About Calasanz

Mission Statement

To empower anyone to express themselves through a wide range of martial arts while getting fit and to achieve new heights of power, strength, flexibility and endurance.

Our mottos: Going for Greatness | Turning limitations into POWER

The Journey to Grand Master

Calasanz is the founder and head instructor at Westport Boxing & Calasanz Martial Arts. He came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic over thirty years ago with a dream to revolutionize the martial arts. Calasanz studied Goju-Ryu Karate under the watchful eye of Master Tamajoshi Sakamoto. He also trained in the art of Wing Chun Kung Fu under Moy Yat, a well-respected instructor based in New York City and student of Grandmaster, Yip Man, who taught the late Bruce Lee.

Despite his early training in traditional fighting systems, Calasanz dared to abandon the "one size fits all" karate and kung-fu curriculums. Instead, he combined the best martial art techniques along with a unique physical conditioning program and created THE CALASANZ SYSTEM™. Calasanz earned his reputation by training black belts, tournament competitors, celebrities, people with disabilities, law enforcement officers, and sports figures who valued his unorthodox approach.

In 1990, he remodeled the warehouse at 507 Westport Avenue that is now the home of Westport Boxing & Calasanz Martial Arts. In an industry with a high failure rate, Calasanz' willingness to look beyond tradition has created one of the most successful martial arts enterprises in the country.

Calasanz is also the author of Creating the Body You Want, a fully illustrated hardcover book that exhibits the basic exercises of THE CALASANZ SYSTEM™. Calasanz also appeared in Only The Strong, a 1993 martial arts movie that showcased the ancient art of Capoeira. He also starred in Crossing The Line, produced in Fairfield County by Coast Entertainment. The movie played in theaters on the East Coast and in the Dominican Republic, where Calasanz is a national hero. Calasanz and his family are also actively involved with in providing humanitarian aid to the poor of his native country through the Cipri Family Foundation.

CLICK THE FOLLOWING IMAGES TO DOWNLOAD “THE STORY BEHIND CALASANZ 507 Westport Avenue” AND “CALASANZ A LIFETIME OF LESSONS”

Calasanz System

Calasanz has spent over 30 years developing and perfecting his cornerstone martial arts and fitness training program, THE CALASANZ SYSTEM™. His unique teaching methods have helped countless men, women and children of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels enjoy the martial arts while getting fit.  

Staying interested in your exercise plan is very often the biggest challenge to reaching your fitness goals. You may have started a traditional martial arts or modern fitness program with great enthusiasm only to get bored after having to endure a strict, dull, repetitious, routines.  Calasanz attributes much of his success to the variety of training possibilities available to his students.  There is so much to do and so much to learn in this system that it is possible that you may never have the same workout twice.  Here is a list of what THE CALASANZ SYSTEM™ offers:

• CALASANZ PHYISICAL ARTS™, a physical conditioning program that improves your overall strength, flexibility and endurance.

• AEROBIC SELF DEFENSE

• AEROBIC ISOLATION & ISOMETRIC

• KICKBOXING

• WING CHUN KUNG FU

• AMERICAN BOXING

• CHINESE BOXING

• OKINAWA GOJU RYU KARATE

• TAI CHI WING CHUN

• STREET SURVIVOR & SELF DEFENSE

• WING CHUN GROUND FIGHTING

• AMERICAN KICKBOXING

• AMERICAN BOXING (COMPETITIVE)

• RECREATIONAL BOXING (NON COMPETITIVE)

• MMA

THE CALASANZ SYSTEM™ blends the best parts of these disciplines into a unified whole.  You can try all of them or concentrate on one that is most appealing to you.  Again, the choice is yours.  There is so much in this system to choose from.  

For instance, if you are interested in fitness, you may want to focus on AEROBIC ISOLATION & ISOMETRIC.  If you’d like to experience the boxer’s workout without having to get into a ring to fight, American Boxing may be for you.  This program includes the exercises boxers use to burn calories and work different muscle groups. 

If you’re looking for practical self-defense, STREET SURVIVOR may be for you.  If you have a black belt in karate, you may choose to round out your training with a softer style like CHINESE BOXING or WING CHUN KUNG FU.  

A specialized program is tailored to your specific needs and interests and evaluated on a regular basis to keep your training fresh and exciting! 

Whether it’s THE CALASANZ SYSTEM™ as a whole or one of its components, you’ll never be bored!

Still Standing…The Calasanz Martial Arts Revolution and Evolution

While many martial art schools have a high failure rate, Calasanz is the exception. The formula to success in this business was created by a man who arrived in the United States over thirty years ago with a dream and a revolutionary attitude toward martial arts training. Calasanz' remarkable teaching methods have helped strengthen and train countless men, women and children from all walks of life and fitness levels.

Calasanz earned his reputation by training black belts from other systems, tournament competitors, celebrities, and sports figures who valued his unorthodox approach. Calasanz combined the best martial art techniques along with a unique physical conditioning program known as CALASANZ PHYSICAL ARTS™ that attracted many students looking for something new and effective. He also dared to step beyond the group class method, offering students’ private, one-on-one training, tailored to their specific needs.

Law enforcement officers, bodyguards, and military personnel were particularly attracted to his system because Calasanz instinctively knew that traditional martial art styles weren’t practically designed for this population. This inspired him to create the CALASANZ STREET SURVIVOR™ program, still popular today, not only among law enforcement, but also anyone looking for practical self-defense training.

The ability to predict fitness trends has also been a cornerstone of Calasanz’ success in a tough industry. Calasanz was teaching women’s kickboxing classes and “mixing” martial arts long before these disciplines were introduced to the masses. It is also interesting to know that his students were flipping tractor trailer tires, swinging sledge hammers, and climbing ropes in his warehouse dojo years before it became fashionable to train in a “garage gym.”

Calasanz’ willingness to look beyond tradition has created one of the most successful martial arts enterprises in the country, but he’s not stopping there. The world has changed dramatically since Calasanz first opened his doors, so he is working tirelessly in his pursuit to expand his system and evolve for the benefit of his students.

So while many martial arts schools have opened and closed their doors over the last thirty years, we are proud to say that…Calasanz is still standing.