The MATS Academy

Join us today for some great rounds, questionable music & positive vibes.

One of the wildest things about parenthood is realizing your kids are absorbing your lifestyle long before they understand your words.

Whelan sees us vacuum the mats. So now he vacuums the mats. 😂

He watches us train, clean, move, help each other, take care of the space... and just naturally wants in on it.

That’s what culture actually is. Not rules. Not lectures. Repetition. Rhythm. Shared habits.

Kids want real responsibility. They want to feel capable. Included. Needed.

That’s a big reason I love jiu-jitsu for families. It’s a place where movement, discipline, respect, resilience, and community get practiced together every single week without anyone making a big deal out of it.

No screens. No entertainment. Just real life, side by side.

Also if anyone needs their academy mopped by a 2-year-old with zero OSHA certifications, we know a guy.

One of the strangest things about getting better at something is realizing there’s no real finish line.

When I got my black belt, I didn’t give some long speech about the struggle or the sacrifices or how impossible the journey was.

I said thank you to
I said I was grateful.
Then I said let’s get to training… we took pictures first.

Because that’s the point.

Tomorrow was still coming.
There was still another round.
Another class.
Another opportunity to improve.

Belts matter. Promotions matter. Milestones matter.
But they’re moments — not destinations.

And honestly, hearing my two year old walk off the mat after class and say “Yep” when I asked if he had fun…
that’s about as pure as it gets.

That’s the whole thing right there.

Have fun.
Get a little better.
Love your training partners.
Come back tomorrow.

Happy Memorial Day 🇺🇸
No Sunday Open Mat this weekend.
Go spend some time with family, eat something off the grill, touch grass, and try not to berimbolo your uncle at the cookout.
We’ll see everybody back on the mats soon. Enjoy the holiday ❤️🤍💙

"Tough kid" is earned on the mat, but it starts with how you treat the person across from you.

We teach etiquette not as a rule, but as a standard. How you listen to your coach, how you handle a hard round, and how you shake hands after. That's where character shows up. The techniques are just the vehicle.

Most martial arts programs teach a system. We teach what happens after the system clicks.

When kids walk into The MATS Academy, they start with fundamentals, not because we drill rules into them, but because structure is the foundation from which freedom grows. What you're watching isn't repetition. It's the early stages of something that lasts a lifetime.

A technique that works under pressure looks different from a technique that only works in drills.

This is what it looks like when the sharpness is real, fast, heavy, and honest. The thud matters as much as the tap. Both tell you something true. If you're chasing that level, you already know where to find it.

Yes we do book club. Yes we also choke people. Today… both of those things are happening.
2pm — The Courage to Be Disliked
3pm — Open mat (no mat fee, all welcome)

Summer has a lot of options. Most of them don't build anything that lasts.

At The MATS Academy, kids spend their days learning to focus, fail, get up, and try again, with coaches who take that seriously and teammates who make it fun.

It's a camp. It's also the beginning of something much bigger.