If you’ve served, you already know what discipline looks like. You know what it means to push through something hard. You know the difference between a team that has your back and one that doesn’t.
What you might not know yet is that jiu jitsu, specifically the no-gi jiu jitsu we train at 10th Planet Airlock, hits a lot of those same notes. And that the guy who runs this gym spent 20 years in the Army before he opened it.
This isn’t a gym that added a military discount to its website and called it a day. This is a gym built by a veteran, for everyone, but with a deep understanding of what the military community needs from a training environment. You might be here because you’re looking for jiu jitsu for veterans in Bastrop, TX…
Bastrop Has Always Been a Military Town
This might surprise people who are new to the area, but Bastrop County has deep military roots. Camp Swift, located just 7 miles north of Bastrop off Highway 95, has been an active military installation since 1942. Oh, and it was precisely where our head coach Rei Villa worked for years before opening 10th Planet Airlock. Today it serves as the primary training center for the Texas Army National Guard, home to the 136th Combat Arms Training Regiment, and the primary emergency staging area for all of Central Texas.
Bastrop County is home to over 5,600 veterans, and the fastest-growing segment of that population served during Gulf War Era II, post-September 2001. The same wars. The same era. The same generation as our head coach.
There’s a reason this community feels different from other Texas towns. A lot of the people who live here have been downrange. And a lot of them are looking for something to do with that energy when they get home.
Meet Rei Villa. Your Coach, Your Peer.
Head instructor Reinaldo “Rei” Villa enlisted in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman in 2001 and served for 20 years, including multiple deployments to the Middle East. His experience is the foundation of everything he teaches.
During his career, Rei became one of the Army’s most credentialed combatives specialists:
- Tactical Combatives Instructor at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington, where he trained soldiers in the Army Combatives Program full-time
- Advanced training in SOCP, the Special Operations Combatives Program, the hand-to-hand combat system used by Army Special Forces
- National instructor for Sheepdog Response, the elite civilian self-defense organization founded by Tim Kennedy, teaching hand-to-hand combat and firearms across the country
In February 2024, after 20 years of honorable service, Rei retired from the Army to open 10th Planet Airlock in Bastrop. He’s lived it, taught it professionally, and now brings all of it to the mat in Bastrop.
When you train with Rei, you’re talking to someone who was there.
Why Jiu Jitsu Works for Veterans
We’re not going to oversell this. Jiu jitsu is not therapy. It’s a martial art. But a lot of veterans find it does things for them that nothing else quite does.
It gives you a physical outlet that requires your full attention.
When you’re rolling (live sparring with a partner) you cannot think about anything else. The problem you’ve been sitting with all day disappears for that hour because someone is trying to put you in a triangle choke and you need every bit of your focus to deal with that. A lot of veterans describe this as one of the few times their brain actually goes quiet.
It builds a team without the bureaucracy.
One of the hardest things about transitioning out of the military is leaving a team. The gym doesn’t replicate that exactly. Nothing does. But the trust that develops on the mat between training partners is genuine. You’re vulnerable with these people. You’re working through hard things together. Over time, your training partners become your people in a way that’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it.
The skill set transfers.
The Army Combatives Program, which Rei taught professionally, is built on a grappling foundation. If you went through combatives training in the military, you already have a foundation we can build on. And if you’re currently serving or in the National Guard and looking to sharpen your combatives skills outside of official training, our curriculum directly supports that.
It keeps you physically sharp without destroying your body.
A lot of veterans come to us with a long list of things that hurt from years of service. The good news about jiu jitsu is that it’s lower impact than most martial arts, no striking (unless you are interested in Muay Thai, which yes, we also offer), good training partners control the intensity, and you can dial it up or down depending on where your body is at. We’ve had veterans with significant physical limitations walk through our door and find their footing on the mat. We work with what you’ve got.
We Defy Foundation. Jiu Jitsu for Veterans.
10th Planet Airlock is a proud partner of the We Defy Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training to veterans as a path to physical rehabilitation and mental wellness.
We Defy was founded on the belief that jiu jitsu can be genuinely transformative for veterans dealing with physical injuries, PTSD, and the transition challenges that come with leaving the military. Rei’s partnership with We Defy is personal. He’s one of them. He understands what this program means to the people who need it.
If you’re a veteran dealing with service-connected injuries or you’re navigating a tough transition, reach out to us directly. We’ll talk through what training might look like for you and connect you with We Defy resources if that’s the right fit.
What Training Looks Like at Airlock
We train No-Gi Jiu Jitsu. No uniform, no gi, just shorts and a rash guard. This isn’t traditional sport BJJ. It’s the 10th Planet system, a no-gi approach developed by Eddie Bravo that emphasizes functional, practical grappling without the gi uniform. If you went through Army combatives, you’ll recognize a lot of what we do. If you didn’t, you’ll still find it clicks fast.
Classes run six days a week with both morning and evening options. We have beginners on the mat every week alongside more experienced grapplers, the culture here is technical, competitive in the right ways, and genuinely welcoming. Nobody is going to ego-smash a new person. That’s not the environment Rei built.
We also have Adult Muay Thai and Kickboxing for veterans who want to add striking to their training.
And if you have kids, our Kids Jiu Jitsu program runs for ages 5 and up. Military kids are resilient, adaptable, and usually take to jiu jitsu fast. It’s a good way to get the whole family involved.
Where to Find Us
We’re located inside Bastrop Fitness Project at 303 Martin Luther King Dr, Bastrop, TX, about 7 miles south of Camp Swift, a few minutes from downtown, and right off Hwy 71. Members also get options for access to Strive S&C strength and conditioning, SHO Sauna & Cold Plunge recovery, and 24/7 gym access.
Come Train With Us
If you’re a veteran, active duty, National Guard, or a military family member in the Bastrop area, we’d genuinely love to have you on the mat. First class is free, no commitment, no sales pitch. Come see the gym, meet Rei, and roll around for an hour.
You’ve done harder things than this. A lot harder.
Book your free trial class at 10th Planet Airlock →
Or call us: (512) 271-5260
Or email: airlockbjj@gmail.com
10th Planet Airlock | 303 Martin Luther King Dr, Bastrop, TX 78602 | Inside Bastrop Fitness Project | Voted #1 Best Martial Arts Gym in Bastrop County 2025 | We Defy Foundation Partner
