Summer Schedule: July 1st through Sept. 5
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JPMAA is closed Monday, June 20th
We are CLOSED Monday, June 20th.
(This is a Holiday and Boston Public Schools are closed.)
Beginning Jan. 10, 2022: Schedule Update
Click Calendar to Enlarge
COVID-related Health and Safety policies
Please read carefully through all of the information below.
Proof of Vaccination Required for Entry
The City of Boston recently announced that starting on January 15, people in the City of Boston will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston.
This means that all adults entering JPMAA will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID.
We will need to see either:
* A CDC vaccination card
* A digital image of your CDC card
We will keep a record of those who have provided their card, so you only need to show it the first time you come in.
Please note: according to the City of Boston policy, all children will be required to show a vaccination card upon entry beginning March 15.
Additional precautions we are taking during the Month of January:
No Trial Classes in January – We are suspending all trial classes for the month of January.
No Spectators / Parents During Class – No spectators will be allowed during the month of January. While we love to welcome parents and friends to watch the classes, it is important right now to limit the number of people inside our space.
Parents: Please Read!
All children must have a mask that fits – Parents, please ensure that your child arrives for class with a mask that fits their face appropriately, over the nose and under the chin. We do have masks on hand to supply in an emergency.
Dropping off your child – We ask that all parents of children in our kids program accompany their child to the door when dropping off for class to ensure that they are wearing a mask and have what they need to be prepared for class.
Picking up – Please be on time to pick your child up at the end of class. We always make sure that kids wait inside for their parents, but we have other classes that begin at the end of the kids classes.
We will continue to take all health and safety measures that enable our members to continue to train safely.
PLEASE READ: News for January 2022
Happy New Year 2022!
Dear JPMAA Community,
We are writing to inform you that we have made the difficult decision to remain closed this week due to current COVID rates.
Because of the rising number of COVID cases over the holiday, we feel this is the best decision to keep everyone in our community as safe and healthy as possible.
We are truly grateful to our entire community of families that has worked with us in many ways over the past year to keep our school open and continue to provide a safe and healthy place to train. We appreciate your support, and could not do this without you!
As of right now, we intend to open for classes on Monday, January 10.
As always, we welcome everyone to make up any classes missed.
We will continue to keep you updated this week. Thank you for your understanding and continued support!
When JPMAA opens for classes, below are the updated COVID-related Health and Safety policies for the month of January.
Please read carefully through all of the information below.
Proof of Vaccination Required for Entry
The City of Boston recently announced that starting on January 15, people in the City of Boston will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston.
This means that all adults entering JPMAA will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID.
We will need to see either:
* A CDC vaccination card
* A digital image of your CDC card
We will keep a record of those who have provided their card, so you only need to show it the first time you come in.
Please note: according to the City of Boston policy, all children will be required to show a vaccination card upon entry beginning March 15.
Additional precautions we are taking during the Month of January:
No Trial Classes in January – We are suspending all trial classes for the month of January.
No Spectators / Parents During Class – No spectators will be allowed during the month of January.
While we love to welcome parents and friends to watch the classes, it is important right now to limit the number of people inside our space.
Parents: Please Read!
* All children must have a mask that fits – Parents, please ensure that your child arrives for class with a mask that fits their face appropriately, over the nose and under the chin. We do have masks on hand to supply in an emergency.
* Dropping off your child – We ask that all parents of children in our kids program accompany their child to the door when dropping off for class to ensure that they are wearing a mask and have what they need to be prepared for class.
* Picking up: Please be on time to pick your child up at the end of class. We always make sure that kids wait inside for their parents, but we have other classes that begin at the end of the kids classes.
We will continue to take all health and safety measures that enable our members to continue to train safely. We appreciate the support of everyone in our community. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
Closed for the Holidays: Dec. 24 thru Jan. 2
This is a reminder that JPMAA will be CLOSED for the Holidays from Friday, December 24 2021 through Sunday, January 2, 2022!
We will be OPEN for all classes in the New Year on Monday January 3, 2022!
We hope everyone enjoys a safe, happy and healthy holiday week!
Video of the Month – February: BJJ Warmups
Closed for the holidays, 12/24-1/1
This is a reminder that JPMAA is CLOSED for the Holiday week, from Saturday, December 24, 2016 through Sunday, January 1, 2017.
We will be open as usual for all classes on Monday, January 2, 2017.
We hope everyone has a restful and healthy holiday!
It’s been a great year at JPMAA, and we’d like to thank all of our members and friends for all of your support. We’re looking forward to more good training in 2017!
STUDENT OF THE MONTH: TWYLA SCHRAN
JP Martial Arts September 2015 Student of the Month
We are pleased to announce that Twyla Schran is our September Student of the Month.
This month’s Student of the Month, Twyla Schran, is 16 years old, and a Junior at Meridian Academy here in Jamaica Plain. She earned her Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt this summer at the age of 16 – the youngest age a student is allowed to earn a Blue Belt, by IBJJF rules. Twyla also trains in Karate at another dojo, where she is a Junior Black Belt (the black belt for those who go through the kids program; the next step is the adult Brown Belt).
Twyla is an all-around martial artist. She is strong and flexible, because she strives to be very technical, she is fun and challenging to roll with, and a great competitor.
We asked Twyla to share some of her thoughts about her training in martial arts, BJJ, and at JP Martial Arts.
When did you first begin training at JPMAA?
I started in the fall of 2013. I had been wanting to try out BJJ for a while beforehand, but never got around to signing up. Then my best friend started classes at JPMAA (back when it was Mass Bay BJJ) and the opportunity to train with her was the motivation I needed to check it out. I’ve been in love with the sport ever since.
Do you train primarily BJJ or Karate, or both?
