Mutual Aid in the Mountains: Learning from Asheville
Thanks largely in part to the members of Academic Grappling and KruFit, I was able to visit Western North Carolina recently to take part in hurricane and flooding relief efforts. I cannot say enough good things about the members of our BJJ and Muay Thai gym. So many individuals came together and donated goods, tools, and funds to go to our friends and neighbors in the affected areas. The community we have built truly came together in a special way. Ultimately, we filled my Jeep front-to-back and top-to-bottom before I left (and we have since filled it twice more!) and headed south.
Why We Stand with Palestine
For nearly the past 10 months, Palestine has dominated the headlines and the news cycle. Unfortunately, many still remain misinformed and lacking basic understanding of the genocide currently taking place.
Many are still woefully unaware that Israel only exists due to an illegal declaration, not by the Palestinian people, but by the UK in what is known as the Balfour Declaration, which stole land from Palestine and gifted it to European jews. Without diving into books-worth of information, the basic run-down of what has happened since is this: Israel has continued to murder Palestinian people and steal their land via illegal settlements and occupations.
Liberation with Lez Roll Radio
Over the weekend, Academic Grappling and KruFit hosted the 2nd annual Lez Roll Radio Queer Grappling Camp. The host of Lez Roll Radio and the organizers of the event, Kelly and Andrea, truly outdid themselves this year. With last year’s inaugural camp going over so smoothly, there was a lot of hype to live up to this time around.
3 Liberatory Gyms in 3 Weeks
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.
Member of the Month: Wesley Stevens
Welcome to our newest member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Wesley Stevens this month! As member of the month, Wesley was allowed to wear the much-coveted AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Wesley and their BJJ journey below:
Member of the Month: Max Haywood
Welcome to our newest member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Max Haywood this month! As member of the month, Max was allowed to wear the much-coveted AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Max and his BJJ journey below:
Member of the Month: Amanda Balay
Welcome to our newest member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Amanda Balay this month! As member of the month, Amanda was allowed to wear the much-coveted AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Amanda and her BJJ journey below:
Academic Grappling Year-End Recap
As 2023 winds to a close, people are beginning to rethink their goals and make resolutions. For many of us in BJJ, the new year is a time of self-reflection and realigning ourselves. We can take time to sit back and think of the things we have accomplished in the year and what we want to achieve in the upcoming trip around the sun.
Challenge Yourself in BJJ
A challenge, no matter how big or small, changes us. When we set up challenges for ourselves, those challenges can change us in a positive way; they can force us to grow. Any time you intentionally leave your comfort zone, you expand it.
Member of the Month: Jordan McCloud
Welcome to our third member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Jordan McCloud this month! As member of the month, Jordan was allowed to wear the much-coveted AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Jordan below:
Member of the Month: Kri
Welcome to our third member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Kri this month! As member of the month, Kri was allowed to wear the much-coveted AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Kri below:
Age, Injuries, and Adjusting our Expectations
Learning Jiu-Jitsu is a never-ending process. No matter how much a person thinks they know about BJJ, there is always something more to be learned. While in many aspects of life, such an insurmountable activity would feel daunting and not worth even starting; Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can give us the opposite effect, if we let it.
Member of the Month: Logan Clevenger
Welcome to our second member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Logan Clevenger this month! As member of the month, Logan was allowed to wear the much-coveted AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Logan below:
Member of the Month: Dan Walzer
Welcome to our first member of the month interview! When selecting a member of the month for Academic Grappling, we look for effort, empathy, personal improvement, and someone who inspires others through their authentic interactions. We are thrilled to have Dan Walzer be the first member of the month! As member of the month, Dan was allowed to wear the much-sought-after AG Belt, sign the back of it, and have a polaroid printed and hung on the wall of the gym. Learn more about our friend Dan below:
Meeting Students Where They Are
I was recently asked to write a blog about mindful instruction and how to appropriately coach/teach those who don’t wish to compete or have other limitations. With more than a decade of experience in the classroom as a school teacher, I can offer a few insights into how and why we run things the way we do at Academic Grappling. Simply put, the key is to meet each student where they are.
Our MMA Fight Team Recap
We recently had two of our teammates - Brandon Zimmerman and Justin King - undertake professional MMA fights. They trained under grueling circumstances for weeks on end in preparation. They took part in some of the best fight camps they had ever experienced. Despite all of their hard work, they ultimately fell short of victory in the cage.
Lez Roll Radio Queer Grappling Camp: Why it Matters
Last weekend, April 14-16th, we at Academic Grappling and KruFit hosted the inaugural Lez Roll Radio Queer BJJ Camp. Simply put, it was wonderful.
The camp began with a check-in and open mat on Friday evening with coaches Andrea and Kelly Schoenegge. While there, we were able to meet a range of individuals from all over the country; from right down the road all the way to Seattle.
Demolish the Closet Recap
On Easter Sunday, we helped organize and sponsor an event called Demolish the Closet in which we showed up and showed out in support of our transgender friends and family. As many know, we have had a rising tide of anti-trans legislation sweeping across the nation riding on a wave of misinformation and outright falsehoods. This surge in anti-trans laws has also sparked a surge in violence against the trans community.
We Will Not Comply: Indiana's Anti-Trans Legislation
Yesterday, I made my way to the Indiana Statehouse to stand in opposition to legislation put forward by lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Indiana ACLU organized the event and hundreds of individuals came out to demand the bill be voted down. Unfortunately, despite the bill’s extreme unpopularity, the highly conservative makeup of the House guaranteed its passage, and will likely guarantee its passage in the state Senate.
Why I Won't Train Cops and You Shouldn't Either
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Memphis, Tennessee to join in on the protests against police brutality for the murder of Tyre Nichols. While I did not get to participate in the kind of direct actions that I was able to as part of the Good Trouble 65 or the Filibuster 42, but I was able to meet local activists and organizers and see how they worked and what they were doing to push the work forward.