Matt Bryers

Martial arts for me has been a journey of discovery. From starting karate and wrestling at age 14, I have never stopped trying to learn and develop my martial arts skills. Martial arts is more than just a collection of techniques, it is a way for us to express ourselves in a healthy way, while gaining tremendous confidence, power, discipline and friendships. The best part of being a coach is watching students discover their strength and watch them evolve in front of me. It is why I do, what I do.

When I was young, I was the skinny, redhead that was shy and not really good at "ball sports"... oh did I mention I was a hardcore bank geek! As you might expect, I was bullied, and I really, really hated the way it made me feel. It made me angry. To this day, when I see bullying or abuse, it brings back that frustration I felt as a kid. I actually had to beg my parents to take me to Karate, and when I got to HS and saw their was a wrestling team, I thought that would be good for me too. Now - I sucked, like really sucked at wrestling. Only into my Junior year did I really start winning. When I was a freshman, my coach made me go Varsity because they needed slot filled. I got my ass handed to me over and over again, and actually asked him to take me off Varsity because I was bringing the team down. I can't remember his exact words, but the feeling has stuck with me forever. "Matt, you are doing all that I ask of you. You are going out there, fighting your ass off, and doing all your can to win, and that's all you can ask of yourself and all I can ask of you."

My focus in now coaching students and athletes in MMA, Self-Defense and Submission Grappling. It is a great joy to see all of them progress and develop into strong, healthy, powerful men and women.