Love Your Martial Art School Day

Show Your Love

Back in January, which seems like a lifetime ago, we kept hearing about what was going on overseas in regards to this virus that was spreading like wildfire. We were living life normally. Even when my Dad warned us and said we should stock up on some stuff, I thought surely, if Ebola and other SARS viruses have not been successful, why would this one? We made it through all of February. As the month went along, and we started seeing cases popping up across the country, conversations started happening. Would our school have to close? What would we do? At the end of February, New Orleans held its Mardi Gras parades where about a million people came through over a period of a few weeks (about an hour and a half from where we live). Two weeks later, after testing really picked up, lots of people had COVID-19. We had become a hotspot and everything had to shut down. March 14th was the last time we were on the mats with our friends.


The first few weeks were rough. I've been through trials before. Back 
in August of 2016, our house flooded (along with 146,000 other homes in Louisiana).  I learned then that you have to go through a process of mourning the loss and the change of routine, but then you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get back to your life.

But the lockdown was different. During the flood we got to stay with dojo friends who did not flood (ever spent the night on a grappling mat?). This time, we have to avoid all our dojo family. This time, we don't have anything to recover from.  Everything we did in life had just stopped. The only routine that kept going (and is still going) is our home school routine, and I am thankful for that normalcy.

With the loss of our Judo/BJJ lifestyle, I had to develop a new routine for our household, and myself. I am hoping to still compete sometime this year. So I began to put my focus into getting stronger and 
working on my cardio. My husband and sometimes the kids have joined me in this endeavor.

Our whole family loves Judo and BJJ, so staying active has been important, and beneficial in many ways. I now look forward to our workout nights. It brings a sense of joy and comfort in these times. Another wonderful thing that has come out of this situation is we started hiking as a family. It's nice to get out of the house, 
somewhere out in the open and enjoy nature.  We have a sneaky goal of coming out of the lockdown stronger, fitter, and more flexible than we were before!

Another way I found joy through this hard time, was getting the attention off myself. If I focus too much on how crappy this all is, it makes it more depressing. So I started an event called “Love Your Martial Art School Day”. Through my business, Grapple Graphix, and through fellow martial art friends, I kept hearing all the school owners saying, “Will our schools stay open? Will everyone stop paying their memberships?”. It hurts to see schools closing because of the economic hardships everyone is going through. 

June 6th, 2020 is the day to tell everyone why you love your martial art school! Even if you had to stop going for a season due to financial hardship, now is such an important time to share about your school. 

Here are somethings to do to support your school on June 6th and keep the love of BJJ alive

  • Post your favorite pics of you and your BJJ tribe going what you love
  • Tag your friends in them and tell them why they mean so much to you
  • Take and post pictures with you in your school shirt
  • Lounge around in your Gi pants, Eddie Bravo Style

 The BEST picture of you loving your school wins some cool stuff from Grapple Graphix and Grapple Happy!


Being a business owner, I know word of mouth is so powerful, and I wanted to help everyone out. So I started organizing this. It has helped me stay busy and make new contacts and friends across the country. Running this has brought some  joy but joy in seeing people excited to talk about how much they love their school. Can't wait to see what June 6th brings! I hope that you all who read this will join us for this event.

I'm excited to get back to our grappling lifestyle. I know in the beginning it will be different. We'll have to not grapple for a while. I may not be able to compete this year. But I am looking forward to finding a way for my family to continue training and learning the martial art we love. I am also thankful for the fun things we have found to do during this time and the project I get to do with many other amazing people across this country (like the amazing Grapple Happy!).

Go to http://loveyourmartialartschoolday.com/ for more info

Love Your Martial Art School Day Kristine StoneKristine Stone is a two stripe blue belt and a Yellow belt in Judo. She's a wife to a super hero (he's a good guy hacker and a BJJ purple belt), home school mom to three awesome kids (14, 12, and 6),and a small business owner (Grapple Graphix).