MEET THE OWNER
In 2017, Jake Sevits was introduced to jiu jitsu by fellow "Old School Jiu Jitsu" founder, Kyle Rogers. They began training in Kyle's garage on a 10' x 10' square mat section. In April 2019, they moved into an old school, where they rented the gymnasium. They purchased two sections of a competition wrestling mat that they rolled out before training and rolled back up and pushed under the stage at the end of the night. In November of 2020, they purchased the building where "Old School Jiu Jitsu" now resides.
At "Old School Jiu Jitsu", the culture favors growth as a team, rather than solely as an individual - community over all else. If you walk in the doors and try your best, rest assured, you will be welcomed and encouraged by your teammates and instructors.
Jake Sevits
Owner/Operator/Instructor
I was an engineer for several years before starting jiu jitsu. Therefore, I am very detail oriented. I get very nerdy on the details and am a John Danaher fanatic. I love learning the mechanics of the human body and why jiu jitsu works the way that it does. Jiu jitsu has become a mandatory part of my life, as the mental health benefits it brings me are massive. I had struggled to find a purpose on this Earth for the better part of 27 years and was battling some fairly severe depression. It did not take long for me to see the positive effects jiu jitsu had on my mental health. Training regularly ensures that I am the best version of myself, husband, father, son, friend, etc. It has taught me self-confidence, resilience, persistence, self control...the list goes on. I started a gym to share jiu jitsu with others in hopes that it will bring them the same positive life changes that it has brought me.
My family consists of my wife Kaity, and our three kids: Lola, Hartley and Wade. The boys are participating in the kids classes and we spend a lot of time in the gym together. Nights after school are spent cleaning and mopping the mats and rolling around after.
While I do compete often, my achievements are not what I am most proud of. I see competition as a place to go and test yourself to see what you need to work on most. I am proud of my tournament performances, but I like to keep that to myself. I don't want our gym to be seen as one that measures competition success over other values. I value consistent training, staying healthy, and respecting your training partners over all else. I want anyone that walks in our doors to feel welcome and to not be intimidated by our gym culture. All that said, I still enjoy competition and I will roll hard with other students that have that desire as well.