FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What is Crazy Monkey Defense?

Crazy Monkey Defense is disrupting the modern martial art industry through challenging the status quo. Simply we are the counter culture movement to a modern martial art world which finds itself exclusively focused on hyper-competitive competition or reality based self-defence paranoia.
What makes us different to our competitors in the modern martial art world is the belief that simply focusing on competing or self-defence has a limited longterm benefit to a person’s life. Two facts remain, the vast majority of people will never compete, and a limited amount of people will ever be called upon to actually defend themselves. The competitive lifespan of a martial artist itself tends to be short, unless of course one is able to in rare instances progress to the professional leagues. Whilst self-defence training itself tends to be a short term pursuit for most people.
We believe it makes far more sense to ensure that what we coach our clients on the mat, will help them off the mat in every aspect of their life. Not just today, but for years to come. This way we add real value to our clients lives, by teaching them a skill set that will enable them to take on the martial arts of everyday life and win.
While very few people practicing modern martial arts today will ever compete or actually have to defend themselves, they WILL ALWAYS have to deal with conflict and disruptive elements in their life and career. This is where we believe the REAL self-defence takes place and why our clients are always open to exploring new ways to handle life’s conflicts more skilfully. This is what makes Crazy Monkey different to its modern counterparts in the world of martial arts. We achieve this difference by focusing on the following 5-guiding principles that are encouraged, taught and explored on the mat together as a community.

Principle 1: Humans Evolved to Survive — we recognize the deep human need to secure personal safety. Training at Crazy Monkey then always honors the past, but moves with the present. Therefore we focus on the self-preservation of the whole person, not just their physical fighting abilities. Think of Crazy Monkey as Kevlar for your mind, body and warrior spirit.

Principle 2: More than just learning to fight — We believe that when survival needs are met, people naturally seek out opportunities for personal growth and mastery. Therefore what we coach on the mat, seeks to enhance a person’s life off it. We see personal mastery as a natural extension of knowing how to defend ones self.

Principle 3: Zero Meatheads Policy — anyone should be able to come to a Crazy Monkey studio, gym or garage and train. It shouldn’t just be for the tough, the elite or the mean Alpha Males. Toughness in our view is developed over time, through intelligent training, grounded in a progressive approach to performance gains. The goal of Crazy Monkey is to take you, our client, from where you are now, to where you really want and need to go. In other words, training is focused on your goals, and your needs. There are no ‘Masters’ in Crazy Monkey, only students of the art.

Principle 4: Chaos, Challenge and Play — Building off our Zero Meathead Policy, at Crazy Monkey we coach our students to be able to ride the chaos of performance training, especially its up and downs, through acceptance, commitment and mindful action. In Crazy Monkey success is measured by personal challenge, not by whom one can beat on the mat. Individual performance is built through the spirit of play, instead of hyper-competitiveness. Play allows for the freedom to explore and to take risk, two essential ingredients in achieving personal success on and off the mat (not to mention inspiring creativity and innovation, needed to achieve exceptional martial art performance).

Principle 5: Collective Tribal Mission — Crazy Monkey is ultimately more than just one person. It’s a Global Tribe, that share the view that modern martial arts training is and should be more than just about learning how to fight. Crazy Monkey Trainers serve to add value, in a socially conscious way both on and off the mat — whilst you, our clients — learn to use Crazy Monkey as an experiential ground for personal mastery not only on the mat, but in life.

What is Monkey Jits?

Monkey Jits is Crazy Monkey’s approach to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a Martial Art that focuses mainly on clinching the opponent to prevent them from striking and then taking an opponent down to the ground, as well as controlling the engagement on the ground.
Grappling as a sport has become very popular in recent years but CMD’s Monkey Jits reminds its athletes that (BJJ) was first and foremost developed for self preservation, not for sport, not to score points on a guard pass or seek to “tap out” an opponent in the training ground for the sake of submitting or hurting them but to enable the trained practitioner to go home, alive and with minimal injury.
Monkey-Jits classes are still performance based, we roll and we still train for self-defense. More importantly though our Monkey-Jits classes are about playfulness, exuberance and first and foremost about having a great time while really learning something positive about yourself and finding improvements  both physically and mentally.

Competition is not a factor in establishing someone’s ability (or grade) in Monkey Jits. That is determined through the relationship formed between the coach and client over years of training.  Evaluation is carried out over time and consists of attitude, consistency, and of course improvement in ability.
Remaining calm under pressure, reacting appropriately and persevering under unfavorable circumstances are key elements in BJJ as well as in life. Against skilled, fresh opponents, the body will eventually fail which is why we must respect our body’s innate intelligence and abilities. Treat it with respect and it will respond accordingly. There are optimal ways to move your body and through the practice of Monkey Jits you learn to respect your body and it’s innate intelligence as much as respecting your training partner and their well being.

Monkey Jits Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will be your way to learn the new skills of the old ways, improve your body’s awareness, develop a calm mind, and have an awesome time while doing so.

How do I schedule a consultation and intro session?

Crazy Monkey Alaska is a semi-private studio.  We do not allow walk-ins or drop-ins to come in and watch classes or train.  Everyone interested in training is required to schedule a free introductory session.  In this session we will answer all of your questions, show you our facility, and get you on the mat and show you everything you need to know to start training with us.  Contact us to schedule a free introductory session.

Do you have contracts?

No, we do not require contracts.  All members pay a monthly membership fee.  All fees are collected month to month via auto-pay.  To cancel membership, a 30 day notice is required.

How do I cancel my membership?

To cancel membership, a client needs to contact us in writing, via email or in person at the studio.  Once cancellation notice has been received, a confirmation email will be sent, 30 days later the account will be cancelled.  If a monthly payment falls within the last 30 days, the payment will be charged.  Upon cancellation, no further charges will be incurred.

Do you offer private training?

Yes, we do offer private training sessions.  The cost of private sessions is between $40-60 a session depending on the package, and/or frequency of training

What are your prices?

Our monthly membership fee is $160 per month. Custom packages/punch cards available.
There is a one-time registration/training gear fee of $150 that charged at sign up.

Do you train competitive fighters?

Our focus is to provide everyday guys and gals with world-class training.  We do not have a fight team or focus on training fighters.  However, we do want to honor everyone’s personal journey, and that means anyone who wants to compete is taken on a case by case basis.

Do I need to be in shape to start training?

We get asked this question quite often.  The answer is NO!  You do not need to be in shape to start training.  We have clients of all fitness levels, so get in here and start your journey with us today!

Do I need experience to start training?

No experience is required.

What age do you need to be to train?

We have clients from ages 12-77.
Teens 12-15/16 years old.
Adult classes are for 16 and up.