Idaho Falls school teaches art of self-defense

IDAHO FALLS – Jared Emfield had been training in martial arts since the age of 8, but after two black belts and 17 years of kenpo and judo, he was schooled by a teenage girl with a blue belt in jiu-jitsu.

“She was – with complete ease – able to tie me in knots, choke me out over and over, and I thought, ‘If this person half my size can do that to me, I’ve got to learn this. I have got to learn this,’” said Emfield, the owner and head instructor of Soma Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Idaho Falls.

He teaches Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which was built for the little guy. According to the academy’s website, teamemfield.com, the first Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy was opened in 1925 by Carlos Gracie, whose little brother, Helio, weighed only 135 pounds. Helio Gracie modified the jiu-jitsu moves to accommodate his small size and was soon defeating some of the world’s top fighters.

Emfield started his jiu-jitsu training the day he was beaten by the blue-belt teenager. Fifteen years later, he has since earned his black belt under the instruction of Pedro Sauer, a world-renowned jiu-jitsu instructor, and Matt Strack, one of Sauer’s top black belts.

Although Emfield said he loved everything he trained in, jiu-jitsu was different. “It was the first time I found something that, just for me, was everything it promised to be,” he said.

Emfield said jiu-jitsu fits him in more ways than one. He said he loves that the whole goal of jiu-jitsu is to protect oneself while doing the minimum damage possible, and he has taken a different approach to life situations because of the lessons he has learned on the mats.

“I love it for my kids too – I mean, if my children go to school and something happens and there is a fight or something, I know they know how to handle it without ever hurting somebody,” he said. “They can handle it in the most classy, smooth, gentle way.”

Emfield said jiu-jitsu is a powerful way to help victims of bullying as well. He offers kids classes in jiu-jitsu that incorporate an anti-bullying program called Bullyproof. According to the website of the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, the goal of the original Gracie Bullyproof program is to help children gain confidence to overcome bullies without the use of violence.

“It’s not just talk — it really helps them believe in themselves and take steps to protect themselves and learn how to speak to people, learn how to make eye contact, learn body language, learn to not be afraid,” Emfield said.

He said he believes that learning to fight back is not as important as learning those life skills that prevent bullying in the first place.

Not only does jiu-jitsu help people mentally gain confidence, but it can also make a big difference for the jiu-jitsu students physically.

“We have guys come in and lose 50 to 60 pounds the first six months they’re here,” Emfield said.

Scott Blake, a student at Soma Jiu-Jitsu Academy, said training at the academy has had a huge impact on his life from a physical standpoint because he has gotten into shape and lost weight while training.

“Mentally it has been good for me too,” Blake said. “Jiu-jitsu is like chess, so it’s a very mental game where if you are going against somebody of equal skill, you can’t execute one move and land it usually; you have to plan a few moves ahead.”

Blake said he has stayed with the academy because he fell in love with jiu-jitsu after the first time he came in and there was a good group of people and a great instructor.

“So often when we hear martial arts we think of an intimidating environment where tough guys in black belts strut around and can beat everyone else up, but it’s not like that,” Emfield said. “Everybody’s kind. You walk in the room and there are 30 people choking each other with big smiles on their faces.”

Emfield said jiu-jitsu is simple and works for everyone. He invites those who are interested to come in and try it out for themselves.

“Once you’ve experienced it, it’s unlike anything else that you’ll ever do,” Emfield said.

This story originally appeared in the 2014 November/December issue of the Idaho Falls magazine.