ORANGE COVE – A local martial arts instructor is carving a space for the youth of Orange Cove to armbar life’s limitations.
Tyshon Johnson is the owner of Silva BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-jitsu), a martial arts gym that has been teaching Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling since June. While Johnson has already been pleased with the attendance of classes thus far, he has even bigger visions of what the gym can become.
“I want this to be the city’s space; not just about making money, being a successful fight gym or any of that,” Johnson said. “I want this to be for the people of Orange Cove. This gym belongs to them.”
The gym currently offers classes Monday through Friday from 4:30-8:30 p.m., and offers free women’s defense classes on Saturday from 12-1 p.m.
The monthly membership starts at $65 for the first kid, and $20 for additional kids in the family who wish to join. Until Sept. 5, however, the gym is running a deal of $50 for one student, $80 for two and $100 for three.
Besides keeping the gym’s lights on, membership fees are used to register each student with the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Foundation and USA Boxing. Members of the Orange Cove gym are also members of all Silva BJJ Association gyms, with multiple locations across California and Texas.
Though these fees are necessary to provide the services Johnson wants to offer students, he remains true to his word that profit is not the main objective. Students whose families can’t afford the full membership still have a place at Silva BJJ.
“Even if you think you can’t afford it, come talk to me,” Johnson said. “The kid can push a broom or something, there’s something we can work out.”
Johnson’s flexibility stems from his mission to give children a healthy outlet and a place to stay, even wishing to one day have the gym open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
To fully realize this dream, Johnson is continuously working to improve the gym itself and the equipment he can give to less fortunate students. He and his team have been working on finishing the back portion of the gym by applying fresh paint, placing treadmills for cardio and organizing a weights corner.
Looking even farther ahead, Johnson hopes to create a non-profit organization to apply for grants that can be used to acquire new mats and equipment, in addition to expanding the gym’s hours of operation. He noted that a lot of his aspirations will require money, but luckily, the community of Orange Cove has already begun to step in.
Johnson shared that the city of Orange Cove has made a donation to get the gym up and running, and he is currently in talks with the police department on another donation that will be put toward getting new gis and paying startup fees for new students.
“The city’s been so welcoming, and Councilman (Jacob) Del Bosque has stood out to me as an ally to his community, along with the mayor and the entire city council. They’ve been amazing,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s love for his community doesn’t just end with him, but is instead deeply interwoven into his curriculum.
He explained that the actual martial arts skills stop at the purple belt. To promote to a brown belt, students must show that they’ve used their teachings to hone their own style, and have the ability to pass it on to others. Those with aspirations of earning a black belt must show their care for their community, and have the judgement to help less fortunate students even when he’s not around.
“If you’re a leader, you can be a black belt, but if you still need to follow, then you can’t be,” Johnson explained. “You not only have to have your own identity, but your identity has to mean something.”
Since Johnson himself has had the ability to grant black belts, he has not issued one. He noted that he is known for being one of the hardest instructors to get a black belt from, but it is a reputation he has intentionally cultivated.
As the gym continues to grow and operations expand, Orange Cove can anticipate a generation of not only disciplined fighters, but compassionate leaders.
