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  • The Landers Family are our Martial Arts Students of the Month for February 2021

    This is a first for us, naming an entire family as our Student(s) of the Month, but it’s very much deserved.

    Jarred, Shawn, and Jesse Landers came to SBG Buford at the beginning of 2020….right before the COVID pandemic hit 🙄 . It wasn’t the best timing, seeing as how the gym was forced to shut down for a couple of months right after they started training, but it didn’t make a bit of difference to these 3 men. Despite having a major obstacle thrown in their way, the Landers family was not to be deterred!

    SBG Martial Arts Coach Jim Sheppard said this about the Landers men:

    “There are few people more dedicated than Jarred, Shawn, and Jesse. At least one of them is here every single day, and often times I see all three of them in the same class together. It’s pretty incredible that an entire family is able to share this experience together.”

    All three men started in our Jiu Jitsu program, and Jesse and Jarred have also add Muay Thai to their martial arts arsenal. After a few months of training at SBG Buford, their enjoyment of the gym led to yet another Landers family member joining the tribe….

    Kim Landers, the wife of Shawn and mother to Jarred and Jesse, is a part of our Fitness Kickboxing and Fitness Performance programs. That’s right, 4 MEMBERS OF THE SAME FAMILY TRAINING TOGETHER UNDER ONE ROOF!! 😮 🔥

    Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Coach and black belt Sean Coleman had this to say about the Landers family:

    “The Landers family is maybe my favorite group of people in the entire gym. They are all super coachable, friendly, and polite. When Shawn found out that I grew up in New Orleans he made me a bunch of gumbo, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was the best gumbo I have ever had in my entire life.”

    It’s not hard to believe that Shawn would do something like that for his Jiu Jitsu coach, as he is constantly grabbing a mop and trying to help us clean the mats after class even though he is in no way expected to obligated to do that. He just wants to help and show his appreciation to the SBG tribe, and we wanted to recipricate that appreciation by making Shawn and both of his sons our Martial Arts Students of the Month.

    Congratulations Jesse, Jarred, and Shawn! Keep up the outstanding work.

    Jim Sheppard

    is one of the co-owners of Straight Blast Gym Buford and Straight Blast Gym Atlanta. He has been training / coaching / competing in Muay Thai since 2013 and holds a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.