That’s an interesting question for my case. I’ll have to go with both.
Do you have prior martial arts experience in your life?
Yes, I’ve been training in American Kenpo karate (at a separate dojo) for almost seven years now. I love how complimentary it is to train both striking and grappling martial arts.
What motivated you to want to start training in martial arts?
Honestly at first karate was just an after school program that seemed interesting. Like, homework club on Mondays, crafts club on Tuesdays, karate on Wednesdays. Why not? I took the classes on and off and didn’t really get into it until fourth grade, when a boy (who trained with the same dojo much more intensely that I did) overheard me talking about karate to a friend, and he walked over and told me that girls can’t do karate. That was when I got my act together.
How did you first learn about JP Martial Arts Academy?
I live very close by! My family watched its gradual assembly, and it was downright tantalizing having a martial arts studio that near to where we live. I love being able to walk to and from classes.
What do you like most about training in the martial arts? Everything. Even the parts that are less fun, or even painful, really only help build confidence and toughness. I like knowing what I’m capable of. I love moving and being active. And the mental puzzles that you have to solve while rolling or doing kata or learning new technique… it’s so satisfying to accomplish goals, and to be able to watch yourself progress and develop as a martial artist.
How has training in martial arts changed or improved your life?
I was a very shy kid. Starting karate made me more comfortable with myself, more confident. I became less afraid of making noise and taking up space. And that’s really only gotten more and more prominent as time has gone by. Criticism doesn’t freak me out as much as it used to. I have a mental toughness that I can only attribute to martial arts. I don’t get intimidated very easily anymore… I’ve even found that talking to new people is easier as I’ve gotten more confidence in myself. But maybe even more importantly than the knowledge that I can take a beating and still be strong enough to keep going, is the patience that comes from spending hours practicing and meditating. It’s harder to get angry, to hold grudges. A lot of that part comes from jiu jitsu. You know, being able to roll with the flow.
What do you like the most about training at JPMAA?
The environment, everyone is so friendly and open. The karate dojo I come from takes the “martial” part of martial arts very seriously. Rules and protocol all over the place. The transition to a dojo where you can really talk with the senseis during class was bizarre.
What are your goals for your training?
I’ve recently been competing through NAGA (North American Grappling Association) and the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation), and I really enjoyed it. I want to compete a lot more, maybe even travel a bit, to roll with people who train differently than I do and to see more of the huge community of BJJ. Other than that, I just want to get stronger and learn more, there’s always more to improve on.
JP Martial Arts owner and head instructor David Shim has this to say about Tywla:
Twyla has been with us since the early days of our school. I would often see her training with her mother Elin in our BJJ classes with our previous instructor. I could tell that Twyla was serious, and I also learned that she has a black belt in Karate at another dojo. I have had the pleasure of teaching her BJJ for the last 10 months or so, and I have learned what a strong competitor she is (and also how flexible and physically strong she is!). This past summer, Twyla turned 16 and we were able to award her Blue Belt. As a Blue Belt, Twyla has competed in a NAGA competition and the IBJJF Boston Open, winning second and first place respectively in her division. In the recent Boston Open tournament, Twyla submitted her opponent (who had traveled from Brazil for this competition and who was ranked 3rd in her division there). The submission took 43 seconds. Twyla is hard working, humble, and earnest. I enjoy rolling with her, and I look forward to helping her train for future events. Needless to say, she represents us well!
Congratulations Twyla!!
JAN 2015— STUDENT OF THE MONTH
We are pleased to announce that our very first JP Martial Arts Academy “Student of the Month” is a family of four: Kevin, Karen, Teagan and Calder Townsend.
Teagan, age 11, first began training Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Sensei Shim at the West Roxbury YMCA 3 years ago, when she was 8 years old, and now has her Purple Belt in Karate. Calder, age 6, joined JPMAA 7 months ago, and was recently promoted to Yellow Belt in Karate. Karen began training 3 months ago, and Kevin just began one month ago in December.
We asked Kevin, Karen, Teagan and Calder why they began training martial arts and what they like about it:
Teagan says she began training in the martial arts because she wanted to be a strong girl and gain confidence and strength, and have fun at the same time. She says martial arts has “made me stronger and happier. It’s also helped me set achievable goals.”
Calder also joined the karate classes because he thought it looked like fun, and he says “it’s made me stronger.”
Karen says that she decided to begin training at JP Martial Arts because “I thought it looked like fun, and it would be a great work out and would give me some bonding time with my daughter. Training is giving me a new way to bond with Teagan and to release some of the stress of my day while getting a great workout.”
Kevin, who has some Karate experience, says, “I wanted to return to something that I began as a child and I thought it would be a great thing to do as a family. I’m also interested in the activities that are demanding of both the mind and the body. Because I am at the beginning of my training here, currently it is giving me a new ritual and new personal goals. It allows me to focus and escape my other daily obligations while still spending time with my family.”
What do you like best about training at JP Martial Arts Academy?
Teagan: “I like the community I train with, they feel like family, I mean I’ve known them for so long. They have all taught me something at one point whether it was showing me where I was open in sparring or teaching me a whole kata. They have all really helped me progress farther through the belts, but not just that they have taught me what karate really is.”
Calder: “I feel comfortable and confident training here, I know someone is always ready to help me.”
Karen: “I really like the community here. We talk a lot about the importance of training partners, and everyone I’ve met or worked with here has gone above and beyond to be a great training partner.”
Kevin: “For me, I think being part of a community of people who are here to better themselves but who are continually ready to help elevate and challenge each other. There is a fantastic feeling of mutual respect and a playful kind of rigor that allows the training to be serious and sincere.”
Congratulations to the Townsend Family for being our first
JP Martial Arts “Student of the Month”!
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JP MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY - 363B Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 