Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Geery
Hi Michael, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi, my name is Michael Geery. I’m a Tampa local who has practiced and taught Brazilian Jiujitsu for the last 20 years. Our school is named The Jiujitsu Project and we are headquartered in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Our academy is a special place where kids and adults can come and learn this beautiful but powerful sport. Brazilian Jiujitsu is both a self defense martial art as well as a fun game where people can grown in body, mind and spirit.
Our story is unique because our academy is one of the very few nonprofit jiujitsu schools in the country. We are dedicated to providing jiujitsu to our community regardless of financial means. We are an inclusive gym that allows people of all walks of life to participate on the mats. Our schools believe “Life is Better with Jiujitsu”.
We originally started as New Port Richey Jiujitsu but the idea of something bigger to help foster jiujitsu in our community kept coming up. The Jiujitsu Project became the embodiment of thought. We started our nonprofit corporation and started offering classes to our community. We have been working with the Tarpon Springs Rotarty and Chamber of Commerce and have been teaching at the Boys & Girls Club of Tarpon Springs since the summer of 2023. In addition one of our highest ranking brown belt students, Bella Michele Milo began the women’s jiujitsu program aptly named “She Devils”. Our women’s program is free and open to all women ages 12 and up.
We also work with a veteran’s group “We Defy” that supports veterans training in jiujitsu. This year we had our first free kids jiujitsu tournament, The Gratis Grapple. We had over 100 children participate in tournament. The event was a huge success and will continue each summer.
Our future goals include expanding our programs with the Boys & Girls Clubs, She Devils and our veterans jiujitsu. We also have as our three year goal to build our own location so we can continue our work.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Anything worth while will take some work. There have been many obstacles along the way but each obstacle presented great opportunity for us. We have had challenging landlords in the past. Once the school had to make an extremely quick location move which ended up being a great move for us. Another time a partner backed out of sharing a large space with us. I had great worries we wouldn’t have survived in the more expensive and larger location. Fate again shined on us and the location became one of our best homes ever.
We have also lost close students along the way. The loss of close relationships is hard but again, in the end things worked out and the academy grew stronger. We are extremely blessed to have so many amazing and wonderful people as our students. The academy is always surrounded by good people who become the reason for our success over the years.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
The Jiujitsu Project is simply a nonprofit martial arts school which provides jiujitsu training to people regardless of financial means. Many people can’t afford jiujitsu for themselves or their children. We don’t turn away ANYONE because of money. Training at our academy makes people happy. When people come to train, they are excited and looking forward to a good time.
I understand the great benefits jiujitsu training can impart on people. Incredible, life changing personal growth, can come from training jiujitsu. For over 21 years I have seen adults and children from all walks of life improve themselves once they began jiujitsu. I’m so happy we have created this place for everyone.
We work with our local community to spread jiujitsu. The Jiujitsu Project is a member of the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Tarpon Springs Rotary Club. We teach jiujitsu at our local Boys & Girls Club of America. We have had a program there for over a year now and the kids are doing amazing! We are making a difference in the lives of our most precious children, to help them navigate life and become good, healthy adults.
We have an incredible women’s program called the She Devils Jiujitsu, led by Bella Michele Milo. One of our four women are sexually assaulted in the United State according to most recent statistics. The ratio is three out of every four women for those women how are training jiujitsu. It’s unfathomable what happens to our women. Training jiujitsu can help women heal from the trauma of these horrific events. I think our women’s program is one of the most important missions of our school.
It’s the same for our veterans in jiujitsu. I know many veterans and have many veterans as students. Often the express their PTSD symptoms are helped so much by jiujitsu. Many veterans feel alone and lost in the world after their service. Many have experienced the horrors of war and their lives are broken from it. Jiujitsu training helps veterans foster relationship and connectedness which have been often times absent from their lives. Veterans who are training say jiujitsu training is part of their therapy.
The people and the atmosphere are why we have been so successful. We are making a difference in the lives of our students. On a personal level, that’s what I’m most proud of and that’s what keeps me doing jiujitsu
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
The Jiujitsu Project is the work of many people. We are successful because we’ve had an amazing student base which really is everything. None of our success could be accomplished without our students.
I think to really be successful with a jiujitsu academy, you have to enjoy people. If you don’t like people, clearly this not a calling for you. Without people, there’s no jiujitsu. It’s pretty straight forward. Schools where the instructor is a dictator and callous towards others is not a good to train.
I also love Brazilian jiujitsu. I’ve been a lifelong student of martial arts. The feeling of a live roll (what we call jiujitsu matches) with a good friend is probably one of my most favorite things to do. Every Sunday at our 11 am open mats is also my favorite place to be in the entire world. Training with my friends is the best. I’m still after all these years deeply intrigued by the art and all the good it can do. You get an amazing exercise. You get to hang out with your best friends. You get to play a challenging game. What’s more fun then that?? Not many things. That’s for sure.
The mission is what drives me. Spreading Brazilian jiujitsu. I’m driven by our mission to help others through jiujitsu. I think these three elements are the forces which continue to press me forward and help create the success we have had.
Pricing:
- We work with ALL BUDGETS
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jjpusa.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelgeerybjj/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejiujitsuprojectfbpage
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jiujitsuproject
Image Credits
Images by Bella Michele Milo
