Dear LMA: A Letter From Atlanta

A letter about LMA from an Atlanta care worker and organizer

My name is Butch. I use they/them pronouns. I'm an organizer, activist, and care worker in Atlanta, GA. I have been organizing for almost 30 years around issues including anti-racism, refugee rights, environmentalism, anti-war, reproductive autonomy, and queer self-defense. My practice as a martial artist and a care worker has led me to emphasize organizing with a focus on care, compassion, and sustainability.

I had felt like a person without a home in the martial arts world since at least 2012, when I left the aikido community I had been part of for 14 years. I've trained with various martial arts and self-defense schools and styles and spent plenty of time with "YouTube University." However, after visiting the LMA Learning Lab, I finally feel like I have a martial arts home again.

I've been teaching martial arts in movement spaces in Atlanta for around five years. I've been trying to create a class environment that is unapologetically queer and trans—a space that is safe for people struggling with trauma and one that doesn't treat individuals as cannon fodder for advanced students. I was introduced to LMA when a comrade in Atlanta pointed out the Southpaw account on Instagram. "This guy sounds a lot like you!" they said.

I signed up for their Patreon right away. Several months ago, I upgraded to the Sponsor tier and started a conversation with Sam that led me to type "ATL to LAX" in the search bar. To my surprise, I found a very cheap flight and an affordable hostel right near the Learning Lab. Weeks later, I spent a Saturday morning observing Sam lead several practitioners through their LMA sessions.

I loved what I saw. Practitioners of different experience levels, sizes, and backgrounds were flowing and having fun in a joyful and supportive environment. Yet it was still serious, committed training. Precise punches and kicks landed with a measured intensity, often accompanied by a partner saying, "Nice!" This is the kind of intentionality and camaraderie I want to foster in the training spaces I organize!

Over the next several days of my visit, I attended about five sessions with Sam and MY. I went out there because I believed in what they were doing; I wanted it to work, and I believed it would. However, seeing the practitioners spar and hearing how little training some of them had to get there made me skeptical about whether I could progress so quickly. I have an active knee injury and various old injuries that flare up, especially when I'm traveling and training a lot. I'm finishing my fourth decade here on Earth, and things just don't come to me the way they used to.

Any worry I had dissipated by the end of the first lesson. Everything came together in a way that felt intuitive. It was clearly structured yet allowed ample room for exploration. The feeling during the sparring flow games we did with pool noodles helped me instantly connect with what I saw the other practitioners doing!

I could affirm any number of the positive experiences other practitioners have written about, but I only have so much typing time right now. Instead, I want to share something that speaks highly of the LMA approach. The weekend after I returned from Los Angeles, I taught a class at a mutual aid fair. There were 14 people in the class, and only a few had any martial arts experience. Having only had five LMA lessons and after a couple of encouraging discussions with Sam, I organized a class using the LMA approach.

I didn't have any practice teaching it, nor did I have time to write down what I would teach. I mentally reviewed the first lesson I had with Sam a few times and had faith that I could fill the time with something meaningful for my comrades. By the end of our hour together, the basketball court where we were training was filled with seven pairs of training partners circling one another with pool noodles, engaging in two-minute rounds of a sparring game, all with smiles on their faces.

The effectiveness of the approach lies in how it aligns with our values. No long explanations are necessary when you present comrades with something that feels right! These are comrades who are serious about achieving our collective liberation. They don't need a drill sergeant yelling at them to do push-ups or teach them how to be ruthless fighters. My comrades carry the heavy weight of the struggle to stop Cop City, end state repression in Atlanta, and fight against genocide.

I can't express the feeling of seeing them 50 minutes in, coaching each other, and even saying, "Nice!" without me having to prompt anyone.

– Butch

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To access the Liberation Martial Arts curriculum and contribute to the sustainability of this project, consider upgrading your membership. As we deal with the economic impact of the LA wildfires, find other ways to support me here. – Sam