We recently connected with Locksley Shoemaker and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Locksley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Everyone talks about going out there and “getting after it’, but to actually do it and open a business takes a lot of courage, work and dedication. After high school I had bounced between different jobs, but none of them really felt right for me. I’d always been interested in martial arts from a young age and had at this point been trying out Jiu-Jitsu and Mauy Thai, but still hadn’t really found my niche yet.

My dad had my entire family signed up at local Bazillion Jiu-Jitsu gym before sending my little sister off to college, we had been attending classes for about three months before he finally got my mom to join a class. Her first class she got hip-thrown by an advance student, and immediately after we all left and didn’t go back. My dad was frustrated at the lack of self-defense learned and lack of safety and was on the search for somewhere suitable for all of us to attend. Later that year my dad had found Gracie Jiu-Jitsu La Jolla Certified Training Center, for my younger sister to try out because he was looking for a school that would be safe and she would actually learn to defend herself. She had come home the first night after and challenged me to try to hold her down. And of course, in my head I’m thinking “Oh I’ve got this…” So, I do exactly that, try to hold her down, within seconds she had rolled me off. After that night I had to go to class myself, and that’s when I fell in love with the Gracie Combatives Program. It was unlike any other martial arts program I had ever been to. It was structured, everyone was friendly (not trying to kill me), and I actually learned techniques that worked! I dove headfirst into Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and didn’t look back.

Eventually I realized this was something I really loved and wanted to share with the world. I applied to get certified, got accepted, went up to Gracie University in Torrance CA and got certified to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Rener and Ryron Gracie. At this point me and my wife had welcomed our first child, who at the time had just turned one. Originally, I had planned to start teaching under my instructor at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu La Jolla, with hopes of one day opening my own school. Instead, one day I woke up and told myself I was going to just do it! I was going to just go after it and open my own school in Vista, CA where we lived. With the support of my wife and family, I opened up Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Vista in January 2020 and have since been open for almost 4 years! There’s so much uncertainty with starting a business, and investing time and money into something new, but if there’s anything I’ve learned through it all is you have to “just get after it!” You’ll make mistakes, and learn along the way, but that’s life, and that’s also Jiu-Jitsu.

Locksley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Training Centers allows students to learn at their own pace without feeling overwhelmed or left behind. We conduct all group classes with the utmost concern for safety, and we demand that all students treat each other respectfully regardless of skill level, gender, race, nationality, or creed. We don’t just teach people how to fight, we give people the confidence, so they never need to. We teach 3 different programs, Gracie Combatives (adult beginner classes), Master Cycle (advanced classes), and Gracie Bullyproof (kids 5-12).

Gracie Combatives is our beginner program for adults. In this program, you will learn the 36 core techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a fun, safe, and cooperative environment. Each one-hour lesson addresses one standing and one ground self-defense technique, which are further broken down into simplified drills or “slices” to facilitate the learning process. You can start the program at any time and participate in any class without previous experience and, since safety is our number one concern, there is no competitive sparring in this program. Upon successful completion of the Gracie Combatives program, you will earn your Gracie Combatives Belt which will qualify you for advancement into the Master Cycle program.

The Gracie Bullyproof program prepares your child using a three-pronged approach:

Increased Awareness: Harassment comes in many forms. Sometimes, a victim doesn’t take a stand because they can’t differentiate between “joking” and “bullying.” We teach your child to differentiate between harmless play and harmful harassment, so they know precisely when and how to act in each circumstance.

Unshakable Confidence: A confident child is a Bullyproof child. Bullies seek “easy targets” – those who will tolerate their abuse. We arm your child with the tools needed to overcome physical, verbal, and psychological harassment, so they are so confident in themselves that no bully will try to harass them.

Total Responsibility: We prepare your child to deal with bullies without turning them into one. We emphasize discipline, responsibility, and respect throughout the course, and teach five “Rules of Engagement” to ensure they never abuse their power.

Most martial arts programs rely on striking the attacker with violent punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, but in the Gracie Bullyproof program we take a different approach. All the techniques are purely defensive and utilize no strikes. Furthermore, we teach children how to defuse confrontations with words and never to initiate physical aggression. If attacked, we offer techniques to non-violently neutralize the threat and gain control until help arrives. In the Gracie Bullyproof program, we teach the children how to fight fire with water so that you never have to worry about your child becoming a bully under our guidance.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Certified Training Centers offer a unique training environment where all are welcome and belong. We teach to in a safe and corporative environment so that ANYONE can train. Competitive Jiu-Jitsu is great, but it’s not for everyone and that’s where Gracie Jiu-Jitsu comes into play. We give structure, stability, and you never have to wonder what you’re learning next. Self defense is for everyone, it doesn’t matter if you’re 5 or 65 there’s a place for you here on our mats.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

Yes, 100%. Teaching Jiu-Jitsu has brought me so much joy. I’ve got to hear lots of stories from my students on how coming to our school has changed their lives. Whether it be a child standing up to a bully, a student subduing a fight, or just them having a safe place to learn and grow, it makes it all worth it for me.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your firm or practice?

When I jumped in and decided to open Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Vista CTC, we sold my wife’s car and used the money to buy everything we needed. The start of the gym was all thanks to a 2013 Mini Cooper S. My wife obviously got my car, and I got a second child…the gym! After selling the car, with the help of my family we were able to bring my vision to life. We painted, installed new flooring, bought and put together the mats, got furniture, everything we needed to start off! Almost 4 years later we have since expanded our space, and our family. I now have four kids… 1 boy, 2 girls, and a Jiu-Jitsu gym!

Contact Info:

• Website: gracievista.com
• Instagram: @gracievista
• Facebook: Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Vista CTC
• Other: GracieUniversity.com