About Us

Adam Schmaltz

Head Instructor/Owner

From preschool to college to raising his own family, Adam has always been part of the San Marcos community. With his mother delivering mail for the San Marcos post office and his father working as a mason, Adam developed a sense of hard work and commitment. His sister works for the city, overseeing youth programs and preschools, giving them a shared commitment to community development.

Adam’s journey into the world of Jiu Jitsu and Judo began in 2002 when a friend’s mom brought back some BJJ instructional tapes from a garage sale. He and his friends would spend afternoons on various makeshift mat areas practicing grappling techniques and wrestling one another. It wasn’t until 2005, when he could afford to pay for lessons at an actual club, that he realized just how powerful of a tool Jiu Jitsu was and how much it helps in all aspects of life. Transitioning from a practitioner to an instructor, he started teaching Jiu Jitsu part-time as a purple belt in 2009, emphasizing his dedication to coaching from the early stages of his martial arts journey. His focus on youth development and physical education, coupled with studies in kinesiology, laid the foundation for a unique coaching philosophy.

Educational Journey

Earning black belts in both Judo and Jiu Jitsu in 2012, Adam’s educational journey continued through graduate school, where he studied motor control with a focus on learning novel tasks. Managing a large Jiu Jitsu gym in San Marcos, he built a reputation as an authentic, trustworthy coach with a passion for guiding others.

His focus:

While many in the Jiu Jitsu world were chasing personal athletic achievements, Adam was honing his skills as a coach and leader. His dream of owning a dojo specializing in grappling took shape, driven by a commitment to purposeful training and individual progression. Now, as the owner and head instructor of Mission Grappling Club, Adam is dedicated to providing goal-oriented training to the San Marcos community. His dojo stands as a testament to his commitment to optimize learning and progression for every individual who steps through its doors.

Tyler Mullins

Technical Director

Tyler, a purple belt in jiu jitsu, will be channeling his talents into the academy’s backbone while he recovers from minor surgery.

Driven by efficiency and optimization in both his professional endeavors and his approach to jiu jitsu, his expertise in software engineering and physics underpins the technical and structural setup of the academy.

This includes everything from the school’s layout, to the design of the spring floor, to custom software which will help students track their progression toward accomplishing goals they’ve specified.

He may not be as active on the mats as Adam or Emmett for a little while, but you’ll definitely see him around the gym, and he’ll be happy to introduce you to Layla if she’s there with him.

Emmett Rodriguez

Assistant Instructor/Manager

Emmett thrives on guiding others through their journey of self-discovery, infusing his teaching with compassion, empathy, and a generous dose of humor. He creates a nurturing environment where students feel supported to push their boundaries and cultivate a stronger sense of self. As a student of his passions, Emmett delves into various creative outlets and physical activities, including music, art, photography, climbing, yoga, meditation, and weightlifting. His curiosity about the complexities of the human mind and body propels him forward, leading him to explore the discipline of jiu jitsu as a means of achieving holistic well-being.

His Focus:

For Emmett, jiu jitsu is more than just a physical practice—it’s a journey of personal growth and self-discovery. It has provided both solace and challenge, continually pushing him to evolve mentally and physically. Driven by a desire to share his experiences and learn from others, Emmett is deeply committed to fostering a tight-knit community within the gym. He believes in the power of trust, camaraderie, and collective growth, creating a space where individuals can support each other on their respective paths.