Martial arts gym on Tucson's south side continues rapid expansion

Phillip Aguilar founded The Eyrie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu martial arts academy just five years ago, but he’s already completed the Tucson school’s third building expansion.

The academy went from 900 square feet to 5,000 square feet at the south side Placita del Rio shopping center on West Irvington Road, east of Interstate 19.

“We now have an office space for staff, a shower, lockers for students to put their personal belongings and more mat space,” said Aguilar, the head instructor at the academy that now has nine coaches who teach more than 300 students ranging from age five on up to adults.

“Our growth seems unreal,” Aguilar said. “For me getting to do what I know and what I like, and having students who want to learn from me is an amazing feeling. That makes me so excited to go to the gym.”

More programming

The expansion allows for additional programs, including muay thai, a martial art developed in Thailand in which blows may be struck with the fists, elbows, knees and shins. It is a form of kickboxing and is being taught by Miguel Topete, a clinical psychologist who is a 2017 University of Arizona graduate.

In 2011, Topete began training in muay thai in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, and then a year later moved to Tucson and began his journey with jiu-jitsu, training at local gyms before joining the Eyrie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy. During his jiu-jitsu training, he maintained his muay thai training and routinely traveled to Aurora, Colorado, for further instruction.

“I have stayed at Eyrie because Phil is a good coach and I also help coach the kids programs. It has been an incredible experience,” Topete said. “The kids are very talented and disciplined with their consistency in training. What we believe in [at] Eyrie is to help every student who comes through our doors become better athletes and also better people in their everyday life.”

A youth wrestling program is also underway after students who are wrestlers in high school asked for more training and wanted to compete in club wrestling programs, which Aguilar expects to begin next year. Jiu-jitsu is a combat sport and martial arts that is based on ground fighting, which is closely related to wrestling. The women’s jiu-jitsu program has also grown, said Aguilar.

“Jiu-jitsu as a whole has exploded over the last 20 years, and that is because of the popularity of the UFC,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or mixed-martial arts, explained Aguilar. He also attributes his growth to the “family” atmosphere at the gym. “It is different here. I am coach Phillip. No one has to bow to me or call me sensei (teacher),” he said.

Building community

“I do this full-time. I am passionate about it. Even during the pandemic, people still wanted to do jiu-jitsu and would come to me,” said Aguilar, who followed COVID-19 protocols and for a time closed his gym and taught students through virtual classes. “Many wanted to relieve stress and the whole pandemic was a stressful situation for everybody,” he said.

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“Competition was halted for nearly one year. We were fortunate to not have a COVID-19 outbreak at our gym. We went by a code of honor. If people felt sick, they stayed home,” he said. He explained that the gym is cleaned several times a day with disinfectants. Mats and equipment are routinely wiped down, and the floor is mopped. Disinfectant wipes for students is a must at the martial arts academy.

There was a time during the pandemic when Aguilar considered shutting down the gym if students canceled their memberships. He understood and explained the situation to the students. “But they continued paying. They told me ‘when this thing is over, we want something to come back to,’ “ recalled Aguilar. “That was pretty touching and about 90% kept their memberships going.”

Word of mouth continues bringing families to the academy — a place where their children exercise, learn self-defense, compete and have fun, say parents. Others attracted to the school for training and to let out stress include teachers, firefighters, office workers, mechanics, military, law enforcement and those in the medical fields.

The academy’s students travel to the martial arts gym from throughout the Tucson area, and from Pinal and Graham counties for classes. Some are driven to compete in the sport and travel to tournaments in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Florida.

Aguilar and the coaches continue producing students who come home winners. In June, The Eyrie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu won the state championship from the Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu League. This was the first for a Tucson academy to earn the top trophy for the children and adults categories, said a proud Aguilar of his 30 students who competed. In the competition, Aguilar also won gold and coach Karl Tyler won bronze medals. On Nov. 5, the academy won the city championship in The Old Pueblo Jiu-Jitsu Open at Catalina High School.

Nine-year-old Romeo “El Tiburón” (The Shark) Romero is a star at the gym. He looks up to Annabelle Levins, another multi-tournament champion, who he sees as his role model. Romeo, a student at Gallego Primary Fine Arts Magnet School in the Sunnyside Unified School District, is undefeated in Arizona and was an American National Champion and Jiu-Jitsu Con Champion in Las Vegas tournaments this year. He also competed in the Pan American Kids games, which attracted thousands of competitors, in Kissimmee, Florida, and came home with a silver medal in July.

Jose Romero, a manager for a construction company, said his son Romeo began taking classes in 2019 when he was looking for a martial arts academy to keep his son occupied after his mother, who works security forces in the Air National Guard, was deployed for seven months to Al Dhafra Air Base in United Arab Emirates. The couple’s two daughters also are enrolled in jiu-jitsu classes.

“We looked at other gyms, but we liked Phil’s gym because he treats the kids as though they are a part of his family. He is very kind and teaches them to progress. He wants the best for them,” Romeron said. His wife, Gladys Rabago, agreed. “Coach Phillip puts in the effort and makes sure students are mentally and physically prepared before he promotes them to a higher level. He helped my husband so much when I was deployed. My kids practically lived at the gym during the summer.”

Aguilar said he is thrilled when his young students become physically strong, confident and enjoy competition like Romeo.

“People definitely notice us,” Aguilar said. “We are doing well in the competition circuit.”