Adaptive Grappling: Launching Soon

Adaptive Grappling was created from personal experience. 

I am slowly going blind. Today, I have less than five degrees of vision remaining out of roughly 140 degrees of normal field of view. For years, that led to difficult and sometimes embarrassing situations in everyday life — bumping into people, knocking things over, misunderstanding social situations, and feeling vulnerable in environments where I could not fully see what was happening around me.

In 2019, I found Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 

What started as martial arts training quickly became something much bigger. BJJ gave me confidence, not just on the mats, but in everyday life. It taught me that even without full vision, I could still protect myself if I ever truly needed to. Not because I want to hurt anyone — I do not. The goal is always self-defense, control, and safety. But knowing I can defend myself changed the way I move through the world.

That confidence matters even more to me as a husband and father of three young children. When your vision is disappearing, there is a natural fear of vulnerability and helplessness — especially when you know your family depends on you. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gave me back a sense of capability and confidence that I thought I was losing. It reminded me that even as my vision changes, I am still able to protect myself and the people I love.

What impacted me most was the culture inside the gym. 

On the mats, people do not care about your disability. They care about effort, discipline, competitiveness, and respect. When you slap hands and begin rolling, everyone is equal. You train hard, you get submitted, you learn grappling techniques, and then you slap hands again and keep going. In all my years of training, I have never been treated as less than equal because of my vision loss. I have only experienced respect, support, and the shared pursuit of improvement.

Adaptive Grappling was built to share that experience with others. 

Our mission is to help visually impaired and adaptive athletes discover the confidence, self-defense, community, and sense of belonging that grappling can provide. We also aim to help coaches and academies build more inclusive environments so that anyone willing to step on the mats has the opportunity to train, grow, and be respected as an athlete.

Everyone deserves the ability to defend themselves. 

Everyone deserves a community. 

Everyone deserves a place on the mats.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is uniquely suited for adaptive athletes because it relies heavily on: Tactile awareness, body positioning, pressure and balance, close physical connection, and timing and sensitivity. For many visually impaired athletes, grappling techniques can become more than just a sport — they transform into confidence, independence, fitness, self-defense, and community. Join the Movement Adaptive Grappling is building a growing community dedicated to making martial arts training more accessible for everyone. Get Started Today Read beginner guides, learn adaptive training concepts, find inclusive coaching resources, and follow our growing community. Join the Adaptive Grappling Community Be the first to receive training resources, adaptive coaching insights, athlete stories, and new content designed to support visually impaired and adaptive grapplers.