World-class instructors are hosted for grappling camps/seminars in the summer and fall, allowing grapplers of all backgrounds and affiliations to cross-train together on Northern California’s redwood coast. We are here to spread ideas, help the sport grow, and to bring people together through shared experiences in the art.

In addition to our camps, grappling classes are regularly scheduled throughout the week, and private lessons are available by appointment. Private retreats are also available for martial arts schools or groups seeking an intensive weekend grappling camp away from the city.

Russian Gulch State Park, a 5 minute drive from our training facility.

Grappling: A Brief Overview of Submission-based Martial Arts

Grappling (also called submission wrestling or jiu jitsu) refers to the combat sport and martial art that focuses on clinch and ground fighting. Fundamentally, the aim of grappling is to dominate and submit one’s opponent without punching or kicking (although it can naturally be incorporated with striking arts such as boxing and muay thai).

Grappling incorporates elements of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling; unlike wrestling, however, grappling students train to finish an opponent with submission holds (such as joint locks or chokes), whereas in wrestling, takedowns and pins are the final objective. Skilled grapplers are able to subdue an attacker without causing him injury. However, should they so choose, grapplers can follow through with submission holds to incapacitate an opponent. When caught in a submission hold in training or in sport competition, one "taps out" to signalize defeat before any injury is incurred.

In training, the martial element of the sport is often overshadowed by enjoyment of the shared experience in this amazing art. Students do not consider each other "opponents", but rather training partners and friends. This is often difficult for outside observers to understand; however, after participating in the art, one quickly realizes its exceptional ability to foster a genuine fellowship that is not often experienced in our everyday lives.

Over the past decade, grappling has become well known through the popularization of mixed-martial-arts promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which have firmly established grappling as an essential fighting component. In addition, police tactics trainers, military combat instructors, and self-defense instructors have all embraced grappling as a fundamental and essential martial art. 

New students are encouraged to focus on proper application of technique, in addition to developing their balance ("wrestling base"), agility, flexibility, timing, and overall athleticism. Using brute force to execute a submission hold or to control one's opponent is always discouraged, as doing so impedes any real progress for the temporary satisfaction of the ego. While athleticism and strength certainly factor into the sport of grappling, proper technique and an ego-free training mentality is what distinguishes those that ultimately master the art.

It is important to note that Grappling is not simply about fighting or self-defense; rather, it is an internationally recognized sport that promotes a positive, healthy lifestyle through physical fitness, mental clarity, and self-awareness. Most importantly, people of all backgrounds and walks of life are brought together through shared experiences in this incredible art.

Hayastan Grappling

Founded in the early 1980s by Gokor Chivichyan and Gene LeBell, the Hayastan Grappling System combines elements of Judo, Sambo, Catch Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, and Greco Roman and Freestyle Wrestling. The system, which borrows heavily from Judo and Sambo, emphasizes controlling the fight early with standing throws, followed by tight ground control and finishing holds.

While Hayastan Grappling includes all forms of submissions, it is particularly known for its systematic incorporation of leg locks and neck locks into its dynamic offensive curriculum, in addition to throws and holds uniquely adapted for fighting without the gi.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. It was derived from the Japanese martial arts of Kodokan Judo and Jiu Jitsu. These arts were refined into a focused ground-fighting system by the Gracie family in Brazil, who later popularized and spread it in America in the early 1990s.

BJJ promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant using leverage, superior body positioning, and proper technique--and ultimately, by applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat them.

Today, BJJ has evolved into a variety of styles under the innovation of a new generation of practitioners and instructors. Notable schools include Gracie Barra, Alliance, Paragon, 10th Planet, Brazilian Top Team, and many others.