Roark Brubaker
Owner and head coach
Roark turned his old garage into a training room and teaches most of the week's classes.
He leads the Monday classes, the Thursday all-levels class and the open mat, and he starts every night by sitting with whoever has come early. Students ask him about belts, about a sore shoulder or about how to fit a class around a shift, and he answers in the same even voice.
On the mat
- Gi jiu-jitsu
- Judo throws
- Teaching beginners
How he teaches
Roark shows a technique once, then walks the room while pairs work on it. He adjusts a grip, slows a partner down, or tells someone to take a breath.
He asks every student to tap early and often, and to let go the moment a partner taps. If you come to the first class and just watch, that is fine with him.
Meet him before class
Come at the start of an evening and sit with us.