ODDFELLOWS / EAST ALTON / EST. 2024
We take the training seriously, and we take care of each other.
Plan your first classEvery person who walks onto our mats brings a life with them.
Work. Family. Pressure. Ambition. The things they talk about and the things they carry quietly. At Oddfellows Grappling Club, we take the training seriously, and we take care of each other.
Established in 2024, our East Alton club brings people together through Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) and grappling. Some come to compete. Some want a demanding skill. Some want friendship or a worthwhile practice to return to each week. We want to understand those reasons.
A good club takes contributions from everyone. The experienced student who explains a detail. The beginner willing to ask a question. The coach who stays patient. The partner who gives useful resistance and respects the tap immediately.
Make yourself better, and make the people beside you better. The work belongs to each of us. The room is something we build together.
Explore our training
Family is how we look after each other. Learn someone’s name. Welcome their questions. Take their learning seriously. Trust grows through shared effort, honest conversations and encouragement. Everyone deserves a place here and a responsibility to help others feel that same belonging.
Dedication is returning to the work. Stay teachable. Practice the details. Keep your commitments within the life you actually have. Work, parenting, health and other responsibilities shape each person’s path. We value consistency people can sustain and the patience to keep learning.
Strength includes control, composure and responsibility. Becoming more capable under pressure brings an obligation to use that ability carefully. Protect the partner trusting you with their safety. Recognize when patience, restraint or asking for help is the stronger choice.
CONTROL FIRST. RESPECT THE TAP. PROTECT YOUR PARTNER.
HOW WE TRAIN
Drilling builds understanding through repetition. Positional training gives that understanding a specific challenge. Rolling means live practice rounds with a partner, where you recognize and apply what you have learned.
We tap, learn, laugh and come back. Control first. Respect the tap. Protect your partner.
Build your MAT IQ
WHAT EARNED PROGRESS MEANS HERE
People develop at different rates and within different circumstances. Our approach to advancement considers technical competence, application under resistance, consistency, individual circumstances, maturity and contribution to the team.
A competitor preparing for an event and a parent balancing training with work have different demands on their time. Both deserve thoughtful attention to that context.
Understand your positions. Make useful decisions. Apply techniques responsibly. As experience grows, so does your opportunity to explain a detail, guide a newer student and strengthen the team.
EARN EVERYTHING. ACCEPT NOTHING.
THE PERSONAL MEANING
There can be something healing about having a place to belong. People to work alongside. A skill that asks for your attention. Small improvements you can recognize because you worked for them.
When we talk about healing, we mean the possibility of connection, purpose and a little more trust in yourself. Every person’s experience is their own. Some days you arrive ready to chase a competitive goal. Some days getting through the door takes everything you have. There is a place here for both.
We hope you carry something useful home: more patience for your family, more courage to begin, more willingness to ask questions and people you can count on.
OUR COMMUNITY
When we say WE BUILD WARRIORS, we mean people who meet difficult things with courage, treat others with respect and take responsibility for the strength they develop.
Our contribution begins with the person in front of us. Patient teaching. Honest encouragement. Respect for different starting points. An expectation that experience brings responsibility.
We want Oddfellows to be a lasting part of the Riverbend community. Capable people. Lasting friendships. A place to work through hard things together, then show up for others at home, at work and in our neighborhoods.
