Coming back to his roots. Danny Savery opens Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Fairhaven

FAIRHAVEN - Danny Savery wants to offer young people and adults interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu something he and his friends didn’t have while growing up as teenagers in Fairhaven.

With the opening of Danny Savery Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts Academy at 17 Sarah’s Way in Fairhaven over a month ago, he hopes that new students will benefit from the opportunity to take classes in town.

Savery, who has been teaching Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 14 years, has wanted to open a school in Fairhaven to teach those interested in learning self-defense.

“When I was a kid, you had to go into the city to train martial arts and there wasn’t much going on in this town, especially for kids who didn’t have the ability to do other sports whether it be money or a way to get there,” he said. “There were a lot of us I feel who were misguided youth in this town.”

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What is Brazilian jiu-jitsu?

Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art and fighting technique designed to help people of any size defend themselves by teaching men and women how to leverage their body weight for use in the ring or against an attacker.

The academy is open to everybody, but Savery said many of his students are in law enforcement and are training in jiu-jitsu.

“It’s more hands-on so you get used to the adrenaline dump of having to fight with somebody, God forbid if you have to, and you also know how to control a body much easier instead of going right to tools on your belt, which looks like it’s becoming a lot of the problem nowadays,” he said of law enforcement training.

Savery has 15 years of law enforcement experience, both with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections and as a police officer in Tiverton, Rhode Island. He also taught at the police academy in Rhode Island.

For women who are interested in learning martial arts for self-defense, Savery said jiu-jitsu is one of the best options because size doesn’t matter.

“The whole theory of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is about the smaller opponent actually being able to beat a large opponent,” he said.

He said jiu-jitsu usually takes eight to 10 years to earn a black belt. Savery earned his black belt in 2011 but won’t get to the next level for another 21 years.

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How it all started

Savery began teaching friends, mostly those in the law enforcement profession, the art of jiu-jitsu at his home. He opened his first school in 2007.

From there he went to Fall River and started teaching karate and tae kwon do at academies and gyms while growing his business. His main location of the Danny Savery BJJ & Martial Arts Academy is in Somerset, with the newest location in Fairhaven. He also has a marital arts and fitness school in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Fairhaven location

The newest Fairhaven location at 17 Sarah’s Way opened a month ago. He offers a free introductory class at this location, showing people the fundamental techniques, rules and etiquette, and a rundown of what to expect. He said he wants people to feel comfortable and know that they are part of a team in a location focused on a combat sport.

It’s a family business. His son, Danny Savery Jr. runs the kids' programs, having trained in jiu-jitsu since he was 8 years old and kickboxing since he was 5. After graduating high school, Danny decided he wanted to teach at the academy with his father.

Classes for ages 5 and up are currently being offered three days a week, but there’s room to grow. In Somerset, there are classes seven days a week, and he expects there will eventually be as many classes in Fairhaven.

One-time self-defense classes are not offered, as Savery feels that gives people a false sense of security. Students need to gain the foundation of the art that comes with the repetition a class offers, he said.

The Fairhaven academy features a main training area where students gather before training, a parents’ waiting room where they can observe their children on a screen, a changing room and a check-in area.

Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kgallreporter. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Danny Savery Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts opens in Fairhaven