By DAVID TUMA
The Belton Journal
Grappler’s Lair has moved to downtown Belton at 120 N. Penelope. The business is a UFC Veteran owned and operated academy. Their instruction includes Jiu-Jitsu and MMA and they were the first institute to bring these disciplines to the area. Their curriculum has been tested and proven in some of the world’s most prestigious leagues including UFC and Bellator.
Owners TJ and Shayla Waldburger are excited about moving to their hometown. TJ is an accomplished UFC record holding fighter and was an assistant on the 2010 All Army combative winning team.
“This has been an amazing move. There is a lot of traffic in Belton. Both of us were born and raised here in Belton. The support of the Belton community has been fantastic. The downtown community has been very supportive,” said Shayla. “We would like to do a family event to welcome the community to see our facilities.”
A part of their instruction concentrates on self-defense.
“We bring discipline, structure and honor to the skills instructed. I do challenge them. Once a month we teach black belt leadership skills,” said TJ.
Instruction starts as young as four. The age group classes are: 4-8, 8-13, teens and adults.
The women’s self-defense seminars are called Pretty Dangerous. They teach situational awareness, hands on, how to break pins and demonstrations.
Inside there are various training areas including a fighting cage.
They have five main instructors teaching fighting and self defense skills. Shayla and TJ are graduates of Belton High School. They can be reached at contact@grapplerslair.com.
