Cason Wable has been training at Straight Blast Gym Buford since 2017, and his transformation since then has been absolutely incredible.
When Cason began training in Straight Blast Gym Buford’s Growing Gorillas Jiu Jitsu program, he was 5 years old. It was his first time doing any type of martial arts, and his father, Jesse Wable, specifically chose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because of its effectiveness in self-defense situations. Jesse is a former professional mixed martial arts fighter and the current matchmaker of the National Fighting Championship. Over the past decade +, he has learned a lot about fighting and self-defense and he knew that Jiu Jitsu was the right pick for his son.
“I’d heard so many good things about the Kids Jiu Jitsu program that SBG Buford offered. Not only could he start being more active and get out of the house, but he could start learning self defense and life skills. It was really a no-brainer.”
Cason’s first couple of years at SBG Buford were a mixed bag. While it was clear that Cason was enjoying himself and getting better at Jiu Jitsu, he acted like, well….a typical 5 year old. Jiu Jitsu black belt Sean Coleman was leading the Growing Gorillas program at the time and remembers Cason’s early days at SBG Buford, very well.
“For a while, I wasn’t sure that Cason was absorbing anything that we were teaching him. My real ah-ha moment with him came during sparring one afternoon towards the end of class when I saw Cason hit a clean sweep on one of his teammates. Like, a perfectly done technique that we’d recently covered in class. From then on he was like a different person on the mats. It’s wild how the turnaround with some kids can happen like that. You can’t predict it.”
Fast forward to 2023 and Cason Wable is a Grey & Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and one of Straight Blast Gym Buford’s longest-tenured Growing Gorilla students.
About 2 years into Cason’s stint at Straight Blast Gym, something changed. His attitude, his maturity, his confidence…they skyrocketed. Cason began picking up and implementing techniques at a rapid pace. While participating in Jiu Jitsu matches and competitions, he went from being passive to being the aggressor. Instead of always coming away from competitions with a bronze medal (or no medal) he started coming away with gold(s).
Cason had become one of Straight Blast Gym Buford’s model Jiu Jitsu students; a title and position that he still holds to this day. Cason is a staple of our Leadership and Submission Samurai programs, which are reserved for the more competitive, skillful, and well-behaved Growing Gorilla students. He is also one of the most active competitors within the entire SBG organization, oftentimes getting up REALLY early on a Saturday morning to drive several hours and compete in a Jiu Jitsu event being held in another state.
Over the years, one of the people that have really helped Cason’s Jiu Jitsu journey is professional MMA fighter and long-time SBG student Josh Koser. Josh is a childhood friend of Jesse Wable and has known Cason since before he could walk.
“I remember teaching him how to shrimp when he first started training Jiu Jitsu. I’ve watched him become a little bad@$$ over the years, and he represents his team in the best way possible. Last month I was coaching him at a competition and after beating a kid to win his division, he held that kids arm up when they were on the podium together. That was an awesome moment to witness.”
Just last week, Cason competed in his first IBJJF Atlanta Open event. The Atlanta Open is one of the southeast’s longest-running and most prestigious Jiu Jitsu tournaments and it draws some of the top talents from Georgia and beyond. Going up against some really tough and experienced opponents, Cason came home with a silver medal after putting on a pair of awesome performances.
