In the News

Martial Arts Instructor Defies Odds to Become Champion Fighter
February 25th, 2008
By Pamme Boutselis, Telegraph Correspondent

MERRIMACK – Seven years ago, Shawn Pacheco was involved in a devastating car accident. A driver traveling 50 mph struck his car from behind, and the impact left his back badly broken. The only way to repair the damage was to have a titanium cage inserted into his back.

"In spite of having had three surgeries, I continued to have problems with my hips dislocating," said Pacheco, 42. "As an alternative to a fourth surgery, my surgeon suggested martial arts training as a form of physical therapy and rehabilitation, primarily because of its focus on strength and flexibility."

Pacheco had been athletic and active most of his life. He raced mountain bikes professionally and white-water kayaked throughout the U.S. and Canada. As an athlete, it was only natural to turn to physical activity once again after the accident.

Four years after his accident, he turned his passion for the martial arts into a career, opening Shawn Pacheco's Professional Martial Arts Academy in Merrimack in 2005.

Combining his love for martial arts and children – he has two young sons, Ty and Cam – teaching gives Pacheco an enormous sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

"I opened the school to share martial arts with my own children and hopefully someday to have this legacy to leave them," Pacheco said. "Martial arts is an incredible way to improve a child's self confidence, has been shown to help improve grades in school-age children, and it is based on the values of respect, courtesy and integrity."

Pacheco soon set his sights on reality fighting. Fighters wear gloves with fingers, rather than traditional boxing gloves. The sport combines the skills of mixed martial arts and relies heavily on mental and physical strength, endurance and agility.

Always on the lookout for a new challenge, he trained hard with the Renzo Gracie team and competed in his first fight at the Whittemore Center in Durham with 4,000 fight fans ringside in January 2007.

"To me, fighting is like a chess match," Pacheco said. "It's about strategy and out-maneuvering your opponent. Each new person brings different skills and strengths, and you have to study that opponent, strategize and take all that into the ring with you to be successful."

The success of that first fight led to further training with Mark DelleGrotte of Sitydotong in Somerville, Mass. After just four fights, Reality Fighting offered him a championship fight for the Flyweight Title, which has a weight requirement of 135 pounds – 10 pounds less than what he usually fights at.

"In addition to training, I had to lose 10 pounds to compete for the title," Pacheco said. "That part was tough!"

On Jan. 19, he won the New England title in the Reality Fighting Flyweight Championship fight against defending champion Tom Giove in Plymouth, Mass.

Pacheco came to the rapidly growing sport of Reality Fighting at an age older than most, competing in his first fight just before his 41st birthday. He's delighted to be marking a statement about being fit and keeping fit throughout his lifetime, holding his own at 42 against much younger fighters.

"I like to think it speaks to people about it never being too late to pursue your dreams or to be in the best shape of your life," Pacheco said. "Some of my students will tell you that they are in the best shape of their lives! To me, hearing that and seeing them succeed is more rewarding than winning."

Training is similar to the cardio-kickboxing classes he teaches at his school. Body weight exercise is used to increase strength and cardio for endurance. He practices Jiu-jitsu, stand-up and grappling and works out in class with his students to prepare for a fight.

"If I were to give advice to a new fighter, I would tell them 'cardio, cardio, cardio.' " Pacheco said. "Good conditioning and endurance are key to competing."

Incredible as it sounds, Pacheco said if he doesn't train regularly, he's in quite a bit of pain from old injuries.

"I think the body has a way of repairing itself and working out definitely helps the healing process," he said. "I think too many people take pain medication. Why? It doesn't help anything. It masks the problem, and then after a while you have to take more and more. No, thank you. If I train, I feel great."

Pacheco's students are like a family to him. They come out to support and cheer him on ringside and see firsthand that the skills they learn really do work.

"I take a lot of pride in learning from someone who not only teaches it; he lives it," said John Mason, 41, of Merrimack, a Recommended Black Belt karate student. "It's more than just technique, kicking and punching. It's thinking and planning and reacting."

For Jay Golden of Merrimack, it's a family affair. His children do karate, his parents do Thai kickboxing and he and his wife do Thai kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

"We learn all of our skills from one master of multiple disciplines," Golden said. "We also enjoy attending Sensei's fights and seeing everything we learn in real life action!"

Pacheco fights in Salem on April 12 in a fight sponsored by Boston Brawler and will defend his title May 31 in Manchester.

To learn more about Shawn Pacheco's Academy of Martial Arts, visit www.nh-karate.com or call 429-0008.