Testimonials
Dear Jacques
In this short amount of time that Trivette has been doing Martial Arts, his confidence has increased and I find that I can "blackmail" him with doing chores. Threatening him to not going to classes, he loves it so much. He is crazy over Mandy and Shona. Thanks for making a difference and for what you mean to the children.
Felicia Fourie
In this short amount of time that Trivette has been doing Martial Arts, his confidence has increased and I find that I can "blackmail" him with doing chores. Threatening him to not going to classes, he loves it so much. He is crazy over Mandy and Shona. Thanks for making a difference and for what you mean to the children.
Felicia Fourie
Dear Jacques,
"When my son was seven years old, he was very shy and had angry out bursts.
We took him to doctors etc. and nothing helped.
So a friend told me about Dragon's Lair Martial Arts Academy. At first I was a little sceptical but decided to enrol him anyway.
After a period of about a month, my son had totally changed. He is very self confident and loves going to classes. No more out bursts. His attitude toward us his parents has improved dramatically.
He has learned what respect and discipline is all about.
I believe that the instructors at Dragon’s Lair has a lot to do with the way my son has changed. They made him believe in himself and others."
Thanks guys.
Heloise Shires
"When my son was seven years old, he was very shy and had angry out bursts.
We took him to doctors etc. and nothing helped.
So a friend told me about Dragon's Lair Martial Arts Academy. At first I was a little sceptical but decided to enrol him anyway.
After a period of about a month, my son had totally changed. He is very self confident and loves going to classes. No more out bursts. His attitude toward us his parents has improved dramatically.
He has learned what respect and discipline is all about.
I believe that the instructors at Dragon’s Lair has a lot to do with the way my son has changed. They made him believe in himself and others."
Thanks guys.
Heloise Shires
Testimony of a Mother and Nursery School Principal
I want to thank Jacques and his team for what they are doing in the young people’s lives.
My son never really had an interest. He tried a bit of this and a bit of that. Mostly he was glued to the computer. I tried to get him out of the house and to do something physical.
Then he started with Martial Arts at school. After his first graduation there was no turning back.
He had to go to the Club. Sometimes I had trouble to come and fetch him, he refused to stay at home, and he would rather wait for me for two hours. At this stage he helps a bit with the training and he is at the MMA Gym for 10 hours a week. I wanted to take him to go and see Harry Potter, he rather wants to go to the Gym.
Alrich has ADHD and we battled through school for all these years. His self esteem was very low and he felt like he could never do anything right. Since doing MMA he has confidence and feels like he owns the world.
The difference is not the MMA, it is Dragon’s Lair Gym and the staff. They treat the children with respect. They know each and every child and care about everyone. They are strict, but show empathy for the children.
I asked Jacques to begin a MMA class at my Nursery School and I must say that we can already see a difference between the children who take part and those that don’t. The ones that take part have confidence and they know how to get rid of their aggression without hurting others. The other children break toys and hit each other and show a lot of violence. In today’s era, where children tend to be more violent and aggressive I think it is essential to teach them to channel their aggression.
The children taking MMA are better developing physically and that helps them in their work. No more low muscle tone and problems crossing the middle line, etc. Their maths are going to be better and spelling as well. All these subjects start from birth with physical development. It is because of TV and computer games that today’s children have learning programs. Even if you get a PC program for spelling and maths, spelling and maths start when they are born and the way they develop. A child, who did not use the coordination to crawl, will have problems with maths, etc.
I think each and every child should be exposed to MMA. Not just for their own health and physical development, but also for their safety and life skills.
Chrizel Strauss
I want to thank Jacques and his team for what they are doing in the young people’s lives.
My son never really had an interest. He tried a bit of this and a bit of that. Mostly he was glued to the computer. I tried to get him out of the house and to do something physical.
Then he started with Martial Arts at school. After his first graduation there was no turning back.
He had to go to the Club. Sometimes I had trouble to come and fetch him, he refused to stay at home, and he would rather wait for me for two hours. At this stage he helps a bit with the training and he is at the MMA Gym for 10 hours a week. I wanted to take him to go and see Harry Potter, he rather wants to go to the Gym.
Alrich has ADHD and we battled through school for all these years. His self esteem was very low and he felt like he could never do anything right. Since doing MMA he has confidence and feels like he owns the world.
The difference is not the MMA, it is Dragon’s Lair Gym and the staff. They treat the children with respect. They know each and every child and care about everyone. They are strict, but show empathy for the children.
I asked Jacques to begin a MMA class at my Nursery School and I must say that we can already see a difference between the children who take part and those that don’t. The ones that take part have confidence and they know how to get rid of their aggression without hurting others. The other children break toys and hit each other and show a lot of violence. In today’s era, where children tend to be more violent and aggressive I think it is essential to teach them to channel their aggression.
