Cade Barker / cade@thereflector.com
The local brothers combined their experiences at Battleground Martial Arts Academy and Gym to provide dual training in one location.
Nathan and Jeremiah Rodeman, owners of Battle Ground Martial Arts Academy, opened their new facility in the Battle Ground Village Industrial District on Monday, July 1, creating a dual-use facility for area athletes, fitness goal-seekers and gym goers. In terms of combat sports, they offer training for kids and adults in jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling. In addition to large combat mats, the open gym atmosphere includes free standing weights, cardio equipment, a turf for pushing sleds, battle ropes and more.
“We wanted to offer martial arts and an open gym so people could do their jiu-jitsu and training all in one place rather than joining separate gyms,” Nathan Rodeman said.
The facility resembles a California-style gym, but in the Pacific Northwest, says Jeremiah Roadman. The building has lots of natural light, garage doors and an open-air feel.
He said the space is vibrant with everyone training, whether it's martial arts, weight training or cardio, adding that it's encouraging and inspiring to see everyone gathered in one place and working towards their fitness goals.
Within the dual-use space, large murals, mostly with patriotic themes, surround an open weight training and martial arts environment aimed at inspiring people.
Jeremiah Roadman said returning to the United States after six years in Tijuana, Mexico, has given him a renewed realization of how much he loves the place he calls home.
The brothers also bring their backgrounds in jiu-jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling to the Battleground complex, along with the hard work ethic instilled in them by their father.
“I think that my dad raised us to just get up and get on with it, which has helped us in this industry,” Jeremiah Roadman said. “Other than that, we're just regular guys like you who have been working hard for years. I don't think we have anything special that other people don't. We just like getting up and working and being with people and trying to help them.”
Previously, the Rodmans had a gym near Old Town Burgers in Battle Ground and a separate martial arts facility in the village, but the new location will allow gym members to try out martial arts.
“Jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling were all in one facility, and the regular gym-goers were in another,” Jeremiah Roadman says. “We didn't like that, because we want everyone to come together and build relationships, bridge gaps and network as a community.”
While the two brothers' youth program has been successful, their adult training is still being built. Jeremiah Roadman's wife, Virginia, has helped speed up adult training at Battle Ground Martial Arts Academy, which the brothers say is new to the martial arts world compared to existing programs and facilities.
Jeremiah Roadman said his wife is the current world champion in jiu-jitsu, but she didn't take up martial arts until much later.
“It took me over 10 years to convince her to start training, and she started, fell in love with it and now she's getting a lot of acclaim,” he said. “She's really inspired a lot of women and people to start competing. She never did any sports, never did anything competitive and she started competing quite late in life.”
Jeremiah Roadman hopes the facility will continue to inspire all athletes, from rookies to veterans.
After achieving their goal of having everything under one roof, the Roadman brothers want to merge the open gym with the martial arts community. They hope that the space will create crossover and allow athletes and gym-goers to dip their toes in the world of martial arts.
Jeremiah Rodeman added that the dual-use space allows the brothers to see faces and meet new people they might not have seen at the gym, and that parents who drop off their kids at martial arts classes sometimes train under the same roof instead of traveling to another location.
The martial arts academy also has childcare facilities for families.
“It's nice. Sometimes parents come and drop their kids off at wrestling or jiu-jitsu. They can stay in one place and train instead of having to go somewhere else,” Nathan Roadman said. “Someone wrestles, someone trains. Instead of running around between three places, they can come together and train.”
For more information about Battle Ground Martial Arts Academy, visit bmarodefit.com. The facility is located at 1320 SE 13th St. in Battle Ground and is open to members 24 hours a day.
