The art of combat

PRINCETON — Combat-Do, the All-American Academy of Martial Arts, is prepping to do some damage at the Mixed Martial Arts World Championships in Las Vegas this summer.

Master Bob Schirmer started a new school in November at the academy, located at 413 S. Main St. in Princeton, after running a similar academy in Cicero for 23 years. Schirmer, the head coach of the U.S. Mixed Martial Arts amateurs team, said he is honored to send three fighters to Las Vegas.

Carlos Hernandez, the 2014 world champion, will be fighting for another title at 125 pounds. Sam Agushi, a two-time national champion, will be pushing for even greater heights in the 155-pound class; and Silvia Riaz will be throwing her 145 pounds around the cage in the women’s division. The World Championships take place from July 4 through July 12.

Schirmer said Combat-Do had three national champions come out of one school in 2014, and three more in 2015 — although two were from different schools yet trained under Schirmer on the U.S. team.

Combat Do already has about 40 members in Princeton, but Schirmer said they are always looking to grow. He is working toward having a summer camp which will meet three time a week. The camp is tentatively scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon from June 6 to 17, and the cost to each participant would be $65 for two weeks of training. The participants would learn kickboxing, Thai boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu — essentially the Combat-Do gauntlet — and it will be a fun way for the young students to get some confidence.

“I was 6 when I started training, and now I’m 60, so I’ve been doing it forever,” Schirmer said, stating the sport can expand a person’s life experience and help them become leaders in their community. “It gets kids off the street — out of the inner city — and allows them to travel internationally and compete in different parts of the world like Brazil, Ireland, Russia and China.”

Schirmer said if they get the kids in the gym young enough, their grades and their abilities usually skyrocket, as some have been able to land college scholarships. Hernandez just graduated from college on a four-year ride due to mixed martial arts.

“They feel a lot of accomplishments. Their self-esteem, confidence and courage goes up, and that’s what our community needs,” he said, proud to have organized a fighting camp in Princeton. “I’ve talked with 12 nations of international competitors who want to come and train with us.”

For more information about Combat-Do, call Schirmer at 773-698-0748, Barbie Hedgworth at 309-721-4980, or Amanda Stewart at 815-915-8469. Visit Combat-Do's Facebook page or go to www.combat-do.com.

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