Mixed martial arts gym takes aim at bullies

No more bullies. That’s the mantra at Straight Blast Gym in Whitefish.

The gym trains its students — both adults and kids — in a form of mixed martial arts with the goal of building self-confidence in all its members.

Self-confidence is the best tool to push back against a bully, says Anthony Mead, part owner of the SBG North gym.

“Our students get so confident that they don’t get into fights,” Mead explained. “It’s like the analogy that the lion goes after the weakest antelope. The bully shifts their focus to someone weaker.”

Mead helped open the Whitefish gym off Baker Avenue after the overwhelming success of the SBG gym in Kalispell demanded a second location. SBG offers skills-based training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and focuses on striking, kick-boxing and fighting on the ground.

Hamilton Ash is the gym’s lead instructor. As someone who was bullied as a young boy, Ash passionately subscribes to SBG’s philosophy.

“What SBG does for adults and kids is it instill confidence,” he said. “I know because I was bullied while I was growing up.”

“I didn’t have many friends, and I didn’t have much confidence in making friends. So I became angry and bitter and needed an outlet to express myself.”

That’s when he found mixed martial arts.

“What the sport has done for me, it’s taken me out of my shell so I can talk to people and walk with my head up looking forward,” Ash said.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was born in the 1920s in Brazil.

Based on Judo, the technique evolved in the Gracie family through brutal no-rules street brawls. Fighters concentrated on submission ground fighting, which allowed smaller fighters to take on larger opponents.

The style gained notoriety in the 1990s when Royce Gracie dominated the first years of the Ultimate Fighting Championships.

Mead trained with Renzo Gracie while working as an actor in New York City for 12 years.

He describes Jiu-Jitsu as a “gentle art.”

“You’re not actually striking — it’s mostly submission wrestling,” he said.

“This is a good art for smaller people. We like to make the weak stronger.”

Straight Blast students range in age from 3 to 72, and are both men and women.

“Women are awesome at Jiu-Jitsu because it’s all about technique,” Mead said.

“You can do this for fun and fitness, join our competition team and test yourself against others, or you can just train for real-world self-defense. We get real-life results for people, in tournaments or on the playground.”

While working up a sweat and refining technique is the focus, Ash says training sessions are always geared to be fun.

“Our students are learning great technique, but they’re also laughing,” Ash said. “That’s at the root of our philosophy.”

The gym is also home of The Yoga Room led by instructor Kisa Davison. Members also can work out in steel cage fitness classes and Warrior Woman boot camps.

The gym is located at 6550 Highway 93 South in Whitefish, near Dairy Queen.

To learn more about Straight Blast Gym, visit online at www.sbgnorth.com.