BUILD STRONGER.
MORE CONFIDENT.
MORE CAPABLE KIDS.
Youth training at the Junkyard uses MMA, fitness and progressive challenges to help kids develop real physical skills, confidence, resilience and the ability to do hard things.
No experience required. No pressure to compete. Just a place to learn, grow and discover what they're capable of.
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Ages 7–12
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Beginners Welcome
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Competition Optional
WHAT WILL MY CHILD ACTUALLY LEARN?
We teach more than techniques. Kids learn how to move, solve physical problems, work with others and become comfortable doing difficult things.
🥊STRIKING
Kids learn stance, movement, punches, kicks, defense, distance and timing through age-appropriate drills and controlled partner work.
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They learn control—not just how to hit.
🧠PROBLEM-SOLVING
Training partners don't always cooperate—and that's the point.
Kids learn to recognize problems, make decisions, adjust when something doesn't work and remain composed while someone else is actively trying to accomplish a different goal.
🤼WRESTLING & GRAPPLING
Takedowns, balance, positional control, escapes and submissions teach kids how to use leverage, movement and problem-solving against real resistance.
💪 ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT
Running, jumping, crawling, carrying, throwing and bodyweight exercises develop coordination, strength, balance, conditioning and overall physical literacy.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT SKILL IS LEARNING THAT THEY CAN DO HARD THINGS.
Real confidence isn't given to a child. It's earned through experience.
Every time a child struggles with something, keeps working, improves and eventually succeeds, they collect evidence that they're more capable than they thought.
That's the kind of confidence we're trying to build.
SAFE DOESN'T MEAN EASY
Kids need challenges. They don't need unnecessary damage.
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Our job is to create an environment where young athletes can experience pressure, resistance, frustration and failure—and learn how to work through them—without treating children like miniature professional fighters.
CONTROL BEFORE POWER
Kids learn how to make contact responsibly. Timing, accuracy, defense and control matter more than proving who can hit the hardest.
WE DON'T PROTECT KIDS FROM DIFFICULTY.
WE PROTECT THEM WHILE THEY LEARN TO HANDLE IT.
Training is supervised, contact is controlled, and expectations increase as a child's skill, maturity and ability increase.
RESISTANCE WITH A PURPOSE
Partners eventually resist because techniques have to work against someone who is trying to stop them. Resistance is introduced progressively as skill and understanding develop.
CHALLENGE WITHOUT UNNECESSARY DAMAGE
We can teach toughness without using a child's head as a training tool. Kids can wrestle, grapple, condition, compete, struggle and experience controlled contact without accumulating unnecessary head trauma.
WHAT THEY LEARN OFF THE MAT MATTERS TOO.
We can't promise martial arts will magically change a child's character. But we can create an environment where responsibility, resilience, self-control and teamwork are expected—and practiced every day.
I'M AN ORIGINAL CATCHPHRASE
RESPONSIBILITY
Kids learn that their preparation, effort and behavior matter. Coaches can guide them, but ultimately they have to choose to participate, listen and do the work.
RESILIENCE
Sometimes a technique doesn't work. Sometimes a training partner gets the better of them. Sometimes they lose. We teach them to recover, adjust and try again.
SELF-CONTROL
Learning physical skills comes with responsibility. Kids practice controlling their strength, emotions and reactions—even when they're tired, frustrated or under pressure.
TEAMWORK
You can't become good at MMA by yourself. Kids learn to be dependable training partners, help others improve and work with people who may be very different from them.
WINNING & LOSING
Competition and training both provide opportunities to succeed and fail. We teach kids to handle either one appropriately—without arrogance when they win or excuses when they lose.
WE'RE NOT TRYING TO RAISE TOUGH KIDS.
WE'RE TRYING TO HELP BUILD CAPABLE ONES.
Capable kids can be strong without being bullies. Confident without needing to prove it. Competitive without tearing others down. And resilient enough to keep going when things don't go their way.
DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO COMPETE?
No!
Competition is available at the Junkyard. It is never required to belong here.
Some kids love competing. Others simply enjoy training, getting stronger, learning new skills and being part of the team.
COMPETITION CAN BE A TOOL
When a child is interested and ready, competition creates something difficult to reproduce inside the gym:
A real test.
They have to prepare. They get nervous. They perform in front of people. Someone else is actively trying to beat them. And eventually, they have to deal with the result.
Sometimes they win.
Sometimes they don't.
Both experiences can teach them something.
TRAIN
Learn fundamentals and develop competence.
TEST
Controlled competition such as Point Muay Thai, Point MMA or grappling gives athletes an opportunity to apply their skills.
LEARN
Win or lose, we identify what worked, what didn't and what needs improvement.
RETURN
Go back to training with greater experience and a clearer understanding of what to work on.
Then the cycle repeats.
THE TROPHY ISN'T THE POINT.
Preparing for something difficult, stepping forward anyway, and learning from the result is where the value lives.
WHAT DOES A YOUTH CLASS LOOK LIKE?
Kids learn best when training has structure, purpose and enough variety to keep them engaged. Every class develops physical ability, martial arts skill and the ability to perform under appropriate pressure.
01 — MOVE
Athletic Warm-Up
Classes begin with movement that develops coordination, balance, mobility and athleticism while preparing kids to train.
Running, crawling, jumping, sprawling, wrestling movements and other physical challenges build a better foundation for everything that follows.
03 — APPLY
Partner Drills & Resistance
This is where techniques become skills.
Kids work with training partners through drills, games and progressively increasing resistance. They learn to make decisions and adjust when another person isn't simply cooperating.
02 — LEARN
Skill Development
We introduce and develop fundamental skills in striking, wrestling, clinch work or ground fighting.
Kids aren't just shown what to do. As they progress, we want them to understand when and why it works.
04 — BUILD
Strength & Conditioning
Classes incorporate age-appropriate physical challenges that develop strength, endurance, coordination and work capacity.
The goal isn't to turn children into miniature bodybuilders.
It's to build physically capable kids.
We want kids to have fun—but fun and productive aren't opposites.
There will be games, laughter and friendships. There will also be expectations, coaching, difficult days and things they won't immediately be good at.
That's part of the program.
STRUCTURE. CHALLENGE. PROGRESS.
And plenty of room to still be a kid.