Bronx Jiu-Jitsu, Bronx

Brothers John and Juan Ortega grew up in the neighborhood where they now teach as the instructors and owners of Bronx Jiu-Jitsu. As kids, martial arts gave them discipline, confidence, and the tools they needed to stand up to bullies. With those memories in mind, they founded a school in their old neck of the woods as a way to pass on their lessons to another local generation.

The Ortegas teach a combination of kids' and adult classes, focusing on two iterations of jujitsu from different parts of the world. Brazilian jujitsu arms its disciples with a broad range of ground-fighting techniques, good for overpowering a larger opponent or winning a fistfight with the sandman. Japanese jujitsu focuses on fighting from a standing position with strikes, joint locks, and even some weapon techniques. To condition students for the rigors of combat, the brothers also conduct cardio kickboxing classes and kettlebell courses.