Family-owned and operated, The Stronghold Jiu-Jitsu in Point Loma offers martial arts training for both genders and all ages.
“A small majority come here for fitness, but they also come because they want another hobby, or for self-defense,” said Raquel Regno Cusi, founder of the martial arts business at 2176 Chatsworth Blvd. “For a lot of them, the benefit is the fitness. But for the most part, people are looking for purpose and passion. They want to do something (new) that they haven’t already done, like running.”
Jiu-jitsu is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat that can be used defensively or offensively to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponents. This form uses few or no weapons at all and includes throws, holds, and paralyzing attacks against the enemy. Jiu-jitsu developed from the warrior class and was designed to supplement the swordsmanship of a warrior during combat. Certain styles of jiu-jitsu have been used to develop many modern martial arts and combat sports such as judo and aikido.
Jui-Jitsu practitioners learned that the most efficient methods for neutralizing an armed enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around using an attacker’s energy, momentum, and leverage against them, rather than directly opposing it.
After being shut down in the middle of COVID for more than eight months and forced to go to Zoom,” Regno Cusi noted times were tough. She said it caused them to search outside the box for funding and exposure. A year ago, Stronghold held a kid’s coloring contest fundraiser, using graphics illustrated by longtime Jiu-Jitsu student Karen Alleluia, to raise funds and awareness for their business.
Regno Cusi said the marshal arts they teach include jiu-jitsu, judo, and wrestling. “It’s learning how to choke and submit people, but a lot of it is taking people down, throwing people,” she said adding that martial art is a viable self-defense technique. “A lot of the moves in jiu-jitsu teach you how to get up from the floor, get an opponent off you, even control them if needed,” she added.
The martial arts instructor noted that an opponent “can use any type of weapon you have against you,” while pointing out that “you can’t punch or kick someone when you’re grappling and they’re on top.”
Training at The Stronghold is advertised for ages 3 to 88. “Here it is a mixed bag, families, kids, toddlers, sometimes parents by themselves and no kids, and then kids and no parents,” said Regno Cusi. “We have career guys. I have a huge women’s program. The kid’s program is a lot bigger right now.”
Jiu-jitsu has belts like karate but Regno Cusi said it “takes way longer” to graduate to the next highest level. “In karate, you can get a black belt by age 13,” she said. “In jiu-jitsu, it changes colors maybe once in three years.”
Everyone is different in their likes and dislikes in jiu-jitsu and their styles are unique. “You have all these techniques that you can use,” said Regno Cusi. “But you may only pick and choose a few of them based on your own personality. It’s action-reaction. The cool thing about jiu-jitsu is that you learn a lot of controls – and how to escape them. If someone pins you to the ground, how do you escape? How do you pin someone to the ground if they’re trying to punch you? You have to learn control, and escape, for all the major positions.”
The fundamentals of jiu-jitsu are the same for both genders but Regno Cusi noted: “I actually work more on defense for girls because they have to depend on the technique and not just strength.”
The jiu-jitsu instructor has four daughters and one son and they’re all practicing a martial art.
The Stronghold’s reputation goes a long way. “We’ve been here for almost 15 years now and a good majority of San Diego knows that our kid’s program is awesome and that we love to share our love of jiu-jitsu with the San Diego community,” Regno Cusi concluded.
THE STRONGHOLD JIU-JITSU
Where: 2176 Chatsworth Blvd.
Contact: 858-722-0942, thestrongholdsd.com.
