Martial Arts Classes For Fitness, Self Defense, and Building Confidence.

Our Head Master – 6th Degree Black Belt
Sifu/Guro Ron Kosakowski

Sifu/Guro Ron Kosakowski has owned and operated the Self Defense Training Center since 1988. An early investor in the UFC, a pioneer in spreading MMA and self defense oriented Martial Arts styles in CT, has trained with nearly all of the best masters in the world.  Names such as Joe Rossi, Dan Inosanto, Royce Gracie, Larry Hartsell, Paul Vunak, Leo T. Gaje Jr., Herman Suwanda, Eric Paulson, Francis Fong and more…  Read his full bio here. 

The Practical Self Defense Training Center (PSDTC) is Connecticut’s leading University of The Martial Arts.  Adult and child Martial Arts class offerings in following systems:

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We’re currently serving the greater Waterbury area, just a 15 minute drive from the following locations: Martial Arts in Southington, CT – Martial Arts Classes in Cheshire, CT – MMA classes near Bristol, CT – Martial Arts Instruction near Newtown, CT – Self Defense training near West Hartford, CT.

See What Our Students Have To Say

Ron’s great spirit  brings a wonderful energy to the university. He is a true master of martial arts. One of the very few I’ve ever found…

K.P.

This place is amazing. It has state of the art equipment and the staff is very polite and professional. Highly recommended for anyone seeking to enhance their self-defense capacities…

Anthony C.

The owner Ron, and the other instructors here are all immensely skilled, dedicated and are welcoming and genuine people. The arts taught are unique, hard to find and very effective…

Brian T.

Their grappling and mma fighters are constantly bringing home victories and trophies. Real deal, no nonsense training, in a friendly and welcoming environment…

A.D.

News & Events

Jesse James Kosakowski wins match in the Absolute Division via rear naked choke at AGC-Stamford, CT

Jesse James Kosakowski wins  Absolute Division at AGC in Stamford, Connecticut.Video of match vs Dillon Zaro. Victory by rear naked choke strangle from the crucifix position.  Kosakowski represents a legacy of champion grapplers to come out the PSDTC.

Jesse James Kosakowski Wins 1st place Absolute Division Champion at Grappling Industries, August 2023

Jesse James Kosakowski wins 1st place as the absolute division champ at the latest Grappling Industries competition at NYA sports and Fitness Center on August 19th, 2023.Fighting against multiple opponents in one day to bring home back to back victories. Kosakowski represents a legacy of champion grapplers to come out...

Pekiti Tirsia Kali with Tuhon Rommel Tortal – Weekend Seminar Sept-23,24 2023

Don't miss this rare opportunity to train with a direct source for authentic Pekiti Tirsia Kali. You’re Invited to a Kali Seminar with Tuhon Rommel Tortal Don’t miss this chance to train with the source of authentic Pekiti Tirsia Kali. When: Sept 23-24, 2023 Where: Practical Self Defense Training Center...

Kuntao Self Defense Seminar July 30, 2023

Learn Kuntao for self defense.Sunday July 30th. 2023 This self defense seminar is Sunday July 30th, starts at 10, come in early to register for it. I will be there at 9. Cost is only $40 per person… This is NOT just for martial artists. This is open to everyone;...

Jesse James Kosakowski Wins Naga Spring Event at Mohegan Sun

Here's some more pictures on Jesse's grappling match yesterday. It was the toughest grappling match of the year but as usual he pulled it off. The video will be out this week so keep in touch. More to come

Jesse James Kosakowski from the PSDTC defeats Gil Pinheiro in a grappling match

Jesse has been winning grappling matches since he was 9 years old. You want to see good grappling details, watch this video – https://studio.youtube.com/video/VLxv4YDAtxk/edit Jesse as well as all students are very well versed in all ranges of combat. Grappling range can be considered to be the worst to be…

Martial Arts Classes for Adults & Children in Waterbury, CT

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Filipino Kuntao—This Self Defense focused art form blends the science of angulation, body positioning, and intricate knowledge of the human body’s strengths and weaknesses, to form a powerful and intelligent martial art system.

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Jeet Kune Do / Muay Thai / MMA – Study the arts made famous by the man, Bruce Lee, who was a pioneer in Mixed Martial Arts. Blending Chinese and Japanese systems with Western Boxing and Filipino Martial Arts this dynamic system offers a great workout and unbeatable self defense skills at the same time.

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BJJ/Integrated Grappling Systems. Our Blend of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Catch Wrestling (AKA, Catch-As-Catch-Can), Judo, Shooto, Russian Sombo, Dumog and other blended SE Asian Grappling Styles come together in a style we refer to as  “Integrated Grappling Systems.” Classes for Teens and Adults meet every week and are open enrollment.  We’re proud to host generations of champion competition grapplers.

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Filipino Kali / Escrima / Arnis Classes – Traditional Filipino Martial Arts have always included the study of weaponry. This class features stick and dagger training at every session. Learn the ancient ways and get a great body work out at the same time. Hand grip, arm strength, and superb footwork maneuvering are all wonderful components of this program.

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Wing Chun Kung Fu—With roots that date back to the Shaolin Temple in China some 300 years ago, this style is a powerful and graceful martial art. Hand reflexes, timing, and very strong body and leg conditioning are all apart of the normal course of study. Soft and hard come together with flowing movements coupled with highly refined combat theory.

Bootcamp Style Fitness Classes –MMA Fit. Looking to get a good workout and gain very good self defense skills at the same time?  This is just what you are looking for!

kids-brazilian-ju-jitsu-fitness-classes-in-ct-1Children-Only Martial Arts Classes – Kids spending too much time in front of the TV and video games?  Physical fitness is the key to mental and physical health as well as weight loss!  We have a fantastic martial arts program for children based on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! 3 days per-week and a great price! FREE TRIAL CLASS!

group-fitness-classes-in-ct-1Women’s MMA, Muay Thai & Boxing Fitness Classes – Looking to get a good workout and gain very good self defense skills at the same time?  This is just what you are looking for!

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*All programs are open enrollment.
Subject to acceptance interview.

If student is a child, please put parents name. Please tell us more about your child in the message box below.
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To be considered seriously for enrollment in one of our programs, we need to know some more about the individual looking to take study. With Martial Arts Knowledge comes great responsibility, we reserve the right to deny enrollment to anyone for any reason.