The cries of joy and determination of the young students in Jonathan Calizar's Lil' Dragons karate class can be heard in the parking lot of the West Coast Martial Arts complex in El Dorado Hills. The elementary schoolers are determined to perfect their kicks and spins and for Calizar and his high school assistants, watching the Lil' Dragons learn self-defense and life lessons is the most rewarding part of the job.

"It helps them get intense and to become a strong person," said Calizar says.

The students in Gary Merlo's mixed martial arts class are considerably less obnoxious but just as willing to sweat, take the punches, and feel the burn of the grueling hour and a half course that combines kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Tae Kwon Do. Battling in spite of the bruises and physical strain they endure, the students are proof that martial arts is a sport for all ages; Merlo's pupils range from teenagers to septuagenarians.

"You don't need to be flexible, you don't need to be in great shape," Merlo, a fifth degree black belt, says. "Anybody can do it."