In June, Roots Mixed Martial Arts, a Rogers mixed martial arts school opened that offers a range of martial arts classes including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and Thai Kickboxing. The martial arts school is located at 14165 James Road, Suite #109, and is owned by Sean McPadden and Derek Carstensen.
Carstensen is the CEO of the Hong Thai restaurants in Rogers and Albertville and has been training in Thai Kickboxing for over a decade. McPadden was the general manager for a martial arts studio in Brooklyn Park and realized the opportunity to open a studio.
The two decided to become business partners and recognized the lack of martial arts schools in Rogers that offer teen classes and Thai Kickboxing classes.
“One could say it’s been in the works for over the past 14 years, I’ve been training for a very, very long time. I’ve got a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, I’ve basically got a black belt in Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing). I was lucky enough to find something at a young age that I enjoyed doing and I figured out how to make a living out of it,” McPadden said.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program focuses on submission wrestling and includes grappling, transitions, wrestling takedowns and other aspects. Thai Kickboxing is a stand-up sport which is called the art of eight limbs, because it involves the use of punches, elbows, knees and kicks.
The standard boxing program involves footwork, defensive movement, combination drills and partner work. Roots Mixed Martial Arts also offers private lessons and training camps.
Training camp is for people who are advanced in mixed martial arts and are seeking out intensive training to help them reach goals. Training camps are booked by appointment and are six weeks long.
McPadden has a lot of experience as a trainer/corner man in the professional realm of mixed martial arts.
“I’ve cornered in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), I’ve cornered in people’s first fights, I’ve kind of done it all. I have a pretty decent array of experience when it comes to that,” McPadden said.
Private lessons are one-on-one classes. People of all skill and experience levels can sign up for private lessons.
Roots Mixed Martial Arts also has youth and teen programs which feature striking classes once a week that combine boxing and Thai Kickboxing, and Jiu-Jitsu classes twice a week. McPadden, Carstensen and other high-level instructors teach the classes.
The kids program is for seven to 12-year-olds and the teen program is for 13 to 16-year-olds. Roots Mixed Martial Arts classes typically cater towards everyone — from those that are beginners in martial arts, to people who are well experienced and equipped.
To sign up for or to book a class, go to roots-mixed-martial-arts.gymdesk.com.
“The biggest main goal of our studio for the city is going to be to provide a place of community that anyone and everyone can gather. There’s no person that’s too old, too young, to start Jiu-Jitsu and benefit from it. The beauty of what we do as a martial art, is we bring people together above everything else,” McPadden said.
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