In February 2017, my son and I walked into Galvan’s Martial Arts for the first time. They were hosting a free Anti-Bullying Seminar, and I took the opportunity to take my then 5-year-old oldest child on a date. He participated in the self-defense seminar and gushed about the “Ninja Turtle Weapons” (translation: nunchucks, swords, kamas and bo staffs…) displayed on the wall. Typically quite reserved, he had a huge smile on his face the entire time. At the end of our date, he looked at me, and said, “I want to do Taekwondo.” Two years later, he has not lost his passion or drive in studying martial arts.
Run by Emmanuel “Manny” and Martha Galvan, 5th degree and 2nddegree black belts in Taekwondo, respectively, Galvan’s is a medium-sized mixed martial arts school in Brownsville, Texas, that also offers classes in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing. A self-defense student since the age of 3, Mr. Galvan grew up studying the martial arts along with his older and younger brothers.
A lover of stories, Galvan remembers taking an aptitude test in high school. “Every answer I gave, at the end said: You should look into being a Martial Arts instructor,”he continued, “If you do not know martial arts, start doing it now.”
Martha adds, “When we did start at the beginning, our old school was really small, and it had a window. Meme (the oldest Galvan brother) and Manny were the head instructors,”she smiled, “and Alex (the youngest Galvan), my little sister and I would line up in the front (of the window) as students until we started filling up the school.”She added with a chuckle,“Everyone would come in and we would ask, ‘Oh, how did you hear about us?!’”
Together for more than half of their lives, the Galvan’s display true partnership on and off the mat. As a parent and educator, I am impressed by the discipline displayed by all the students in
A traditional firstborn, our son toes the line, but if reinforcement is ever needed, all I have to do is say, “Maybe I should talk to Coach Manny. . .”And it is met with a desperate cry of, “No, no!”I know I am not alone in this as a parent.
When we first enrolled Jack at Galvan’s, there was a questionnaire that asked which skill (of those listed) we wanted him to gain. My husband and I quickly agreed: confidence. Comparing our current 7-year-old to a then 5-year-old that started, in many ways, is like looking at another little boy altogether. Where he was slightly cluttered and disorganized, he now keeps a clean bedroom. Where he was nervous and shy, he now takes more initiative and is brave. Teachers at his school have also taken note, sharing fun stories with us.
My husband and I attended our first ultimate fighting party in December with some friends. One of our buddies, Chris, and a guest, both martial arts students, kept swapping stories about a local legend. We listened intently, eyes wide and mouths agape. “Who could this person be?” I thought to myself.
Tales of a man taking down opponents with a single kick or hand strike were swapped. It wasn’t until later in the evening that it was revealed: the person they were talking about was Manny Galvan, our son’s head instructor.
“You would have never guessed, right?” Chris continued, reacting to my face, “he doesn’t go around bragging about how good he is or how everyone is afraid to fight him. He’s humble. He’s the epitome of a ninja.”
As the African proverb states, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I am forever thankful that Galvan’s Martial Arts is part of our village.