The children taking MMA are better developing physically and that helps them in their work. No more low muscle tone and problems crossing the middle line, etc. Their maths are going to be better and spelling as well. All these subjects start from birth with physical development. It is because of TV and computer games that today’s children have learning programs. Even if you get a PC program for spelling and maths, spelling and maths start when they are born and the way they develop. A child, who did not use the coordination to crawl, will have problems with maths, etc.
I think each and every child should be exposed to MMA. Not just for their own health and physical development, but also for their safety and life skills.
Chrizel Strauss
Dear Jacques,
I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation, on behalf of the Basson family, for your excellent facility. It has proven to be far more than a gym where one goes twice a week for a workout. We, my wife and I, have decided early in Gert’s (Boerie), my son, life that he would be need to be given the opportunity to develop through physical exercise.
Boerie has joined early in 2005 on age 4, smack in the middle of his developing years. He is now 8 and has been working out and training for an extraordinary 4 ½ years. He has learned quite a lot of life skills, to say the least, from the MMA training i.e. commitment, self confidence, self respect, and respect to others, punctuality, discipline, and many more.
He came into contact with Boxing, Muay Thai, Kick Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling. All these assisted with the physical development of his body promoting hand eye co-ordination, fitness, flexibility, growth of muscle and brain, calmness under pressure, reaction speed, etc. And finally to defend him in the harsh society we live in these days in South Africa.
We need to congratulate you for the training methods used to teach him and reward him for achievements. Every time he receives a tape mark on his belt he has renewed will to continue and completes yet another evaluation for a new belt.
We are certain Boerie will be training for many years to come and finally achieve the black belt he has been training for, and ultimately additional dan’s.
With the deepest gratitude.
Gert & Soné Basson
I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation, on behalf of the Basson family, for your excellent facility. It has proven to be far more than a gym where one goes twice a week for a workout. We, my wife and I, have decided early in Gert’s (Boerie), my son, life that he would be need to be given the opportunity to develop through physical exercise.
Boerie has joined early in 2005 on age 4, smack in the middle of his developing years. He is now 8 and has been working out and training for an extraordinary 4 ½ years. He has learned quite a lot of life skills, to say the least, from the MMA training i.e. commitment, self confidence, self respect, and respect to others, punctuality, discipline, and many more.
He came into contact with Boxing, Muay Thai, Kick Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling. All these assisted with the physical development of his body promoting hand eye co-ordination, fitness, flexibility, growth of muscle and brain, calmness under pressure, reaction speed, etc. And finally to defend him in the harsh society we live in these days in South Africa.
We need to congratulate you for the training methods used to teach him and reward him for achievements. Every time he receives a tape mark on his belt he has renewed will to continue and completes yet another evaluation for a new belt.
We are certain Boerie will be training for many years to come and finally achieve the black belt he has been training for, and ultimately additional dan’s.
With the deepest gratitude.
Gert & Soné Basson
Dear Jacques
My first encounter with Dragon’s Lair was during an advertising campaign at Reds Mall. I am a member of the South African Police Service and train police officers in street survival, tactical survival techniques, close quarter battle/ combat, crime prevention and other soft skills. I was invited to attend a class at Dragon’s Lair and naturally I was curious and wanted to know more about what he trains.
The first day I attended was merely to observe but I had to force myself from joining in. The professional manner in which you and the co-instructors train and assist the students is of a very high standard. All the techniques taught are goal-oriented, the different techniques flow into one another, making it easier to understand and apply in everyday life.
We constantly read and hear about the attacks in the shopping centres, etc. I feel safety for my family, friends and community starts with my ability to protect them and myself until help arrives. Dragon’s Lair gives me the opportunity to learn and develop in a variety of fight styles (Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Grappling, Boxing, Knife and Stick Fighting) thus increasing my ability to defend my family, friends, and community against an attack.
I have been training at Dragon’s Lair gym for 3 months now and my skills have definitely been sharpened, my knowledge and confidence has improved tremendously to enable me to deal with everyday challenges more efficiently. The training session isn’t just hard work, but a lot of fun because we do not just punch bags but practice the different techniques on each other.
I would like to extend my gratitude to you and the other instructors for their professional manner in which training is present. I would recommend training at Dragon's Lair to anyone of all ages.
Regards
Dion Swart
My first encounter with Dragon’s Lair was during an advertising campaign at Reds Mall. I am a member of the South African Police Service and train police officers in street survival, tactical survival techniques, close quarter battle/ combat, crime prevention and other soft skills. I was invited to attend a class at Dragon’s Lair and naturally I was curious and wanted to know more about what he trains.
