The mixed martial arts trend has swept the nation. It seems as though everyone with an interest in the sport, young and old, wants to learn how those men and women on TV fight in those rings and cages.
For Q. Wiggins, that’s not enough. What about the place where someone is more likely to be attacked. Like out on the streets?
He and his wife, Elizabeth, decided to open up shop in Plant City about two months ago to show interested learners how techniques from America’s favorite combat sport can help them in real life.
“We do different tactics that a lot of schools aren’t going to teach you,” Wiggins says. “The realistic stuff. They’ll teach you basic combat inside the school, but they won’t go out and show you the process of realization, the realistic stuff that goes on. Are you really going to be able to use those techniques in the street?”
MMA has been Wiggins’ passion for quite some time. He began learning martial arts at 8 years old and has been involved with today’s style of MMA for the past eight years. He currently serves as the school’s head instructor, and Elizabeth handles the financial books. She recently began training in the sport, as well.
It’s not Wiggins’ first venture with an MMA dojo or even with the Senshi Do Kai franchise. He has worked at the location in New York City and opened one in Texas. But, it’s the first time he’s been able to turn this dojo into a family business.
“I did a lot of research into this area,” he says. “Plant City, FishHawk, Brandon, Riverview. … I just loved everything (Plant City) had to offer.”
Elizabeth agrees.
“It’s an opportunity for me to be a stay-at-home mom, too, and help with the business and to have my kids grow up in this,” she said. “I fell in love with the art — that’s why I am learning it now.”
As heavily as Wiggins likes to focus on teaching students how to handle themselves on the street, he’s also created a fun, family-friendly atmosphere for younger children. Senshi Do Kai will train children as young as 3 years old, mostly through repetition-heavy exercises and fun games.
“You go to some schools, and they start kids out at 5, 6 years old,” Wiggins says. “By that time, they’re starting to build their own ways. Although you can start to mold them, I like to grab them a little earlier and, even though it may be a fun time, the experience is something that a lot of kids don’t get.
“If you can grab them that early and pull them in, by the time they’re 6 or 7 years old, they’re already fantastic children, because they’ve been molded for so long,” he says.
This is even evident with the couple’s 2-year-old son, Qoa, who already is training at the school. Wiggins likes to compare younger kids to sponges, soaking everything in, and pulls up YouTube videos of Qoa doing his thing as an example. In one video, the toddler is punching at mitts while wearing gloves that cover most of his arms.
In the classroom, Wiggins says Qoa already has picked up on the flow of the sessions.
“He knows how to, at 2 years old, conduct the class,” he says. “If you’re doing something wrong, he’ll tell you, ‘Down! Push-ups!’ At 2 years old, it’s amazing.”
Two months after opening, Wiggins has about 15 students enrolled. The school offers self-defense courses and boot camps for women, personal training services and an after-school program for kids, in addition to regular MMA classes. He also helps train Hillsborough County police officers.
As business begins to pick up, Wiggins hopes to see this MMA family grow alongside his own.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
CHECK IT OUT
Senshi Do Kai MMA is located at 2909 James L. Redman Parkway, Suite 107. The school provides classes for children ages 3 to 13, and children and adults 14 and older, for $89 and $109 per month, respectively.
The weekly after-school program (which includes pick-ups, classes and food) and the boot camps cost $60 per month.
Self-defense courses and personal training prices are determined at the time of an individual consultation.
For more info, call (813) 754-4128 or visit www.SenshiDoKaiMMA.com.