Let’sLook back at some of our favorite moments from this past year — and get ready for 2026!
The year started off with a few snow days. I’ve always enjoyed them, but experiencing that childhood excitement again through my kids waking up to fresh snow and hearing there’s no school and that Dad is staying home from work is extra special as a dad. We had snowball fights, sledding, and built a snowman with friends. Slowing down is a gift in the hustle of modern life, and I love moments like the week between Christmas and New Year’s and snow days that remind us to breathe and enjoy a slower pace.
Throughout the year we had countless, hard-earned, well-deserved promotions, but a few major ones stand out: Sam Fox, Brandon Hightower, and James Bolton earned their Purple Belts in Jiu-Jitsu; Dominic Tondo, Graham Retterer, and Emily Bolton earned Junior Black Belt in Kenpo; and Grady Fox was promoted to Black Belt Candidate in Kenpo. This will be a big year for Grady as he prepares for his Black Belt test!
Our Jiu-Jitsu Competition Team continued to grow in both numbers and skill. In the spring, our teens team took first place at NAGA Atlanta. That event was particularly memorable because the tournament was split across two days: the kids competed Saturday, and the adults and teens stayed to compete Sunday. We only had a small group of teens, but they fought hard and earned first place overall for their division.
In the fall, we returned to NAGA Atlanta and took home first place again — this time in the combined Kids and Teens division. We’ve earned several second- and third-place trophies at that tournament in the past, but this was our first championship win in Atlanta! Even more meaningful, just a few weeks later in North Carolina, several kids who had been consistently working hard despite being met with hard loss after hard loss at competition finally saw breakthrough performances. Many earned their first wins, first medals — and for Mollie Fox, her first championship belt in the Expert division!
This year, we also began training another group of students in our instructor-training program. One thing we’re especially proud of at PMA is that all of our instructors are home-grown and complete a long, thoughtful training process that focuses on how to teach effectively across different learning styles. This is something many martial arts schools overlook, but it’s a huge part of what makes our academy what it is. We now have more instructors and assistants than ever on the mats, ensuring that as our classes grow, the instructor-to-student ratio stays low and every student receives focused, hands-on guidance.
We hosted so many special events this year: Spring Break Jiu-Jitsu Camp, 5 Animals of Kenpo Summer Camp, Jedi Training Camp, Pokémon Jiu-Jitsu Camp, late-night watch parties, our Halloween Party, and more. One of my favorite memories was our first set of family classes — Saturday sessions where the mats were full of parents and kids training together, many stepping onto the mat for the very first time. I’m excited to bring those back this coming year.
Our annual in-house tournament, the PMA Summer Showdown, added a forms division this year alongside the grappling divisions. It was a great addition, and we saw tremendous growth in both Kenpo and Jiu-Jitsu as students prepared, including students who didn’t compete but trained hard in the lead-up to the event. Should we add even more divisions next time?
We wrapped up the Summer Showdown with a Stick-Nic in the park and our first official PMA Dodgeball Game. It was an amazing day. I loved teaching alongside my dad and giving everyone the chance to train with him.
Then it was time for the fall season and holidays! This season is always full of energy and celebration — our tournaments, holiday sale, testing, Spirit Week, the Christmas parade, our holiday party, and so much more. We had such a great time with all of you during the final stretch of the year. Here is our 2025 PMA Year in Review video that we premiered at the Holiday Party a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy!
As we reflect on an incredible year of training and give our bodies and minds a little rest, it’s also a great time to start thinking about our goals for 2026. We’re announcing new classes to start the year, and we have a big season planned for our competitors. I’ve already set a few goals for my own training:
Kenpo: Continue developing modern adaptations of our Katas. Last year I enjoyed breaking down the movements of Kata 1 and creating a modern interpretation through the FILKENJUTSU lens. My goal is to keep building on that work this year.
Jiu-Jitsu: Explore deeper connections around the concept of “trapping.” Back in 2014 I launched a curriculum called Trap2Tap, which applies trapping concepts from arts such as Jeet Kune Do/Wing Chun and Filipino Martial Arts to grappling. Toward the end of this year, I began integrating those ideas into more modern Jiu-Jitsu positions like Octopus Guard and K-Guard, as well as escapes and sweeps from fundamental positions like Half Guard and Side Control. I’m excited to continue that exploration.
Health & Fitness: I’m recovering from an abdominal injury from the fall that limited dynamic movement and forced me to avoid inversions and a lot of guard-retention work. I’m starting the new year with an emphasis on nutrition and strength training as I work my way back.
What about you? What are your training goals for the new year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments — or by email at dcorrigan@pmaoakridge.com. I’m so excited to see you all back on the mat next week. Happy New Year!