Kevin Conway
Apr 18, 2025
“I tried my first free class at OJJ just after my 35th birthday at the end of January 2025 and officially started my journey in Feb 2025. It was clear to see very quickly that the group of people training in the adult class all have a tight nit family like bond. Having done some martial arts training in the past back in my teens I had zero experience in doing anything like this. The initial experience was incredibly humbling, but at the same time extremely intriguing and I had an absolute blast. I couldn’t help but want to learn more. I often found myself thinking about what I had learned in class in my days away from the gym while driving, working, etc. And as a result, giving me the desire to want to attend whatever classes I can fit into my schedule. The team there was very welcoming and are more than willing to work with new members to learn at a rapid pace. On top of that…the coaches Joe, Doug, Gideon, Jake, and all the others there are incredibly knowledgeable and focus on proper techniques to be highly effective, but avoid injury to each other at any cost in training. Coach Joe is a fantastic mentor, being extremely articulate with all of the small fine details of whatever it is we are training at that time to show things step-by-step and for you to be able to then jump right in and execute what he showed just minutes later. My other favorite part is how it engages my brain in a totally different way than anything else. The technicality of the jiu-jitsu art is like a chess match of your body. It increases your mobility, flexibility, and shows what you can achieve for yourself with the right teachers. Coach Joe and Coach Doug are also fantastic with the kids class. You can tell the kids love these guys. It’s the perfect balance of just the right amount of discipline, but they also have a lot of fun with the kiddos! So if you’re looking for a place to train, or if you’re brand new, like I was, looking for a place that offers a great overall vibe, camaraderie, a confidence boost in self-defense, and especially, an incredibly awesome full body workout (brain included)… you have to give OJJ a try! You will not regret it, you will feel great, and just after the first few classes you will be completely hooked!”
