Safe Self-Defense Training

The Garcia Gung Fu Institute has brought comprehensive, engaging, and unifying martial arts practice to the East Harlem community for the better part of twenty years. Richard Garcia, its founder, is a dedicated Sifu, mentor, and friend to many in the area. Very few students ever leave GGF for good; it is a tight-knit and eternal coterie that keeps individuals who started as toddlers coming back to school as teens, or even adults with children of their own. 

In the face of this COVID-sensitive era, we are all readjusting our lifestyles. The pandemic made us realize just how interconnected we are, and how much physical contact we routinely take for granted. Taking the brunt of this realization are small dojos/gyms/kwoons such as ours. Without the backing of national branding and world-class sponsorship, we stand the most to lose during long-form freezes such as these. 

Indeed, these are unprecedented circumstances for us all, but the students and leadership at GGF are not deterred. Sifu Garcia is determined to keep the Institute a center of learning, because the necessity of self-defense goes beyond the coronavirus. But we have to make adjustments so that our training is safe until the virus is inoculated for good. As such, we're starting this initiative to procure funds for tools that will allow partnerless practice. These include -- 

Grappling Dummies: Largely comprised of rubber and weighing between 80-85lbs, these life-sized replicants will allow in-depth study and continued application of principles from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and as freestyle wrestling. Grappling is a popular discipline for this generation of martial artists and our school is not exempt from the ongoing discussion. It is a vital component to self-defense, so finding a new way to teach it is imperative. Their larger, stand-up counterparts can weigh between 70-120lbs and, in addition to being used for throw training, can substitute as practical heavy bags for boxing/Muay Thai, as well as our more involved gung fu techniques. We would be purchasing roughly eight of these, each.

Staffs: We already practice Filipino Kali at our institution, but to make absolutely sure we account for all distancing concerns, we are looking to purchase eight five-foot staffs for ranged weapon practice. Any weapons drills that do require a partner would be well-accommodated by the length of the rods. 

We at the Institute are doing all we can to ensure a safe, hygienic training environment for all. Outside of the monetary needs, Sifu Garcia will be implementing a sanitizing process prior to entering the space. All students will be required to wear masks, and the number of students per class will be limited to allow more room between bodies. We are asking you to help us close the gap and make necessary purchases that will allow this neighborhood staple not only to stay open, but keep providing the denizens of El Barrio with a place to empower themselves.