Local gym serves as sanctuary for active kids, adults and aspiring MMA fighters

No parent wants to see their child struggle with bullies. Almost five years ago, Justin Sewards and his wife were having concerns about their twin sons, Aiden and Corbin, facing troubling encounters with some of their peers at school.

When looking around for ways to help build the boys' confidence and teach them how to protect themselves, the couple stumbled across Train. Fight. Win, a local gym specializing in mixed martial arts.

Over the years, Sewards and his wife Katie have watched their boys start in youth MMA classes and graduate to the adult classes at 14-years-old. For an hour a day four days a week, the parents bring their kids to the gym and watch them on their journeys of growth and athleticism.

"They are aware that they are able to handle themselves (physically) in any kind of situation," Justin Sewards told the Tallahassee Democrat. "And it goes beyond that, on a mental level it's showing them that they are able to defend themselves, but also showing them that it's better to defuse a situation, as opposed to instigating it."

Train. Fight. Win. offers weekly evening programs, that vary in start time throughout the week, in kickboxing, mixed martial arts, fitness, grappling and youth classes from Monday to Saturday. Interested participants also have the opportunity to use an open gym, and the first day of classes is free.

Individual membership plans range from $70 to $145 a month. Train. Fight. Win. also offers family membership plans starting with one youth and one adult at $200 a month, and the highest priced plan is $350 a month for two youth and two adults. There is an extra $75 charged for each additional youth.

According to euronews.com, MMA has an estimated 300 million spectators worldwide, and in recent years it's popularity has only grown. In Tallahassee, the sport has seen waves of interest despite the openings and closures of MMA gyms through the years.

Wakulla County native Sky Rudloe, owner of Train. Fight. Win, says he is making it his mission to ensure the sport stands the test of time and thrives in the capital city.

Over 22 years ago, Rudloe found himself at local MMA gyms, sparring with other amateur fighters. In the beginning, it became a way for him to escape the adversity he’d faced in his personal life, creating the outlet for expression he needed to push through troubling times.

Rudloe’s ability to train was threatened when a number of his favorite gyms started closing. He knew Tallahassee had a necessity for a space, where others like him, could spar in a safe and controlled environment. So in 2012, he purchased the first official location for Train. Fight. Win. in the center of College Town on West Gaines Street.

“Early on, martial arts was the only positive thing in my life,” Rudloe, 44, said. “I was just making a lot of stupid choices. But, I knew that by that point things were a lot better. I’d settled down and I had a fiancé. I knew that it would be bad for a lot of people, if this wasn’t here. It did too much for me, for me to not make it available to others.”

After graduating from Florida State University in 2008, he began working for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as a field researcher, while also serving as an MMA coach at local gyms like Tallahassee Mixed Martial Arts and Capital City Combat Club, both have since closed.

Rudloe was fortunate to run into an inheritance, which permitted him to buy the space for the original Train. Fight. Win. gym. He’s made entrepreneurship a full-time profession over the last 12 years.

The original site sat between the campuses of Florida State and Florida A&M universities in the midst of Gaines Street’s prime redevelopment period in the early 2010s. During this time, the primary clientele Rudloe saw were mainly college-aged men. The loud construction and busy location didn't appeal to as many women and families as the gym sees now.

Now, Rudloe and his wife Alissa co-own the establishment. They moved the gym to an 8,000 square foot location, 2523 Apalachee Parkway, where they have settled since 2017. Rudloe believes having a woman’s touch has been a key factor in creating a family-friendly training space.

“Our mission is to give people a place that they can feel comfortable, and be surrounded by comfort,” Rudloe said. “A lot of people say they appreciate the environment, and I think my wife being a part of that really helps it.”

Train. Fight. Win. has become a safe space for people who are at different levels of athleticism. Ten-year-old Michelle Frady is learning good practices for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Earlier this school year, she began playing for her soccer team’s junior academy. The motivated elementary schooler decided she wanted to challenge herself to make the team’s senior academy next season, by dedicating more time to practice outside of scheduled hours.

For two days out of the week Frady, who began at Train. Fight. Win. in its youth MMA class, is the youngest participant in the gym’s conditioning class she takes with her father, David Frady. She says conditioning at the gym has improved her endurance and made her an overall better player.

“I have a lot more perseverance than I did at the beginning of 2024,” Frady said, after dominating a class full of adults for two hours of intense full-body workouts. “It helps me a lot, and I’ve gotten better in so many ways athletically but also how I think about things.”

While providing a space for novice athletes, pro-MMA fighters like Alex Godinez also train at Train. Fight. Win.

During the day, Godinez is an assistant teacher at North Florida Education Services, working with school-aged kids. But when he leaves work in the evenings, he often finds himself in one-on-one training at the gym, preparing for an upcoming fight.

Godinez grew up wrestling but when he moved to Tallahassee two years ago, he was searching for gyms so that he could remain active and stumbled upon Train. Fight. Win., where he's since found a home and community, who supports him.

Still being new to the MMA world, Godinez proved himself to be ready for a challenge and was granted pro status from Rudloe, who serves as his coach. So far, Godinez has competed at primarily regional fights in North Florida, some hosted at The Moon in Tallahassee.

Godinez, who has aspirations to compete on a global level and win a world belt, has remained loyal to Train. Fight. Win, and believes this is the best place for him to prepare in order to reach his potential.

"We're like a family here," Godinez said. "Everybody shows a lot of support and a lot of love. We're all hard workers. We motivate each other and push each other to be our best."

For more information, visit https://trainfightwin.co/.

Democrat writer Mycah Brown can be reached at MJBrown@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee gym provides refuge for youth, adults, MMA aspirants