COME ONE, COME ALL! NEURODIVERGENT, NONVERBAL, IN A WHEELCHAIR, CEREBRAL PALSY, DOWN SYNDROME, YOUNG OR OLD… ANYONE WHO’S BEEN TURNED AWAY ELSEWHERE… YOU ARE WELCOME AT MIXED MIRACLE ARTS.

By John Grossi

There’s a magical place in the northeast corner of Long Beach where the benefits of martial arts are available to everyone.

Key word, EVERYONE.

The Back Story

Owners Angel and Sara Beaudoin have centered their entire lives around martial arts. The couple, who met in a martial arts studio in Long Beach when both were 15 years old, would eventually both become instructors, then friends, and eventually more – dating and getting married, all while working in martial arts.

But it wasn’t until Angel decided to leave his job as a full-time martial arts instructor that he discovered his true purpose within the field. Just as he was fully intending to transition into a career in law-enforcement, the parent of a class member reached out to him about private lessons. However, she wasn’t inquiring about lessons for that son, his former student.

The mom wanted to know if he would teach her other son… the one with autism. The son who had been turned away from every other studio because he couldn’t keep up. She wondered, now that Angel didn’t officially work for a studio, would he work with her boy? And Angel absolutely agreed… having no idea how intense the need was for an inclusive activity like this, and how quickly it would snowball into a welcomed business.

No Restrictions, Just Benefits

There is a reason why martial arts class is one of the most popular extracurricular activities in the world, especially for youth. The benefits are abundant: confidence, discipline, self-defense, strength, emotional control, the list goes on.

But traditional instruction in martial arts is also extremely structured and strict. This means that many youths and adults who could greatly benefit from its lessons are turned away for fear they’ll hold back the larger class.

The neurodivergent and disabled communities needed a place like Mixed Miracle Arts where class sizes are extremely small and the lessons are adaptable. As for the typically strict mentality of martial arts?

“Yeah… we don’t have that here,” laughs Angel. “I have a 37-year-old student to whom, if I say, ‘You have to do five pushups.’ He will reply, ‘No my guy, I’m good.’”

Have a question or interested in trying a class? Call or text Mixed Miracle Arts at (562) 605-1421, email them at mixedmiraclearts@gmail.com, and learn more at www.mixedmiraclearts.com.