{"id":836024,"date":"2026-07-31T16:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T16:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/836024\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T16:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T16:53:09","slug":"team-nitro-mma-named-july-positivelyjax-winner-for-helping-young-people-build-discipline-confidence-and-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/836024\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Nitro MMA named July PositivelyJAX winner for helping young people build discipline, confidence and leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla \u2013 Inside Team Nitro MMA<\/a>, students are learning how to kick, punch and defend themselves, but the program\u2019s founder says the most important lessons have nothing to do with fighting.<\/p>\n

Team Nitro MMA\u2019s S.E.A.L. Team has been named the July Positively JAX winner for its work helping young people develop discipline, confidence, character and leadership skills.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nashon Nicks founded Team Nitro MMA nearly 10 years ago. Its S.E.A.L. Team model focuses on students\u2019 social, emotional, academic and leadership development.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to reach youth who will otherwise live a life of destruction, counterproductive behaviors, maybe even death or poverty,\u201d Nicks said. \u201cAnd our goal is to counter that through mentoring and the martial arts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program combines martial arts training with reading, math, art, mentoring and other educational activities. Nicks said the goal is to make sure the lessons students learn inside the gym follow them home, into the classroom and throughout their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something that transcends the mat,\u201d Nicks said. \u201cThat\u2019s something you can take back home. You can take it back to school. You can take it back to your community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ninth-grader James Turner said the program has taught him why discipline and structure are essential to achieving his goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout discipline, your dreams are destroyed, and with discipline your dreams are developed,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n

When asked what that means to him, Turner said students need discipline and structure if they want to succeed in life.<\/p>\n

Parents say they are already seeing those lessons take hold.<\/p>\n

Tieasha Carter\u2019s sixth-grade son, Angel, participated in the summer program. Carter said she noticed changes in his behavior after only a few weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI noticed his attitude, more discipline, how he speaks, how he talks now,\u201d Carter said. \u201cEverything has shifted, just in a few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other parents praised the program\u2019s focus on academics and repetition.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like martial arts, everything is about repetition,\u201d one father said. \u201cLearning is the same way. You do it, you do it and do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicks said students are taught to work through challenges, build confidence and reject the idea that they are powerless.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat victim mentality is over,\u201d Nicks said. \u201cI want to help them get a competitive edge. And I want you to take that same mindset in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the program is ultimately about creating leaders and giving young people the tools to make positive choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cLove changes the heart, education changes the mind,\u201d Nicks said. \u201cTogether, that\u2019s a one-two punch for transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

For its commitment to transforming lives through martial arts, education and mentoring, Team Nitro MMA\u2019s S.E.A.L. Team is the July Positively JAX winner.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla \u2013 Inside Team Nitro MMA, students are learning how to kick, punch and defend themselves, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":836025,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,90964,407884,85],"class_list":["post-836024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-morning-show","tag-positively-jax","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=836024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/836024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/836025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=836024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=836024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=836024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}