Martial Artists Fighting To Stop Parents from Killing Teens

Online, April 23, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Tampa Bay, FL - When a recent study showed that teen obesity is as deadly as heavy smoking, John Graden got, "Fighting mad!" An 8th degree black belt and world kickboxing champion, Graden is not a guy you want mad. Neither are the tens of thousands of martial arts school owners he is calling upon to help fight the teen obesity epidemic.

The Swedish study followed 45,000 males from 18 until their mid-50s. It concluded that obese teens run the same risk of a normal weight teen smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day. The study appears in the latest issue of journal BMJ Online.

Graden says, "No responsible parent would give their kids 10 cigarettes a day, yet many have no problem feeding them "Angry Whoppers" with fries. This study shows that overeating is killing teens as fast as heavy smoking. I'm not blaming the parents as much as offering these teens a path to self-control and confidence."

Graden, known worldwide as the martial arts "Teacher of Teachers" is spearheading a movement to create special no-cost programs specifically for teens in martial arts schools across the globe get them involved in the martial arts. He said martial arts transformed him from an obese teen to world champion, successful author, and speaker.

Graden says, "I was a fat kid. It was awful. I was lucky enough to join a martial arts school at age 13 and begin to take control of my life. I want these kids to have the same chance to redefine themselves as I did."

With the huge popularity of mixed martial arts, UFC, and Strikeforce, the timing for attracting at-risk teens into martial arts is spot on. "When I was a kid, we tried to emulate the physiques of Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today the kids have some fantastic mma athletes for inspiration."


Graden is asking martial arts schools to open their doors to teens in their communities. Teens can apply to receive 30-days of martial arts training at no charge in participating schools. "My parents would not pay for my karate lessons, so I cleaned the school for my lessons. I was the original 'wax-on-wax-off' kid. If I didn't have that opportunity, I could have easily become a statistic like the kids in this study."

The program officially launches worldwide May 1, 2010. In the meantime, teens and parents can visit "http://www.teenfitnessconnection.org/" www.TeenFitnessConnection.org to get more information and register their interest in participating in the program.