Our Mission

Mission Statement

Our mission is to empower members of underserved communities by sharing our passion for martial arts. Our goal is to provide our students with the tools they need to built the life they deserve. Our program was engineered to address the most common assault situations in the appropriate manner, using techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Boxing, adapted to all fitness levels, while putting an emphasis on de-escalation of conflict.

Jiu-jitsu: the gentle art

Jiu-Jitsu is a highly technical martial art involving grappling, choke holds and joint locks, with an emphasis on ground fighting. Jiu-Jitsu was developed around the concept of using alavanca (or leverage) instead of strength, giving a distinct advantage to smaller, weaker or less athletic people to overpower a bigger, stronger opponent. Jiu-Jitsu also allows for safe sparring, or simulated fighting. Sparring gives the student the opportunity to develop the muscle memory necessary to stay calm and perform the technique in a stressful situation.

Kill Them With Kindness

If you’ve ever set foot in a Jiu-Jitsu gym, you’ve heard our mantra: position over submission. This means that in Jiu-Jitsu, we always prioritize control of the opponent over perpetrating physical harm.

Why are We so Concerned with Avoiding to Hurt the Attacker?

First, by acting in a confrontational and violent manner, you only escalate the conflict and subject yourself to further harm. By controlling an attacker without hurting them, you are given a chance to de-escalate the conflict and put an end to it. If you fail to de-escalate the conflict, it is still safer to control the attacker and wait for the police or a helper to arrive at the scene, rather than try to incapacitate them using violent techniques with very low chances of success.

Second, most assault on women are perpetrated by someone they know. If your boss or your brother-in-law had one too many drink at the Christmas party and starts acting inappropriately, you might not feel so inclined to start ripping out eye-balls and biting testicles. If the only self defense technique you know is too intense for the situation you find yourself in, you’re more likely to do nothing at all. Our program provide our student with a wide array of tools to address different types of situations and threat levels, using gentle techniques that anyone would feel comfortable using.

boxing: the art of resilience and respect

Boxing alone is not advisable as self defense for beginners, since it has the disadvantages of being potentially violent and somewhat inefficient against bigger and stronger opponents. That being said, learning basic boxing defense techniques, as well as developing a boxer’s reflexes and muscle memory, is essential to effectively handle a striking opponent. If you’re going to use Jiu-Jitsu in an assault situation, you need to be prepared for some punches being thrown. Using Val’s expertise coming from 8 years of experience as a light-weight boxer, we provide our students with specific techniques that allows them to anticipate and deflect a strike before regaining control of the attacker.

Martial arts and well-being

The positive impact of physical activity on both physical and mental health is well known and enjoyed by many. In particular, martial arts are very mentally challenging and stimulating, allowing you to let go of the burden of every day life and center back to the roots of who you are. It is somewhat difficult to be stressing over an important presentation while fighting off your friend trying to choke you out and break your arms.

Martial arts provides a sense of community, and restores a positive attitude towards physical contact and one’s body. It encourages you to value what your body can do, not what your body looks like, building a much healthier sense of self-worth and body image. The physical contact encouraged between students during a Jiu-Jitsu class comes with a rush of the hormone oxytocin (also known as the « cuddle » hormone) which promotes social bonding. This might explain why Jiu-Jitsu students tend to form such powerful bonds of friendship so fast, building a strong community and valuable support system at the same time.

empowerment through martial art

Our first and foremost goal as self defense trainers is to ensure that our student may safely walk the streets of their city. But our long-term goal as a non-profit organization is to use our training to empower members of underserved communities. It is our belief that the ability to defend oneself and fight back in the face of oppression builds the confidence and self-assertion necessary to defend one’s interest and claim back one’s authority.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse