On Saturday night, October 24, in Staten Island, a room full of cops, firefighters, EMTs and military veterans will step onto the mats and try to submit each other. Then they’ll shake hands, take pictures and raise money for a charity that supports the families of fallen first responders and service members.
I want you to ignore who wins. The results don’t matter for your business. What matters is the model, because it’s one of the best community-building plays available to a BJJ academy, a karate school or an MMA gym, and most owners have never seriously tried it.
The event
Heroes on the Mat 9, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and grappling event, runs Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. at 200 Clinton Avenue in Staten Island, New York, according to its event listing, with registration through Smoothcomp. The New York Post reported on October 23 that competitors come from across the public-service professions, including NYPD and FDNY members and veterans, and that the event is raising money for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
This isn’t a one-off. Events under the Heroes on the Mat name have run in other markets, including a “Law Enforcement Jiu-Jitsu Super Fights” card in western Pennsylvania and a seventh edition this April at a brewery on the Jersey Shore that honored first responders, law enforcement and military personnel. Nine events in, somebody has figured out that this works.
Why first responders belong on your mats
Think about who these people are from a business perspective.
- They have a professional reason to train. Police officers in particular need control skills that don’t rely on strikes or weapons. Grappling is a natural fit.
- They train in groups. A firehouse runs on shifts and crews. A precinct has squads. When one officer finds a good academy, their partner follows. That’s referral marketing built into the job.
- They’re respected in your community. When parents see uniforms on the mat, it tells them something about your school that no ad can.
- They have families. The cop who trains in your adult class has kids who need a kids’ program. The adult member is the front door, not the whole house.
I’ll tell you what most owners do instead: they hang a “10% off for first responders” sign and wait. That isn’t a program. It’s a coupon.
The community model: a quick list
If you want to build real relationships with police, fire, EMS and veterans, here’s how I’d do it.
1. Build a dedicated program, not a discount. A first-responder class scheduled around shift work: early morning, midday or a rotating slot that matches local shift patterns. Your 6 p.m. prime-time class is useless to a firefighter working a 24-hour shift. Put an experienced instructor on it, and make the curriculum match the job: positional control, escapes, getting up safely, and training while fatigued.
2. Go to the agency, not just the individual. Ask for a meeting with the training officer at your local department or firehouse. Offer a free in-service workshop. Departments have training requirements and often limited budgets. You’re solving a problem for them, and that’s how partnerships start. Be modest here: you’re offering conditioning and grappling fundamentals, not replacing their certified use-of-force training.
3. Attach a cause. Heroes on the Mat raises money for Tunnel to Towers. That’s the part owners should study. A charity tie-in turns a tournament into a community event, gives local media a reason to cover it and gives every participant a reason to bring family. Pick a cause that matters to the people you serve, whether that’s a fallen officers’ fund, a burn center or a veterans’ group, and tie your event to it publicly. Then publish the results: how much you raised and where it went.
4. Host, don’t just attend. You don’t need a nine-event series. Start with an annual “Badge and Belt” seminar or a first-responder open mat with a charity entry fee. Invite the department, the firehouse and the local VFW. Make your academy the place that event happens every year.
5. Recognize them publicly. Promotion ceremonies, a wall of honor, a social media post when an officer earns a stripe. People stay where they feel seen. Retention, as always, is relationships.
6. Use it to build community standing before you need it. I’ve said for years that a school’s reputation in the community has to be built before you need it. The day there’s a zoning fight, a parking complaint or a bad online review, it helps to have the fire chief’s crew training at your academy.
A word of caution
Do this because you mean it, not because it looks good in a Facebook post. First responders can spot a gimmick fast. If the “program” is a sign and a discount code, they’ll know, and so will everyone they work with. And keep it safe: tired people on rotating shifts get hurt more easily, so control the intensity and the pairings.
Here’s your assignment this week: call your local fire station and your police department’s community affairs office. Introduce yourself, offer one free workshop, and ask what their people actually need. That one call is worth more than a month of discount ads.
The opinions in this article are the author’s own. Event details are drawn from the event’s public listing and from reporting by the New York Post.
Grand Master Stephen Oliver, MBA, is a 10th Degree Black Belt and the Founder and CEO of Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, one of the martial arts industry’s leading coaching and consulting organizations for professional martial arts school owners, BJJ academies, and MMA gyms. A martial arts school owner since 1975 and business coach since 1985, Oliver has spent more than five decades building, operating, and advising successful martial arts schools. He also serves as CEO and Chairman of NAPMA (the National Association of Professional Martial Artists) and Publisher of Martial Arts Professional magazine. A Georgetown University cum laude graduate, he earned his Executive MBA through the Executive Program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He was promoted to 10th Degree Black Belt in April 2026 and inducted into the Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame in August 2026. Learn more at MartialArtsWealth.com and StephenCOliver.com.
