FROM his gym in Cudal, Greg Wiltshire is building a community around judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, with a focus on giving people of all ages and abilities somewhere to train, connect and challenge themselves.
His gym, called 28 Hundred, seeks to cater for everyone from about four years old to people in their 70s, with families able to train together for $50 a week and attend as many sessions as they like.
Wiltshire, a judo black belt and Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt who has also competed professionally in MMA, said the benefits of martial arts extends beyond physical fitness, especially for children.
“There’s something about doing this or any sport where they’re off the phone, they’re talking,” he said.
“It gives them self-confidence. They’ve got to learn to deal with winning and losing.”
For young people in particular, Wiltshire said he believes the gym provides an opportunity to build confidence and friendships outside of school, while giving them something to work towards.
He said martial arts could challenge young people to discover what they were capable of, while learning how to cope with both winning and losing.
Rather than promoting martial arts simply as a way to defend themselves against bullies, Wiltshire said the confidence and friendships developed through the sports could help young people feel less concerned about the opinions of others.
28 Hundred also seeks to provide opportunities for people who may otherwise struggle to find activities and services close to home.
Now, Wiltshire is working towards developing the facility into a broader community space, with plans for a building at the rear that could accommodate services including occupational therapy and speech therapy.
He also said he hopes to create a space where people can access a range of support and activities, such as movement class, art therapy and breathwork.
Another initiative is the Safe Landing Academy, which is looking to teach older people how to fall safely, with the gym’s custom flooring and mats designed to allow people to train in a safer environment.
Wiltshire said the facility was intended to be accessible to people at different stages of life, whether they were young children taking their first steps into sport, adults looking for fitness and community, or older people wanting to improve their confidence and ability to move safely.
28 Hundred recently held martial arts events in Cudal and Canowindra, giving regional competitors opportunities to participate closer to home.
The events were designed to provide an alternative to travelling long distances for competitions, where participants can face significant costs for entry, travel and accommodation and may only have one match.
By bringing events into smaller regional communities, Wiltshire said he hopes to make participation more affordable while also encouraging visitors to spend time in towns that may not otherwise attract large numbers of people.
His longer-term vision is to take that idea even further, saying he’ll eventually purchase a large portable dome capable of holding multiple competition mats, allowing events to be moved between towns across the region.
The aim is not simply to host martial arts competitions, but to create opportunities for regional communities to benefit from the visitors they bring.
“That’s our goal, to try and encourage people to come and see these little country towns,” he said.
“Give the kids in the little country towns something they can do.”
28 Hundred has now been operating in Cudal for six years, after Wiltshire relocated from Orange.
The gym has continued to attract members from across the region, while a second club now operates in Canowindra.
For anyone interested in giving martial arts a try, the 28 Hundred gym is located at 4 Naylor Street at Cudal, and welcomes new participants every weekday from 5.30pm.