Today we’d like to introduce you to Johnny Rodriguez.
Hi Johnny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a Houston Fire Fighter and had been training for over 20 years at the point that HPD started back up the Guns and Hoses boxing event. HPD was in the process of looking for firefighters to fight and I signed up. I went to their gym when other firefighters started showing up and I took it upon myself to start training them since neither of them had any formal training. I searched through the FD to see if there were any other boxing coaches that could help. Since I had been training formally in different forms of fighting styles since I was 19 yrs old. Not that I had never been in a fight, I did grow up in the 80s and 90s in Northside of Houston. Plenty of real fights in school and out. I was always able to hold my own due to my athleticism and tenacity. I was always interested in training and being coached by those in the know. So, once I graduated HS I signed up to the NAVY where I was able to travel and my fist station was in Italy where I started training in Taekwondo Olympic style, and then while in France took up kickboxing where unknown to me. The academy I was attending produced some of the TOP kickboxing fighters in the world with that same coach. But of course, at that time he was just coach who spoke Spanish because I did not speak French. I wrestled a lot with wrestlers that did not get into the Colleges they felt they should have gotten into, so they were really good. So, I feel like I learned a lot from them.
Then through a series of events like work I became a firefighter where after 1o yrs I started training Krav Maga and did that for 6 yrs. 3yrs as a student and another 3 as a student coach. They really run it like a coaching program where you shadow and train. So that’s really were I learned how to coach people how to fight and defend themselves. So, come full circle when it came to boxing, that was the easy part. I coached the team with the help of boxing coaches who had been coaching for decades. I realized their fighting styles weren’t that different than the way I coached. But it was a different formula on the time of rounds, speed, and volume of punches. Sparring was definitely a huge difference too. From coach to coach. Some liked sparring 3 times a week. A few liked 2 times a week. Intensity levels too. I really became a student under them on their philosophies. Then covid happened!
So that fights ended up happening in 2017 and we won all the fights but one. But that guy was not training with us. That one guy was training at the same gym with the HPD team and he ended up cutting weight and one thing about first responders is we don’t cut weight. We fight at wherever weight we walk around because cutting weight is dehydrating and our jobs require us to stay hydrated and then some. So even myself, at that time I was walking around at 185-190 lbs. and at 5’7″ I wasn’t fat. Just muscular. So the guy I ended up fighting was the HPD combative training officer. So every HPD GUY wanted to see him get a KO. unfortunately for him, he fought me. Normally once would think that was unfair right, but I was the one training the HFD team so it seemed like a great idea. yada yada yada I beat him up pretty unanimously.
So, after covid we started training at gyms that had heavy bags. Not boxing gyms, just gyms. Then I saw Spar Houston on social media. With running HFD Boxing page I had to get into the whole social media. I approached them about training at their gym. We welcomed me and the team with open arms and we stayed. After 4 yrs the owner had an amazing opportunity come up and he was going to close the gym since there were now buyers. That’s when I had some saving and told him I’d buy it. As they say the rest is history. Been figuring it out ever since.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Hick no, I had worked in gyms before. I was even a GM right before the FD. But owning and running things the way you think should be run are completely different. Especially, since it is a certain niche and demographic type of individuals that you are really aiming to come in. Those people are looking for small groups training, that want to push themselves. Getting the message out there!!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a 22 yr veteran in the FD As a firefighter x-military that has seen a lot and has trained my entire life. Staying capable has always been my focus. Capable of everything life has to throw at. From stress to environments where if you are not ready for it, then your life is on the line. So because of this line of work, I see the after math of staying stationary, not being active, not watching your diet, living life like there is no tomorrow. Drug use, prescription and illegal. What it does to the human body of all ages and ethnic groups.
So, when I train people, these are the experiences I fall back on. What everyone should be able to do and be capable of. I educated myself and trained in all sorts of training methods like yoga, stretching, conditioning, strength training for life and not just muscle growth for size. How the body needs to recover and be capable to do well into your elderly yrs. How the functions of your insides lead to function on the outside.
So, the one thing I am most proud of how I can teach someone in a span of 30 min and they themselves see the difference in themselves and those who have had some combative training tell me, they’ve learned more on 30 min with me than they had in 3 months at other gyms or other training methods and coaches.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
OMG, I wished I had started out with the intention of opening up a gym and running things on my own. Fire Department wise I feel like I was more prepared than most people, especially after training rookies their first year in the department. A lot of them really had no idea what all we do or what to expect to see while at work. How physically demanding the job was going to be and could be.
Like I recently saw that movie “The Tomorrow War” the part of the movie where they were asking about the aliens and what they looked like. ” The census said if people knew what they were up against then nobody would want to go” I feel the same about the FD. As for being a business owner, same thing. Everyone wants to be their own boss until it’s all on you of how the money is going to be made. Staying innovative and being a people person, salesman, marketing, and if you a coach in a product that some people find intimidating and other people find accelerating but never want to be part of.
Pricing:
- $100 per hr on private sessions
- $450 when bundle 5 private sessions 1 time paid in full
- $480 special for 5 private sessions and 6 group classes 1 time paid in full
- $900 special for 12 private sessions with 12 group classes 1 time paid in full
- $200 monthly small Group classes
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sparhtx.com
- Instagram: #sparhtx / #sparhouston
- Facebook: @sparhtx / @sparhouston
- Youtube: @SparHouston
