CLARKSVILLE, TN DECEMBER 7, 2010 – In late November Ron Dayley, owner of SSF Submission Academy, was contacted by Carl Lawler. Lawler is a soldier in 2nd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment based out of Ft. Campbell Army Base in Clarksville. Lawler taught Muay Thai and MMA at SSF before being deployed to Afghanistan in September. Lawler asked if Dayley could find a way to acquire 70 mouthguards to send to his unit. He explained to Dayley that his First Sergeant had requested Lawler begin a training program for the soldiers in their unit in order to certify them in the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP). Lawler is a Level IV MACP instructor. The problem was they did not have equipment for this sort of training. These types of training programs have multiple benefits; providing real world self defense aspects that assist the war fighter in the challenges he or she faces on a daily basis and alleviating the stress and pressures that deployed US soldiers must contend with.
So, Dayley began the search. After speaking with numerous companies, he was contacted by Shock Doctor with an offer to send 6 dozen mouthguards to Lawler’s unit. Shock Doctor is on the leading edge of the technological advance of mouthguards, creating patented shock absorbing mouthguards that have transformed the industry. “Shock Doctor is happy to do our small part by providing these soldiers the best mouthguard protection available as they work fearlessly to protect our country,” stated Jay Turkbas, SVP Product Development and Marketing. Shock Doctor’s mouthguards average around $20.00 ending on the high end around $150.00 for their custom guards. Suffice to say, these are not the $5.00 “boil and bites” one can purchase at your local five and dime.
“When I started this whole thing, I was sure that I would have to piecemeal it all together from several companies. It never crossed my mind that one company, certainly not a company that makes such quality gear would be willing to make a donation like this. I’m happy to say I was mistaken.” Dayley goes on to say, “I get requests like this often from my students that are deployed and unfortunately, many times the requests go unanswered despite working every contact I have in the industry, which are pretty numerous. It’s frustrating for me to see my guys over there without the proper equipment to maintain their training, particularly when the training we’re talking about goes hand in hand with their actual job.”
When Dayley informed Lawler he had found a single company willing to donate all the mouthguards, Lawler and his unit were thrilled. “Ron is very supportive of us guys. SSF has a lot of soldiers training at the gym and it’s this sort of attention, even when we’re away that makes us fans of SSF. Ron posts technique videos on SSF’s YouTube channel and the SSF website for us to watch while we’re over here and keeps us updated on what’s happening with the gym. It’s nice to know we’re not forgotten about. And, getting these guards is great. It allows me to get the program going much sooner than anticipated so I can’t thank Shock Doctor enough as well,” said Lawler.
ABOUT (SSF Submission Academy) – SSF is a martial arts academy specializing in training programs for adults and youth. SSF’s curriculum consists of MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai and Krav Maga. SSF is also the only gym in Clarksville to teach Aerobic Pole Dancing. Since SSF’s opening in April 2007, owner Ron Dayley has taken fighters to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, better known as the UFC, and STRIKEFORCE (both considered the majors of MMA). SSF’s adult and youth BJJ programs also compete on a regular basis with the youth program taking 2nd in the nation in the Youth and Teen Division at the North American Grappling Association’s (NAGA) nationals in 2009. SSF offers military, law enforcement and student discounts. Learn more at http://www.mmaclarksville.com.
ABOUT (Shock Doctor) – Shock Doctor is known as the undisputed leader in mouthguard technology and considered the leading innovator in sports protection around the globe. Their belief in combining design and technology to achieve better protection and performance is now trusted by fearless athletes in a growing number of products and sports, from youth to amateur to pro. Learn more at http://www.shockdoctor.com.