Tyler Peterson and his son Heron had tried baseball, soccer, kayaking and all sorts of other sports. The duo found their place in a small but mighty venue — on the mats at Leverage Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Concord.
The Petersons started at the same time about a year and a half ago. It was a big change from the outdoors and team sports to dueling on the mats, facing another person’s full effort to subdue them.
“It’s cathartic. Something about that struggle, it’s all controlled and basically safe, but you get to wrestle and it’s appropriate,” Tyler Peterson said.
Neither of them had really tried any combat or wrestling-style sports before, but once they started, they were hooked. For Heron, a 12-year-old who trains in the level-two 10-year-old-and-up class, it’s much better than karate because it’s not about attacking the other person with chops.
“It’s good self-defense and you know that it will work if you do it the right way,” he said.
After rolling (rolling is the commonly used term for sparring in Jiu-Jitsu) with his training partner, 10-year-old Noah Huntley, they were both tired and sweaty.
Huntley said Heron’s pretty quick on his feet and his defense is tough to break through. Both have become friends and bonded pretty quickly with their peers.
The founder and coach at Leverage BJJ, Jason Bryant, said that’s exactly what he wants his students, from five-year-olds to 55-year-olds, to learn.
He earned his black belt five years ago and was drawn into coaching as things reopened after the pandemic. The sport itself has only grown with the popularization of the UFC and other mixed martial arts competitions.
What sets Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu apart is its focus on submission grappling. The discipline originated from Japanese Jujutsu and Judo and was adapted with a focus on techniques that allow smaller or weaker people to defend themselves against larger opponents, mostly on the ground.
There is no striking or kicking in BJJ and instead people learn to use leverage, joint locks and chokeholds to control and subdue aggressors and avoid significant harm.
“People, they want to learn fitness, they want to learn a martial art, learn how to protect themselves, get in better shape, all while showing up to work the next day in one piece,” Bryant said. “So that’s very important to me, so the fun and the safety aspect is huge.”
He aims to prepare everyone who comes through his doors on how to defend themselves. As a father and husband, he found that it’s reassuring to know he can defend himself and others in a potentially dangerous altercation.
Bryant, who spends a lot of the class teaching positions and techniques lying down on the mats, likened the sport to chess rather than boxing. He said you’re always thinking a few moves in advance, and you can go 100% against someone else without worrying about a broken nose, although that could happen incidentally.
That spirit carries over into the sessions throughout every afternoon. People come in with an intention to learn techniques and duel against a rolling partner, all while laughing and joking with each other in between drills.
“You say, ‘Good job. Nice arm bar.’ And you go right back at wrestling with each other, and that creates this camaraderie and this level of trust between each other,” he explained.
Sam Johnson and Molly Page roll on the mats at leverage during the Adults No Gi class at Leverage Jiu-Jitsu. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Forrest Jablonski and Jon Clark work through a difficult position on the mats. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Gregory Hillard and Kade Zarse practice escaping a seatbelt hold in the youngest age group class. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Rick Johnston and Jay Arsenault work on foot holds, basic defense and takedowns at Leverage in Concord. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
The gym currently trains around 100 people at many levels. For adults, Mondays are for Jiu-Jitsu 101 classes and beginners, Tuesdays and Thursdays are for Gi lessons, Wednesdays are for No-Gi and Judo, and Sundays are open mat.
Tuesday and Thursdays, kids ages five and up participate with varying levels of actual Jiu-Jitsu.
The youngest group is more game-focused, with kids learning how to move their bodies and trying to escape simple holds with partners; no submission techniques are taught at this level for safety. They learn how to remove someone’s arms and legs wrapped around them, and how to move somebody off their body, and occasionally they end the class with some dodgeball.
The older kids, 10 and up, go deeper into technique as they gain strength and can carry out drills safely under supervision.
Another regular at Leverage, Dan Pratt, trains with his wife and brings his children to train. It’s a whole family affair. Bryant taught him everything he knows, and now he coaches the kids’ groups alongside him.
He highlighted how rewarding it has been to learn the discipline and how much kids learn from week-to-week. He watches it click in their little heads.
Personally, it taught him how to trust people more and he appreciated how inclusive the community was from day one. When someone can subdue you unconscious or break your arm but they also respect the tap out, a special bond is formed.
It’s very social because it has to be. When you’re rolling on the ground in close quarters with someone, you get familiar.
For the kids, it’s similar. They learn how to avoid situations and escape because the first option is to always run away, and the second is to diffuse situations that they may encounter on the playground or out in the world throughout their life, Pratt said.
“It’s really good for the kids because they get the confidence,” he said.
Bryant moved to the location on 80 South Main St, Unit C, just last year and has seen an increase in interest. Even the Bow wrestling team and coach Billy Chavanelle come in to get reps. A few especially dedicated members are now rolling in competitions around the state and beyond.
More information can be found at leveragebjjnh.com.