Martial arts gym trains Soldiers to compete

By Sharilyn Wells
Paraglide

	Photos by Sharilyn Wells/Paraglide Rhomez Brower, left, tries to block a kick from an opponent during mixed martial arts training at Angel’s Gym, May 27. Brower went against fellow students to prepare him for an upcoming match.

Angel’s Gym may be a little small, hidden room behind a warehouse, but it has produced 20 champions in five different mixed martial arts disciplines since 2007.

Located off of Raeford Road in Fayetteville, Angel’s Gym is owned by Master Gurjot Singh who is a retired U.S. Army Ranger and drill sergeant, and has a World Martial Arts Council Masters Degree from Troy University.

He has been published in several magazines and books and has also written his own guide on mixed martial arts called The Art of Western Thi Ch’uan.

The book is based on the military criteria of hand-to-hand combatives taught to Soldiers and meets the standards of the Army.

Singh, along with his manager, Telly Strayhorn and his trainers are highly qualified to help people get into shape quickly and safely. Each trainer is either certified and/or licensed to train others in boxing, kick boxing, wrestling and grappling and are all past champions and fighters themselves.
“We train hard to get people in shape rather quickly to be able to compete within four months,” Singh said.

The gym staff who have been around for 25 years, is confident enough to say that if a person is a member of the military, they can increase their Army physical fitness test score by 25 points.
Angel’s Gym also states that if a person wants to lose weight, they will help that person lose two clothing sizes in two months.

According to the gym’s website, “No matter what your goal is, if you don’t quit on us, we won’t quit on you.”

A typical training session is about and hour to and hour and half long, including anything from core training, strength and flexibility, endurance, to skill and form work on the specific martial art desired. The gym makes sure the person knows the basics of offense and defense and then applies it with one on one matches between other competitors.

The gym is an accredited, sanctioned and approved professional institution of training for amateur striking and grappling martial art students and competitors. Its long list of accreditations include, the USA Amateur Boxing Association, International Kickboxing Federation, the North American Grappling Association, the World Martial Art College, the International Sport Combat Federation, and the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association.

“We have trained Soldiers who have competed and won championships in a variety of (martial arts),” said Singh. “We love training Soldiers not only for competition but for their missions as well.”

For gym operation hours and more information on training, visit the gym’s website at www.angelsgym.com.

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