Recon: the Southern Maine martial arts gym for yoU
by Aidan Collins
June 2, 2021
Recon Fitness is a local fitness and martial arts gym located at 26 Bridgton Rd. in Westbrook. Their goal is to connect and empower their community through mixed martial arts such as Boxing, BoxFit, Muay Thai, Wrestling, MMA Striking, Submission Grappling (Jiu-Jitsu), and Cross-training.
June 2, 2021
Recon Fitness is a local fitness and martial arts gym located at 26 Bridgton Rd. in Westbrook. Their goal is to connect and empower their community through mixed martial arts such as Boxing, BoxFit, Muay Thai, Wrestling, MMA Striking, Submission Grappling (Jiu-Jitsu), and Cross-training.
Students participate in one of Recon’s classes at their gym in Westbrook. (MindBody)
There's a variety of different memberships that work to fit your needs. There is a Full membership that is $125 and gives you access to all of the classes including both MMA and BoxFit. This membership also allows access to the open gym from 12-8 along with access to their weight room. The MMA membership is pretty much just the full membership but does not give you access to the BoxFit classes. This membership is $100 a month. The unlimited BoxFit membership, which is $80 a month, allows access to the open gym, the weight room, and all of the BoxFit classes. There is also a youth membership that is $75 a month and allows for young students to join Team Recon. The first class is free for any interested men and women to come and check out Recon’s facility and enjoy a class. Without a membership, each class is $15. They also have a discount for students and veterans, so don’t be hesitant to speak up.
From experience, I can say that this gym and their coaches will do all they can to help teach you. The community at this gym is very caring and extremely welcoming. It can be very nerve-racking walking into a mixed martial arts gym, but I can assure you that the other students will do nothing but make you feel as comfortable as possible. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with pleasant introductions and positive feedback from my classmates and teachers.
This gym offers a variety of different martial arts from beginner too advanced. These martial arts include:
From experience, I can say that this gym and their coaches will do all they can to help teach you. The community at this gym is very caring and extremely welcoming. It can be very nerve-racking walking into a mixed martial arts gym, but I can assure you that the other students will do nothing but make you feel as comfortable as possible. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with pleasant introductions and positive feedback from my classmates and teachers.
This gym offers a variety of different martial arts from beginner too advanced. These martial arts include:
- Boxing — A 60-minute class focused only on boxing, the class will be split into two 30-minute sessions each designed to do one thing. The beginning of the class will be 30 minutes of new technique and correct boxing technique, and the other half will cover strategy and execution. The coach of this class is Darren Elder. Darren has never stopped learning boxing throughout his whole life. There is also a BoxFit class that focuses on personal coaching mixed with circuit training. This class is coached by Lilia Dupee who was a former member at Recon.
- Muay Thai — This class is 60 minutes and covers combinations and unique Muay Thai techniques by using partner drills as a way to train. This class is coached by professional Muay Thai fighter Josh Villegas. There is also a Muay Thai conditioning class coached by professional boxer, kickboxer, and Muay Thai fighter Aaron Waite. This class is also 60 minutes long and focuses on sweat and strength training. From experience, this conditioning class can be very beneficial but quite difficult as you will be walking out of the class drenched in sweat.
- MMA Striking — MMA Striking is a 60-minute class focused on all aspects of MMA including takedowns, striking, kicks, etc. This class is taught by Pro Bellator MMA fighter Matt Probin.
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — This class is 60 minutes and is taught by a professional jiu-jitsu competitor and amateur MMA fighter Henry Clark. This class covers the offensive skills you need to secure a submission but also shows you the defensive technique of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that allows you to get out of these submissions.
- Wrestling — This class is 90 minutes long and is taught by college level coaches. This class covers all aspects of wrestling and every style. The class switches between three styles seasonally: Folk style, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman.