JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Inside Team Nitro MMA, students are learning how to kick, punch and defend themselves, but the program’s founder says the most important lessons have nothing to do with fighting.
Team Nitro MMA’s S.E.A.L. Team has been named the July Positively JAX winner for its work helping young people develop discipline, confidence, character and leadership skills.
Dr. Nashon Nicks founded Team Nitro MMA nearly 10 years ago. Its S.E.A.L. Team model focuses on students’ social, emotional, academic and leadership development.
“Our mission is to reach youth who will otherwise live a life of destruction, counterproductive behaviors, maybe even death or poverty,” Nicks said. “And our goal is to counter that through mentoring and the martial arts.”
The program combines martial arts training with reading, math, art, mentoring and other educational activities. Nicks said the goal is to make sure the lessons students learn inside the gym follow them home, into the classroom and throughout their communities.
“That’s something that transcends the mat,” Nicks said. “That’s something you can take back home. You can take it back to school. You can take it back to your community.”
Ninth-grader James Turner said the program has taught him why discipline and structure are essential to achieving his goals.
“Without discipline, your dreams are destroyed, and with discipline your dreams are developed,” Turner said.
When asked what that means to him, Turner said students need discipline and structure if they want to succeed in life.
Parents say they are already seeing those lessons take hold.
Tieasha Carter’s sixth-grade son, Angel, participated in the summer program. Carter said she noticed changes in his behavior after only a few weeks.
“I noticed his attitude, more discipline, how he speaks, how he talks now,” Carter said. “Everything has shifted, just in a few weeks.”
Other parents praised the program’s focus on academics and repetition.
“Just like martial arts, everything is about repetition,” one father said. “Learning is the same way. You do it, you do it and do it.”
Nicks said students are taught to work through challenges, build confidence and reject the idea that they are powerless.
“That victim mentality is over,” Nicks said. “I want to help them get a competitive edge. And I want you to take that same mindset in the classroom.”
He said the program is ultimately about creating leaders and giving young people the tools to make positive choices.
“Love changes the heart, education changes the mind,” Nicks said. “Together, that’s a one-two punch for transformation.”
For its commitment to transforming lives through martial arts, education and mentoring, Team Nitro MMA’s S.E.A.L. Team is the July Positively JAX winner.