We were lucky to catch up with Paul Hogan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul , thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea of being an owner of a Jiu-Jitsu gym never was something I planned to do. I have been wrestling or practicing Jiu-Jitsu for 29 years. During 2020 all of the gyms were forced to shut down. I began training a group of my students in my driveway and garage in Paris, KY. I had a small group of hard working folks that wanted to continue learning the art even with the gyms shut down.

Once everything re-opened, I continued training my group in the driveway and my garage. As time went on my group grew and I had to add more mats to my limited space. I had a new student joined named Brock. I had known Brock for almost ten years, and he immediately got hooked on Jiu-Jitsu. Brock approached me with the idea of opening a gym in Paris. I was hesitant as I have a full-time job policing, but he was persistent.

In 2023 Brock and I decided we were going to take the chance and open what is now Bourbon Submission Academy. We brought in a third co-owner, Justin, who I had trained with for over 10 years. We found a small building to rent with 700 square feet of mat space. We quickly out grew that area, and now have our forever gym with over 2600 square feet of mat space.

We are continuing to grow, have added a kids program, and are currently working on expanding our class type and schedule. We are all very excited for the future of Bourbon Submission Academy.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Paul Hogan. I am a husband, father, and police officer in Lexington, KY. My journey to Jiu-Jitsu started long before I ever knew it was beginning. I took gymnastics 3rd-5th grade. My 5th grade teacher asked me to join his youth wrestling program and told me I would be pretty good because of my gymnastics background.

When I got on the wrestling mat I was immediately hooked. I wrestled in Ohio from 5th grade through my senior year in high school. Once I graduated high school I moved to Kentucky for college, and began coaching at the high school level so I could continue my involvement with wrestling.

In 2009 I began my policing career and got a small dose of Jiu-Jitsu while in the Police Academy. As soon as I could I joined a Jiu-Jitsu gym and expanded my grappling knowledge. I was awarded my Black Belt in 2021 by my coach Michael Seals and currently am a 1st Degree Black Belt.

Jiu-Jitsu has helped me stay in shape physically, protect myself and others while policing, has helped with PTSD symptoms I developed in my time as a Crimes Against Children Detective, and opened other doors for my policing career.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I am not the only owner of Bourbon Submission Academy. I co-own with Justin Parks and Brock Barnes. Justin I met 2012 or 2013. He came to the gym I was training/coaching at from a different gym in the area. Justin and I immediately became friends and each other’s best training partner. We traveled and competed together all over the region. By chance Justin and I both moved to Paris, KY and were able to start training together again.

I met Brock in 2015. Brock and his wife are related to my wife and we met at a family gathering. Brock joined my garage Jiu-Jitsu group in 2023 and was the idea behind opening an actual gym. Without his pushing and support Bourbon Submission Academy wouldn’t exist.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The best way for us to build our reputation in the Jiu-Jitsu market is by traveling to other gyms, hosting seminars, and having our students compete. Showing our students skill level against others while maintaining sportsmanship goes a long way. People do not want to come and train a martial art with those that are people of low character or just plain rude. I am very proud of the culture we have build at Bourbon Submission Academy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bourbonsubmissionacademy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bourbonsubmissionacademy/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Bourbon-Submission-Academy-61553447931747/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BourbonSubmissionAcademy