MAUSA Health & Fitness Center
All photos by Curt Saunders for Black-Owned Brooklyn
To hear Grandmaster Bill McCloud tell it, his journey from teen boxer in Brooklyn to jiu-jitsu Grandmaster isn’t all that surprising. The owner of MAUSA Health & Fitness Center, 75, explains that martial arts has long been a source of Black resistance and empowerment.
“During the 60s, a different type of consciousness evolved in the community in terms of how Black people viewed self-defense,” he says, citing the Black Panthers, the Young Lords and the Nation of Islam as groups that popularized karate among Black folks. Here in Brooklyn, McCloud was introduced to ju-jitsu in 1967 and has been dedicated to the practice ever since.
In 2006 he opened MAUSA on the Prospect Heights/Crown Heights border, around the corner from where he grew up, offering classes in jiu-jitsu, muay thai, aikido, cardio kickboxing and yoga. “Martial arts is an instrument and a tool for wellness, but it is a spiritual tool as well,” McCloud says. “It allows you to challenge your boundaries and get past complacency.”
“It means that under every circumstance and in every situation, I'm going to walk away alive. And there’s a mindset and philosophy that goes along with that — the difference between somebody who knows how to fight and somebody who knows when to fight.”
MAUSA’s staff teaches both children and adults with this holistic focus, counting actor Chadwick Boseman among their students. Fun Fact: As Boseman’s sensei, McCloud was part of a team of martial artists, fight choreographers and personal trainers who helped condition the actor for “Black Panther’s” epic fight scenes. Fun Fact 2: Back in the day, McCloud used to take his young neighbor, Russell Jones — later known as Ol’ Dirty Bastard — to see kung fu flicks.
In addition to traditional combat styles, Grandmaster McCloud specializes in a martial arts system he developed himself: Urban Contemporary Ju-Jitsu. “I teach ju-jitsu that reflects the time and environment that we’re in,” McCloud says, arguing that his methods are a matter of survival. “It means that under every circumstance and in every situation, I'm going to walk away alive. And there’s a mindset and philosophy that goes along with that — the difference between somebody who knows how to fight and somebody who knows when to fight.”
759 Washington Avenue, 718-210-3190, studymartialarts.com
