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It’s been oh-so-many-years since John Cusack’s lovable Lloyd Dobler told the world that “kickboxing’s the sport of the future.” While “Say Anything” was released in 1989, kickboxing didn’t become more than a cult sport during the following decades, until been the explosive growth of mixed martial arts in the last half-decade. And that growth ultimately made Dobler’s words prophetic. These days, there’s a good chance that somewhere within a few miles, even minutes, of your house, a school is teaching some variety of MMA, with kickboxing still a big part of that mix.
In a recently rehabbed, second-floor space located in the immediate vicinity of Saint Louis University, professional MMA fighter has established Watson Martial Arts, a new school that he’s formed for both pro (and would-be pro) fighters along with those simply looking for an exciting, intensive workout.
Donna Mattison fits the latter category... for the most part. That qualification comes from the fact that did satisfy an itch to compete, by taking on one, official, Muay Thai kickboxing bout in Las Vegas. But sensing that that level of competition wasn’t in her future, she’s geared her training towards a desire to gain fitness in a challenging and, truthfully, male-dominated workout environment.
“They’ve been very low-key,” she says of any pressure from coaches to compete beyond her comfort level. “It’s really all your choice. It was a goal of mine to train to that level, to see if I could do it. They gave encouragement, but there was never any pressure. They look out for you, especially with the females. There are a lot of promoters who want to get the girls in the ring for ticket sales. But they’re conservative about putting you in the ring until you’re mentally and physically ready.”
Lately, she’s been working with kickboxing instructor Jason Ciluffo, after two years of Brazilian jiu jitsu with black belt (and studio owner) Kyle Watson. Watching her move through class, it’s obvious that Ciluffo sticks to some regular core skills drills, while also mixing in enough variety to keep things interesting. On a recent weeknight, Mattison was among two women taking that night’s class, working alongside about a dozen men, including at least one pro and a couple of high-level amateurs.
“Jason tries to switch things up each class,” she says of that workout, which causes sweat to break out just from viewing it. “There are certain kicks and combinations that we throw. But I guess I’d say that it’s never boring. You don’t know what you’ll get until you get there for that class. He focuses on the technique of things. And if you do something wrong, he’ll tell you. We start with a warm-up, with some standards of throwing knees, along with calisthenics to get the blood flowing. Then you’re working three rounds on the Thai pads or the body shield. Then your partner will hit the pads and you’ll hold for them. Once done with that, you’ll do mitts; you do three rounds, then they do three.
“Jason’s a very good instructor. He takes his time with you. And I’d hope that more women would come out, so we’d have more training partners,” she adds. “We can train with the guys, but they’re sometimes hesitant to go full-force, because strengths are not the same. But I’ve never felt intimated. I always feel welcomed. It’s a team-type experience. That’s how I take it.”
It helps that Mattison has had a lengthy athletic background, though she admits “to definitely having some sore muscles when I first got into it. You’re using muscle groups that you’ve never used before. Your first week, you won’t want to get out of bed. But I’ve never had any injuries working with the Thai pads and such. We’re careful to go as hard as the partner goes, so even in sparring I’ve never had any injuries related to it. A lot of women are intimated with the punching and kicking, but unless you find yourself in a sparring situation, it’s never something that you’ll face live.”
Ultimately, it was a desire for challenge that saw her transition into the blossiming MMA world, working in two primary disciplines (jiu jitsu and kickboxing) to this point in her training career.
“Since the age of six I’ve played softball,” she adds. “I played all the way through college, but when a partial scholarship to play didn’t pan out, I focused on my education. I wanted to stay in shape and my sister got me into weightlifting. I’d gotten tired of just walking and running and my sister, who competed as a body-builder, showed me some exercises and techniques and I started going to the gym every night. So I got on that track, but I needed something to spice it all up a bit. And being a girl on my own, I also wanted to go the self-defense route. I started looking at Muay Thai four years ago and I’ve loved doing it ever since.
Though a 90-degree studio can get hot and bit “gym-my” after a few rounds of hard practice, she also says that Watson’s a “neat freak, very meticulous when it comes to keeping things clean. It’s a new space, but I guarantee you that he’ll keep it like that.”
While she’s complimentary of Waton’s housekeeping, her main praise for the veteran fighter and coach comes from the fact that he’s a solid instructor, with a light touch, when necessary, and a more vigorous one if students so request it. That’s true for Ciluffo, too, she says, but many students at Watson Martial Arts will start out with the studio’s namesake.
“Kyle, as an instructor, cares about his students,” Mattison says. “He sincerely has interest in your improvement. he’ll stay after class, he’ll take e-mails, phone calls, whatever. He’s extremely down-to-earth and modest, not one to brag about his own accomplishments, which have been pretty good, so far. In jiu jitsu, I was often one of the only girls working out, but never felt unwelcome. He institutes things as a team and there’s never a false boundary of girls vs. guys. He definitely keeps the playing field equal and he’s very methodical in his teaching methods, never moving on from a move until everyone is comfortable.”
For additional thoughts from Watson on women and martial arts coursework, see the attached video.
