Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Short.
Hi Kyle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My brother and I met for lunch back in 2011 at a local Pizza Hut. His face was busted up (obviously from a fight), and I wanted to know who did that to him. He explained that he had taken an MMA fight in Garden City, Kansas. I watched the video, and that same day we started “training” ourselves for MMA matches. This mostly consisted of buying gloves from Academy and brawling for hours. Several concussions and plenty of blood later, we felt ready to compete.
This lasted about a year or so, until my brother moved away with his wife. I didn’t care to fight or train anymore, since I was only doing it in support of him. Sometime in 2012, I Googled “MMA near me,” and I remember reading Travis Lutter’s website. All the reviews kept mentioning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Reading those reviews led me down the rabbit hole of YouTube, studying, and eventually training.
I did not take formal Jiu-Jitsu classes at first. Instead, a group of my friends would meet at my house and we would roll for hours. At first, this was in my upstairs media room. We tore out the carpet, laid down Harbor Freight puzzle mats, and painted the wall with our crude logo. This didn’t last long, as the living room was directly below and the ceiling fan would swing violently. We upgraded our training space to my garage with mats from AGF (American Grappling Federation). Once we moved to the garage, I began formal classes around September 2013 with Sam Snow. I achieved my blue belt in just three months of training.
The garage training sessions lasted a few years. As the team grew, so did the lack of parking spaces in my neighborhood, until eventually we were reported too many times by upset neighbors. This led to the opening of my first academy (the blue gym) around November 2018. It was 600 sq. ft. of mat space crudely laid together with Gorilla Tape.
When COVID hit, the academy closed like many smaller businesses. This created a scramble to keep the dream and the team going. Throughout this process, I competed hundreds of times, winning minor and major titles, culminating in achieving my black belt in 2020.
We trained in several locations across DFW—from a JKD school to a fitness gym, back in the garage, and even in shared mat spaces with other businesses—until I opened my current academy in 2021. Since then, our academy has grown to 3,000 sq. ft., offering classes for all ages seven days a week: morning, noon, and night.
There are many people and coaches not mentioned above who played a minor or major role in making all of this possible. I am grateful for the lessons (both good and bad) that I learned along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life in general is not a smooth or straight road. Part of growing is struggling, and there were dozens of situations where I had to learn hard lessons. One of the earliest challenges I faced was the backlash I received for coaching from the very beginning. Looking back, it makes sense—why would a beginner try to coach other beginners when there were accredited academies in the area? But at the time, I didn’t have the money to afford training, so I had to do whatever I could just to train at all.
Much of my early learning came from YouTube, so of course I faced plenty of criticism for being a “YouTube grappler.” Ironically, today everyone promotes their own channels or sells instructionals, but back then it was definitely something I had to argue about constantly. Most of my arguments were made with results—I competed almost weekly for several years, won dozens of gold medals, and even became a sponsored athlete from blue belt through black belt.
Another major source of pushback came from training out of my garage. Many coaches in the area gave me side-eye or ridiculed me, even though a lot of them had started in a similar fashion. Interestingly, the culture of Jiu-Jitsu has since shifted back, and now garage training is popular again. All across DFW, people are starting their own teams out of their garages, just like I once did. I think it’s awesome to see others following their passions the same way.
The criticism didn’t stop there. I received continuous negative feedback for coaching as a lower belt, and even after earning my black belt, some dismissed me as “only a black belt” because I didn’t yet have any “degrees.” Just as before, I answered that criticism with results. Over the years, my team has won dozens of titles at both minor and major tournaments.
There are many more struggles I’ve faced throughout these years, but without going into specifics or naming names, the biggest takeaway is this: I’m grateful for all of the feedback—both negative and positive. It has shaped the way I treat my friends, beginners, and students, and it continues to push me to grow as both a coach and a person.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own Kyle Short Jiu Jitsu (Flux MMA) in Haltom City, TX. I am a first-degree black belt in Jiu-Jitsu with 13 years of experience in training, coaching, and competing. My hallmark is competitive Jiu-Jitsu. As a sponsored athlete myself, and with dozens of other sponsored athletes on my team, we have traveled across the nation and to many parts of the world—either competing or sending students to compete in Jiu-Jitsu as well as MMA.
In my early days, my goal was to become the highest-level athlete I could be. While I continue to chase that goal, my focus shifted after earning my black belt to becoming the best coach in the DFW area. This commitment has led to dozens of team titles, countless individual major titles, and, most importantly, helping my students achieve their own goals in Jiu-Jitsu.
I am especially proud of my kids’ team, as they are a direct reflection of my teaching. I feel blessed to play a role in their lives and do my best every day to be a positive mentor—so that one day, they can pay it forward.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Success is a Choice – Law of Attraction
Surround yourself with likeminded people that share high goals. Chase your goals everyday and remember that even a small step toward success is a great step.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.FluxMMA.com
- Instagram: KyleShortJiuJitsu
- Facebook: Kyle Short
- Youtube: Flux MMA
