Category: Creating Champion Grapplers

The first time I walked into Tacoma Combat Club, I wasn’t expecting much. It was 2018, raining (obviously), and the converted warehouse on Puyallup Avenue didn’t exactly scream “home of champions.” The faded sign, the rusted door—it all felt like a thousand other martial arts gyms I’d visited. Then Ray Sanchez caught me in the smoothest arm bar I’d ever experienced, and I realized I’d stumbled into something special. “Welcome to Tacoma jiu-jitsu,” he grinned,…