Featured affiliated academy: Forge MMA, BJJ India
Where is the gym located?
No.52, Eldams Road, Teynampet, Chennai – 600083, Tamil Nadu, South India.
How many people train there?
Currently I have 5 people training in my gym under my brand.
Is the gym growing – if so by how many new members each month or year?
Not exactly because of the pandemic, and the market here in this city in general is not an ideal place for starting an MMA academy. But teaching MMA for self defense has always been my passion, so I’m pretty much swimming against the tide here.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training?
We don’t have any belt system in my gym, as I don’t have access to learning from a quality BJJ instructor/school here in my city. I come from a Krav Maga background. After I came across BJJ back in 2015, I’ve been smitten by the amount of sense it made in terms of taking it up as a self defense martial art. Hence, I teach Gracie Combatives as part of my MMA fundamentals training program.
When did the gym open?
September 15th 2020.
Forge MMA, BJJ India
Some facts about you:
Name: Shyam Kumar
Age: 34
Belt: White
Profession: MMA combatives instructor/ GPP coach (general physical prep)
Years in BJJ: 4 years (following the Gracie syllabus)
Other martial arts: WAKO kickboxing, 1st degree black belt in Kyokushinkai Karate
Currently living in: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India
Originally from: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, South India
Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence
Having been into Krav Maga for over 7 years, I came to realize its shortcomings. I also realized that MMA offered a much more hands-on training approach for unarmed combat. Hence, after learning and training under a few professional MMA athletes, I opened my gym on September 15th, 2020.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they?
Mostly young adults from the age of 20 to 30 years old, from all walks of life.
Forge MMA, BJJ India
Why do they train?
Mostly, the glamour factor of UFC 😄😄. But some of them are students doing their masters in the United States and Canada. So they’re looking to be in decent shape to join an academy/club there and start competing.
What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general and in your location specifically?
Cosmetic solutions. That’s what majority of people in my city’s market look for. Flashy, quick fix solutions to look cool and do cool things by totally ignoring the fundamentals or looking at it from a long term point of view.
Forge MMA, BJJ India
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Growth at a very very slow pace due a well-brainwashed populace brimming with ignorance.
What’s the best thing about your gym?
Unlike the 3 famous so-called MMA gyms in my city, we’re not a corporate/sports promotional hub. We’re more of a community than a factory-tailored cult.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym?
The food joints. Notable street food joints and eat outs. Some surfing and open water swimming too. But damn are there endless possibilities for exploring your gastrointestinal urges around here.
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