In big cities there is access to many types of sports, clubs, gyms and various types of martial arts. Here in Globe, it is hard to find something to suit everyone’s interests.

Bruce Lee was a world renown martial arts master and the founder of Jeet Kune DO (JKD). Bruce Lee died in July of 1973, but had several training partners. One partner was Dan Inosanto who taught Sharam Moosavi and Moosavi taught Ryan Murray, making Murray a fourth generation from Bruce Lee.

Murray’s interest in martial arts became a reality when a friend invited him to watch someone who instructed back in 1996. He was hooked. Murray started training in Miami, under Dan Lowe for years, before continuing in a garage in Globe. Murray met Sharam Moosavi at a seminar in 1997, and would travel to California with friends on weekends for training when they could afford it.

In 1999, Murray suffered a grade five tib fib fracture and almost lost his knee. The doctor told him he would most likely need a knee replacement when he turned 30, which meant his martial arts career would come to an end. Today he is still walking and competing in JKD. Murray sees it as a blessing. With this blessing, he is able to  give back to the kids in the community. Murray grew up in Phoenix, so he is familiar with the disadvantages for the youth in a small town, especially in the martial arts field. Murray has been teaching the kids classes locally for more than 10 years, and both his children are students.

The BJJ jujitsu class began as a bully defense class for kids to help them deal with confrontations, held in a small back room at the Globe Gym. Each student received a color BJJ t-shirt to wear for sessions.

Why Bully Defense? Murray has seen that bullying is something that happens everywhere and at all ages of life. For him, to teach the youth how to handle adverse situations by conducting scenario work, teaching them to deal with confrontations, not just turn the cheek, and letting them know that it’s okay to address the situation, can make a difference. After the kids are able to stand up for themselves once or twice, they have no problem holding their heads high. One big rule Murray has is if you’re a bully, you’re not allowed in his class.

The kids are taught to take responsibility for what they are learning and need to use the skills adequately. Learning for them is through one on one instruction and games. At the end of each class, Murray will spend time talking about bullying and how they need to handle it.

Emily Pearlman, who has worked her way to an instructor, started in the kids Bully Defense class. Her martial arts training actually began in taekwondo at age three and after a few years, wanted to add to her martial arts skills. She found Jujitsu and fell in love. A knee injury caused her to leave the taekwondo behind due to the pressure of kicking. Emily is still able to continue her training in Jujitsu because the conscious they have of each other’s bodies in class, so if someone has an injury they work around it to avoid further injuries. Emily Pearlman said “it’s a confidence booster and I have seen myself develop over the years.”

This type of training isn’t something you can learn by watching videos, it’s by hands on training. Murray doesn’t only teach children, he also has a class for adults. Another adult student and teacher is Deb. She loves martial arts and said that it keeps her fit, and she prefers training in JKD instead of getting on a treadmill. She has also competed in the past and won two gold medals in her division.

Even the children can compete in tournaments, like Ryan Murray Jr., who is sometimes smaller than his opponents.

Anyone who has an interest and with any skill level can join a class. You can do it for fitness, wanting to compete, or just wanting your child to have skills to help them have more confidence. Ages for classes are 4-8 years, 8-12 years, and then onto the adult classes. To earn a stripe, they need time and attendance. Once Murray is comfortable with their abilities, he needs to make sure they are on their skill level. Once he is confident that they can execute the moves correctly they earn a new color. Belts are based on skills, not age.

To find out more about classes contact Ryan Murray at Globe’s Gym.