The first day I attended was merely to observe but I had to force myself from joining in. The professional manner in which you and the co-instructors train and assist the students is of a very high standard. All the techniques taught are goal-oriented, the different techniques flow into one another, making it easier to understand and apply in everyday life.
We constantly read and hear about the attacks in the shopping centres, etc. I feel safety for my family, friends and community starts with my ability to protect them and myself until help arrives. Dragon’s Lair gives me the opportunity to learn and develop in a variety of fight styles (Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Grappling, Boxing, Knife and Stick Fighting) thus increasing my ability to defend my family, friends, and community against an attack.
I have been training at Dragon’s Lair gym for 3 months now and my skills have definitely been sharpened, my knowledge and confidence has improved tremendously to enable me to deal with everyday challenges more efficiently. The training session isn’t just hard work, but a lot of fun because we do not just punch bags but practice the different techniques on each other.
I would like to extend my gratitude to you and the other instructors for their professional manner in which training is present. I would recommend training at Dragon's Lair to anyone of all ages.
Regards
Dion Swart
Dear Jacques,
I just wanted to say THANK YOU very much for all the time and effort you and the coaches at Dragon's Lair have put into the training and all round well being of my daughter, Alexis. She has slowly but surely grown in confidence and have become less shy. I absolutely love the good deed charts that you have drawn up and the response from Alexis has been overwhelming.
The MMA has also assisted Alexis to feel more confident if and when dealing with bullies as she feels that if she ever has to she can defend herself. She will never start a fight as this is not what she has been taught by her coaches but she does feel more confident in standing up against bullies which we all come across some time in our life. Off course as she is a girl it is also important to learn to defend herself against any unwanted attention and I am happy to say any boy that dare try will get a big surprise.
Your coaches have managed to get an even mix of discipline, fun and learning in each class with a happy environment where the children can flourish.
As for myself, since starting classes I have starting seeing the results in both fitness and muscle tone (some of which has long been forgotten). I absolutely love the classes and since I am so much fitter now I have so much more energy to enjoy the better things in life.
Very important also is that it is a great outlet for frustration and stress from a hard day at the office. You always feel better after class.
But most of all even though we do not participate in MMA to take part in any competitions it is a great sense of power to know that should the time ever come both Alexis and I will be able to defend ourselves as best we can.
Thank you to you and your team of coaches for helping us walk with confidence.
We do appreciate it
Amaryl and Alexis
I just wanted to say THANK YOU very much for all the time and effort you and the coaches at Dragon's Lair have put into the training and all round well being of my daughter, Alexis. She has slowly but surely grown in confidence and have become less shy. I absolutely love the good deed charts that you have drawn up and the response from Alexis has been overwhelming.
The MMA has also assisted Alexis to feel more confident if and when dealing with bullies as she feels that if she ever has to she can defend herself. She will never start a fight as this is not what she has been taught by her coaches but she does feel more confident in standing up against bullies which we all come across some time in our life. Off course as she is a girl it is also important to learn to defend herself against any unwanted attention and I am happy to say any boy that dare try will get a big surprise.
Your coaches have managed to get an even mix of discipline, fun and learning in each class with a happy environment where the children can flourish.
As for myself, since starting classes I have starting seeing the results in both fitness and muscle tone (some of which has long been forgotten). I absolutely love the classes and since I am so much fitter now I have so much more energy to enjoy the better things in life.
Very important also is that it is a great outlet for frustration and stress from a hard day at the office. You always feel better after class.
But most of all even though we do not participate in MMA to take part in any competitions it is a great sense of power to know that should the time ever come both Alexis and I will be able to defend ourselves as best we can.
Thank you to you and your team of coaches for helping us walk with confidence.
We do appreciate it
Amaryl and Alexis
Dear Jacques and Mandy
Since joining Dragon's Lair in August 2009 my nine year old daughter Dane has progressed tremendously. The program impacted on her development in a number of ways. An occupational therapist, which she saw on a weekly basis, declared her coordinative development as satisfactory, something she was struggling with for a long time. It also seems that she is more focused and able to apply herself stronger as in the past. She enjoys the classes and is especially fond of her coach, Mandy.
Thank you very much for the special attention and instruction you give to every child in your classes.
Kind Regards
Anneke Smith
Since joining Dragon's Lair in August 2009 my nine year old daughter Dane has progressed tremendously. The program impacted on her development in a number of ways. An occupational therapist, which she saw on a weekly basis, declared her coordinative development as satisfactory, something she was struggling with for a long time. It also seems that she is more focused and able to apply herself stronger as in the past. She enjoys the classes and is especially fond of her coach, Mandy.
Thank you very much for the special attention and instruction you give to every child in your classes.
Kind Regards
Anneke Smith