Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit, and teach at three gyms in three very different cities. This has been a wonderful experience in which I have been able to share some knowledge, but also learn some things from my various hosts as well. In this particular blog post, there may potentially be a few terms you don’t recognize like liberation (the act or process of freeing someone or something from another’s control) or reactionary (regressive; seeking to return to politics of previous generations). I try to make things as clear as possible, but if there is anything that is difficult to understand, the fault lies with me as the author.

Academic Grappling is a very unique gym in the way it runs and operates. From our coaching staff, to our schedule, and from our activism, down to the fact that we refuse to train law enforcement; we are doing things differently. And because we are doing things so differently, because we wear our politics on our sleeve, we aren’t for everyone. And everyone is not for us. But that’s ok, it just means there are fewer gyms like ours out there. So when we get the chance to visit gyms with similar missions, politics, and activism, it warms our hearts and makes us feel a little less alone in the world of Jiu-Jitsu.

Foundation Chicago

To kick things off, let’s talk about my first stop: Foundation Chicago. Foundation is a small gym in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago’s lower west side. The gym is probably one of the most unique that I have ever had the opportunity to visit, as it is the old family home of head coach Elias Cepeda, which he has since turned into a training space. 

“We are proud to be a haven for marginalized peoples and their allies in what is often a reactionary MMA world,” - Foundation Chicago. 

I had the chance to teach an Intro to Wrestling class at Foundation. We reviewed a single leg from neutral position, a single leg from the Russian tie, and a high crotch to a back take. Everyone was very attentive and drilled the techniques relentlessly. While there, it was easy to see that the mission statement of Foundation was accurate and true to the point. The mats were a portrait of multicultural cooperation with activists from the black, trans, and queer communities.

In Jiu-Jitsu, people will often thoughtlessly say things along the lines of, “We’re all the same on the mat,” which is generally used as a way to dismiss liberatory or progressive political stances in favor of reactionary politics. This is done in order to avoid uncomfortable conversations in regards to gender, race, and sexual identity. However, on the mats of Foundation, instead of pretending to be the same, the liberatory nature of the gym already creates a shared mission and shared values among the members. This knowledge allows people to feel welcome and safe with their training partners, because they know their training partners value them as a whole person, and not just as a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. 

The Neighborhood Martial Arts Project

The second gym I visited was the Neighborhood Martial Arts Project, located outside of Norris Square Park in the basement of a former school. One of the things I loved about NMAP was how integrated into the local community it was. With most of the coaches living within the same neighborhood as the gym, they are able to build up their very local community beginning with their neighbors and branching out from there.

“We are a cooperative martial arts gym focused on building community and promoting liberatory values.” - NMAP.

I was able to teach escapes from a variety of positions and submissions during the seminar, after which I was able to stay and roll with a bunch of people. This was a fun trip for me because it was my first time meeting in-person a number of people I have known from various social media groups. One of the biggest highlights was getting to roll with, and socialize with so many wonderful people whom I have been wanting to meet for years.

Not only is NMAP located within the heart of its neighborhood, it is run as a cooperative, with coaches taking turns teaching and allowing for more people to have opportunity to learn from a variety of teaching styles. I was able to attend a class taught by one of the coaches, Danielle. She did a great job front-loading the lesson and getting people ready to move their bodies in a manner conducive to Jiu-Jitsu. But I was also able to meet, talk to, get ideas from, and share teaching strategies with the other coaches, Myles, Jelani, and Alejandro.

The gym has a small library for members to take advantage of. It contains books on martial arts, but also a number of books on liberation and social justice. Coaches and members here also tend to lean leftward in their politics and activism. On a brick wall by the mats, there is graffiti that reads, “From the River to the Sea…” letting you know exactly what type of gym this is before you ever even speak to anyone.

Looking at the membership of the gym, it is obvious they are for liberation for all. Having just recently put on a community bystander event, NMAP puts itself out there through more than just words, but they use actions to prove they are exactly who they claim to be; radicals for their fellow man.

Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu

Most recently, I was able to visit Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu, which is located nearly in the exact center of Houston, at the edge of the 3rd Ward neighborhood. The gym is intentionally located on Emancipation Avenue, according to two of the founders, Andrew and Sarah Degar.

“We strive to offer comprehensive self-defense programs that empower people of all physical abilities. We proudly welcome the LGBTQ community,” - Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu.

I taught two days of classes here at Third Ward. The first day I taught lasso guard and several common, but key sweeps from the position. On day two, I taught an LGBTQ class how to re-guard from side control and perform a fundamental armbar. Both classes were filled with eager learners who were excited to be there. The LGBTQ class was larger than the regular Jiu-Jitsu class, which goes to show the level of effort that Andrew and Sarah have been putting into their gym and their space, in order to make it a safe community for marginalized individuals from all walks of life.

Just like the other gyms listed in this blog, Third Ward was all about liberation and all about making a better community for those who are otherwise without. The community of people I was able to meet here was an excellent one. They all genuinely seemed to have each other’s best interest in mind while training, and they did an excellent job connecting to prior knowledge. Getting to know the members, but especially Andrew and Sarah was phenomenal as well. I got to hear about the mutual aid work and activism they are involved in and that they continue to use the gym for. Plus, they run it as a non-profit, allowing them to raise funds to do things like providing free training to marginalized folks or bringing in guest instructors.

Conclusion

All of these trips and visits have re-invigorated my love for Jiu-Jitsu and my love for our mission. As previously stated, we aren’t for everyone, and we are ok with that. Because we stand quite firmly where we claim to stand; both in our words and our actions. It is such a relief and it truly feels joyous to visit other gyms that are attempting to make the culture of our sport better and who are working to carve out a space for folks who are more traditionally turned away from the combat sports. I am thankful that life afforded me the opportunity to visit, teach, and be uplifted by these little pockets of resistance. I can’t wait to see us all continue to grow.