About Matt
All of life is action and passion, and not to be involved in the actions and passions of your time is to risk having not lived at all. - Herodotus
Thanks so much for coming by and taking a minute to find out more about me. I’m the proud owner of CrossFit 1776. I’m a Level 1 CrossFit coach and am also a certified Underground Strength Coach through Zach Even-Esh.
Ive earned a Mixed Martial Art Conditioning Coach certification through the MMACA and have also earned my CrossFit Nutrition certification under the tutelage of Robb Wolf. I’ve also attended Coach Wilkes Olympic Weightlifting Seminar. I’m a certified Youth Fitness Specialist and Speed & Agility Specialist for youths with the IYCA. My plan is to bring to the Williamsburg community the much needed expertise in strength, balance, coordination, speed, agility and nutrition for adult and youth athletics.
Ive been involved in the strength and conditioning field for a decade now. Ive being sharing the benefits of CrossFit training with the good folks of Williamsburg and the greater James City County area for more than a year now. We’re the first and only certified CrossFit gym in the area and look forward to continuing to deliver the best strength, conditioning, speed and agility training for adults who are looking to be the very best they can be. I also hope to give hundreds of kids the chance to be the very best at their sport(s) of choice with my unique and individual approach to strength, conditioning and nutrition for young athletes. I also plan on trying to help those kids who could have been very good if they’d just had some guidance and coaching into being the very best they can be. From middle school through high school, our focus is going to be solely on making kids the very best they can be.
All of our combat athletes (wrestlers, football players and basketball players) are encouraged to try our martial arts program as well. I have a traditional but very unique approach to martial application for our high school athletes.
One of the unique skills of Wing Chun Kung Fu and Jiu Jitsu is that it can teach you hand, arm and full body sensitivity. You can develop a deeper understanding of biomechanics and how it will apply to your sport. If youre a basketball player and someone is going to box you out how you can feel it coming and move around your opposition and get that much needed offensive rebound. Or if you’re a wrestler you’ll learn things like how to set people up to go for a single or double leg shot, feel it coming and effortlessly move and execute a flawless snap down, drag to go-behind or any other counter offensive move you want.
If youre a football player these sensitivity drills and fighting skills will serve you well on the gridiron. I sure wish I had the chance to learn Wing Chun when I played football. Even without it I was a pretty gifted player but if I had known some of these skills then I would definitely be All-State.
Whether youre a defensive back, linebacker, lineman or a skill position player the ability to stop someone from grabbing you or freeing yourself from being controlled is *priceless*. With Wing Chun we can teach you to escape from being held, grabbed or even touched in many instances.
And yes this is without injuring any other players.
We can teach you elements of Wing Chun Kung Fu and Combat Submission Wrestling to help you to escape from being grabbed or never even get touched by your opponent. That’s a HUGE bonus if youre a receiver who’s on the goal line, needs to score a touchdown ASAP and can’t waste precious seconds by getting jammed at the LOS. You’ve got to be able to make your move, SLAP that cornerback outta the way and run your slat, skinny-post or sell that inside move to run your fade route.
These are invaluable skills you can learn by implementing some of our martial skills into your contact/combat sport. And when you need every advantage you can get and when every second counts this is one that will make you come out on top — every time.
I’m also an avid reader. Enjoy reading things on health, fitness, nutrition, evolutionary biology, the history of the American Revolution, the “Anti”-Federalist tradition, the antebellum era and the history of what led to Southern Session.
And while Im a lover of history and American political philosophy I also enjoys the literary economic tradition advocated by the Austrian School.
I also enjoy heading out to the Shenandoah Valley for hiking, skiing, camping and kayaking. From time to time I also enjoy shooting my M1911, M4, HK 416 and on occasion Ive been known to break out my HK G3…much to the chagrin of all the local townspeople 
For more information about an opportunity to train at CrossFit 1776 send me an email. The email address is matt [at] crossfit1776.com
