Today we’d like to introduce you to Hai Nguyen and Jose Aguilar.
Hai and Jose, please share your story with us.
Me and my business partner and good friend, Eric Williams, we founded Elite Mixed Martial Arts (Elite MMA) in 1999. We started with a dream to be able to share the love of martial arts to anyone that would like to take the journey with us. We started with just 14 students, 800 sq. ft., one location and only Eric and myself teaching all the classes. Fast forward to 2018, we have over 1,500 students, 40,000 total sq ft, four locations around the greater Houston area, and 15 full-time staff members making a difference around the city. I am currently at the Elite MMA – Greenway location during the week and spend my weekends at the Elite MMA – Houston location.
I am from Vietnam and immigrated as a refugee to America in the late 70’s, landing in Bridgeport, CT. My father took a trip to Houston, where he immediately knew this was “home” for the family; the humidity is like Saigon. I graduated Cum Laude from the University of Houston (Go Coogs!!) with a B.A. in Managing Information Systems (MIS). For a few years, I worked as a programmer but the martial arts mats kept calling me. I eventually left that job to pursue something that gave me a sense of accomplishment every day. After opening our doors in Westchase, Baytown, and Kingwood, we decided to open in the middle of Houston, Galleria/Greenway area.
Elite MMA – Greenway opened April 2013 in the Houston City Club (HCC). It was a great relationship between both parties because HCC wanted to have a younger demographic in their facility and the high demand for Elite MMA’s services inside the loop. Once we opened our doors, we were well received by the community, despite practicing within a limited 1,000 sq. ft. racquetball court. Still, the students didn’t care where we were at or how big the facility was because they wanted to create a great community where our vision statement says it all. (Last photo has the Vision)
The vibe at Elite MMA is curated by great people who wish to treat others the way they want to be treated – on the martial arts mats as well as off the mats. We encourage our students to be balanced in all areas of their life and we offer a sanctuary on the mats, where the stresses and concerns of every day are washed away.
In April 2017, nearly 4 years after opening, we were devastated by the news of HCC closing. With that in mind, we had only 6 weeks to find a new facility for our 200 students. Our transition to 3311 Richmond allowed us to accommodate the increasing demands of our students, who had outgrown the cramped box of the racquetball court. The new facility is able to hang over 20 Thai-boxing bags (over 100 lbs. each), accommodate over 3,000 sq ft of mat space, include a private area for one-on-one sessions, space to mount 8 TVs that monitor heart rates and show the techniques of the week, storage for all the equipment necessary to get a great workout and enough room for passionate instructors to show the latest and greatest MMA techniques.
Besides seeing me and the hundreds of dedicated students that frequent the school, you will run into Jose Aguilar, the heart of Elite MMA – Greenway. Jose started at Elite MMA – Houston in 2010 as a talented 16-year-old, eager to try a new sport. He had a great smile, coachable attitude and worked hard to receive his brown belt in BJJ and now is the Program Manager for Elite MMA – Greenway. Jose still holds the same passion and love from his initial visit and is often found teaching his fellow teammates and students. Along with BJJ, Jose trains in other mix martial arts such as boxing, wrestling, Thai Kickboxing, Kali and anything he can get his hands on. At Elite MMA, we don’t limit to one style of martial arts, we provide you with as many tools as possible, allowing you access to more knowledge and power.
At Greenway, it’s truly remarkable how often the students want to give back. Every day, it’s not uncommon to have a student reach out to me, eager to contribute to the school in some way. Their efforts range from having friends come in for classes to stuffing bags to “I love the school so much, what can I do to help you succeed?” The students are helping each other off the matt and outside of school. They’re helping each other move, find jobs, be social and have fun. After Hurricane Harvey, the Elite students worked as a team to clean out houses and sort through flooded homes for devastated Houstonians.
A typical day for Jose and myself start with individual lessons in the mornings. From there, we lead the team from other locations in a discussion on how to improve and troubleshoot any areas. Kickboxing or BJJ lunch classes start at 11:15 AM Monday-Thursday and then the bulk of classes are after work between 4:30 and 9:30 PM. We have BJJ classes for ages 5-16 years old and offer BJJ and Thai-kickboxing adult classes for ages 16 and up. The kids’ classes are broken into groups dependent on size, skill set, experience, and sometimes age. They are taught the physical aspect of martial arts, but most importantly they are taught honor, respect, focus, discipline, and leadership (mental aspects). Our adult programs are broken into Level 1 (fundamentals and application of classes) and Level 2 (intermediate and advanced classes) in both BJJ and kickboxing.
Elite MMA is very excited to announce that we will be offering our own heart rate monitoring system where your heart rate, calories burned and percentage of intensity is tracked which can be emailed to you at the end of each class. This monitoring system allows you to track past performances and watch your improvement.
Elite MMA is staffed by only professional martial artists. This is important as none of the staff teach martial arts as a ‘side gig’ and the team is 100% focused and committed to the students of Elite MMA. We understand it’s not every day someone decides to join a martial arts school. For a lot of us, the first time on the mat was a pivotal moment in our lives, so we take our time and ask a lot of questions to make sure each student’s needs are being met. Our goal is to ensure all questions are answered and students are comfortable with the techniques to get started. Before taking your first class, we offer a complimentary private lesson to train one-on-one with an instructor. We offer our students a skill set and the benefit of working out without even knowing it. Our classes encourage proper techniques, rather than quick movements, so each action can be focused on losing weight.
Once you choose to be a part of the Elite MMA family, the next phase of growth as a martial artist begins. It often starts with questions like, “How do I tie my BJJ belt??” or “How do I put hand wraps for kickboxing class?” If you keep going and keep training, soon the questions turn into, “Now that I’m a black belt, what’s my next milestone?”
Contact Info:
- Address: 3311 Richmond Ave. #101
- Website: https://www.elite-mma.com/
- Phone: 713-339-4662
- Email: greenway@elite-mma.com
Image Credit:
Danny Nguyen
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