A Garage That Helped Shape American Jiu-Jitsu

“When jiu-jitsu first landed in America, it landed in Hermosa Beach,” said Eddie Cairns, who began training under Haueter in 2008, according to local news coverage. “We usually cram in pretty tight in the garage. It’s a backyard D.I.Y. martial arts space. Super unconventional which is kind of why it’s so iconic.”

Haueter—one of the first 12 Americans ever awarded a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt—began training in 1988 and earned his black belt in 1996. In 2005, he laid mats in a modest one-car garage at the front of the property. Two years later, at the encouragement of his wife Melissa, the training area expanded into the larger three-car garage that had previously been used for automotive work, allowing up to six pairs of athletes to train at once.

What the space lacked in polish, it made up for in authenticity.

Gentrification and Economic Reality

The decision to close Combat Base was deeply personal—but ultimately unavoidable.

“We are here in Redondo Beach. Like most areas along a coast, there is a limited resource called the beach. My father, when he purchased his first home in Manhattan Beach for like $56,000, knew that eventually they are going to run out of beach land and that beach land is valuable,” Haueter explained on his podcast.

Over the years, Haueter watched the neighborhood change dramatically.

“I have watched this neighborhood gentrify. Eventually I knew we would either, if we could hold on to this thing, we would have a good nest egg, or we would be gentrified out.”

Homes that once stood near chop shops and underground operations now sell for around $3 million—making continuation in the same location financially impossible.

Why a Commercial Academy Wasn’t an Option

The Haueters explored the possibility of opening a traditional commercial academy, but the numbers simply did not add up.

“Let us just say we are going to let go of a bunch of the other stuff Chris is doing so we can open up a school. So now we are going to pay six grand a month in rent plus lose four or $5,000 a month in income. So now we are actually in the hole like $11,000 instead of just six grand a month.”

“We cannot afford to do that because we cannot even afford to keep this space. Because if we could afford to go in the hole $5,000 a month, we would be able to afford to keep this space,” she added.

Unlike most academies that require hundreds of paying students to survive, Combat Base operated on an entirely different model. The garage hosted roughly 20 regular practitioners—many of them black belts—and functioned primarily as an invite-only open mat environment.

“At this point in time, I feel like I do not have the desire to pay to go to work. I get paid to work and I will not pay to go to work,” Haueter said.

A Rare Training Culture

Training sessions were held three times per week—Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday—and attracted both locals and traveling practitioners who valued the space’s raw, non-commercial nature.

“People were invited to come over and practice with us,” Melissa said. “We’re using jiu-jitsu to help better people’s lives.”

That philosophy fostered a culture built on trust and mutual respect.

“You cannot say that every mat room that you walk into, every gym that you walk into, that you are 100% confident that the people that you train with are going to take care of you. But I could say that about my people here.”

Over the years, the garage hosted seminars and visits from notable figures such as Clark Gracie, Jeff Glover, and Renato Laranja, drawing practitioners from around the world.

“There’s different styles, and in the garage, there was constantly people coming from around the world,” Cairns said.

Lives Changed Beyond the Mats

For many, Combat Base was more than just a place to train.

Wesley Nash, who grew up just two houses away, found the garage at a turning point in his life. After being expelled from Redondo Union High School at 15, Nash immersed himself in training while working to get back on track academically. He eventually graduated with his class, earned a third-degree black belt, and went on to become both an L.A. County emergency responder and a licensed pilot.

“It’s unfortunate it’s closing,” Nash said at the final gathering. “But, like my buddy said, ‘nothing lasts forever.’ This place means a lot to me. It got me out of a lot of trouble. When I found this place I was in a lot of trouble.”

Cairns echoed that sentiment.

“I’m a lifelong resident. The garage was important to the community. A lot of people were kind of saved by Melissa and Chris’s hospitality.”

The End of a Space, Not the End of the Legacy

Despite the emotional weight of the closure, Haueter remains characteristically philosophical.

“I know that all things come to an end. Through all that stuff comes new growth. I see this as an opportunity rather than a liability.”

Combat Base Club will continue as an online platform, and Haueter will remain active on the seminar circuit. Additionally, longtime participant Kyle Thompson is preparing to open a new open-mat space in a former barber shop on Torrance Boulevard—giving the community forged in the garage a new place to gather.

Combat Base may no longer exist as a physical space, but its influence endures. It stood as a rare reminder that jiu-jitsu’s deepest value isn’t measured in square footage, monthly memberships, or branding—but in the lives it changes and the relationships it builds along the way.