Well, I spent two years in Des Moines (2001-2003) and I don't think that there's much there. Iowa City has a very happening martial art scene (Capoeira, Wing Chun, Judo, etc.). Davenport has the Militech Fighting Systems. Dubuque has Dean Lessei at the Dubuque Martial Art Group (Muay Thai, Kali, Jun Fan). Rick Faye (Minnesota Kali Group) and Greg Nelson (trainer of Sean Sherk and Brock Lesnar, among others) are located in Minneapolis, MN. Don't knock distance learning via seminars, books and dvd's. I know a ton of people that have come up this way and turned out to be great martial artists. With good equipment, the right work ethic and strong workout partners with similar goals, this might be the path for you. Hope this helps.
|