10 or 20 Kids’ Martial-Arts Classes at Darien Martial Arts Academy (Up to 90% Off)
Like practicing the piano while leg-pressing another piano, martial arts help develop strength and discipline simultaneously. Bolster body and mind with this Groupon.
Choose Between Two Options
- $ 49 for 10 martial-arts classes (a $ 376.65 value)
- $ 79 for 20 martial-arts classes (a $ 753.30 value)
Classes are offered at the following times:
- 45-minute classes for children 4–6 years old meet Thursday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 9:45 a.m.
- 45-minute classes for children 7–10 years old meet Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 4:45 p.m., Friday at 4:30 p.m., and Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
- 90-minute classes for children 11–18 years old meet Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Darien Martial Arts Academy
Years before he would teach hand-to-hand combat to Special Forces candidates or have his studio voted the best of 2011 and 2012 by CT.com, Andrew Scala was
stuck in traffic. As he inched down a clogged I-95 on his way back from New York and his job as a sales representative, he made a decision that changed his life. The next day, he quit his job, sold his car, and bought a plane ticket to Japan, where a friend was studying martial arts.
He arrived three days later, beginning an eight-year stay in Hokkaido, where he eventually trained daily beneath the great-grandson of a samurai. At one point, he and two of his colleagues were invited to demonstrate their skills in front of more than 300 high-ranking Japanese military officials. Andrew not only mastered styles such as aikido, karate, and iaido, but also immersed himself in Japanese culture and learned to speak fluently, opening the door for the lifelong bond he shares with his teacher.
Today, Andrew runs Darien Martial Arts Academy based on a philosophy that values integrity, honor, and self-discipline alongside physical skill. He lavishes his rich depth of knowledge upon students, teaching them the basics of Japanese with each lesson. As they grow curious, he relates the modern practice of martial arts to tales about the “truly intelligent and also fierce” nature of the samurai, erasing misconceptions along the way.
“All those things are useful tools for helping children get motivated, not just for martial arts, but to become good students, good musicians, good athletes, good people,” Andrew said, noting that as they train their minds with martial arts, the benefits spill into other aspects of life. His students bring in their report cards to show him their successes—and they also know that “if a student is good [at the academy] but he’s starting to be disrespectful at home, he comes here and he pays for it here.”
He trains all ages of students, who typically begin with karate and then train in other styles or master weapons—the long and short staff, sword, and chain. He periodically brings his best students on trips to train at his old dojo in Japan, watching them develop a lifelong love of Japanese culture as they see him integrate easily into his old home.
But though he takes martial arts seriously, Andrew makes classes fun and encourages each of his students. He’s known for telling jokes and keeping the sessions lighthearted. “You don’t have to be mean to be strong,” he said. “The strongest guys I know are also the funniest guys I know.”
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