide youths with an outlet for adolescent energy and frustration, while teaching discipline and self-control. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the nation, and is a pillar of Premier Combat Center’s philosophy. Utilization of the popularity of MMA will provide a catalyst to reach today’s youth, enabling the structure of a disciplined youth program.
Goal
The Premier Martial Arts Youth Development Program intends to provide an outlet for youths to focus their time and energy outside of school in a positive environment, as well as provide an alternative to the negative attraction of drugs, violence, gangs, etc. Athletic participation teaches more than just the fundamentals of a sport – it teaches youths the value of hard work, teamwork, and discipline, all while facilitating the environment to build strong self worth. It will offer kids an alternative to the many vices that plague today’s adolescents, such as drugs, teen promiscuity, delinquent behavior, violence, gangs, etc. It will do so at a critical time as well: from the time that the school day ends, until the time that Mom or Dad gets home from work.
Joe Baudler, a 19 year veteran of the Omaha Police Department has witnessed the spread of adolescent delinquency, drug use, violence, gangs, etc. from the traditional “rough areas” of the Omaha area, to the stereotypical middle and upper class areas. Problems with youths is not defined by geographical boundaries any longer – it affects kids from all walks of life, everywhere from North Omaha, through the District 66 neighborhoods, and all the way out past the Millard area. Baudler has witnessed firsthand the destruction it can cause a community, but more importantly, the devastation within the family. Many times, Officer Baudler has heard the pleas of the community, for an answer to the problem; for an outlet for today’s youths. Baudler believes that regardless of the amount invested in law enforcement, the problem lies within the family, therefore it can not be solved solely through law enforcement efforts. The answer, he believes, is in the strong development of character in today’s youth.
Because of his beliefs, Officer Baudler has teamed up with the area’s most experienced Mixed Martial Artists, in an effort to give back to the community that has supported their hard work and effort over the years. They have created the Premier Martial Arts Youth Development Program, which Baudler believes will provide the appropriate guidance and structure, necessary in developing strong character in today’s youths.
Program
Kurt Podany, winner of KMTV’s “3 Cheers Award” for Outstanding Service to Youths, is the Director of Premier Combat Center’s Martial Arts Youth Development Program. With 26 years of martial arts experience as a competitor, a teacher, a referee, as well as a mentor, he is an excellent resource for this type of outreach. While most youths will be attracted to the program because of its emphasis on the increasingly popular sport of Mixed Martial Arts, the curriculum actually offers school aged youths instruction in MMA, nutrition, and fitness education, all in exchange for their hard work, good behavior, and most importantly, their effort.
Former Nebraska Cornhuskers coach Tom Osborne created the popular “TeamMates” mentoring program because he recognized a need – his partnership estimates that over 15 million youths in America are in need of a mentor.
While Mixed Martial Arts training is not for everyone, we aspire to fill a mentoring gap for those who are drawn to the sport, but would otherwise have nowhere to cultivate this need. The program will match youths with Premier Combat Center’s Instructors, to serve as mentors; in doing so, the mentor will monitor a child’s conduct both in school, and out. They will review the student’s report cards and progress reports, and work closely with parents to assure that the child is headed in a positive direction.
Mission
Some of those in Premier Combat Center’s Martial Arts Youth Development Program will have the tools necessary to explore taking Mixed Martial Arts to the next level; the mission of the program however, is ensure that each participant reaches his or her true potential, not only as an athlete, but as a person as well. By training with a diverse group of competitors, they will learn the value of hard work, teamwork, and most importantly, respect for self and others. These assets will provide this generation of youths with the necessary tools and values that will have a positive impact on the individual, their families, as well as their communities. This impact will continue to have a positive effect for generations to come.