With jiu-jitsu, Gerardo Mulas guides his students in art of self-discovery
For 5 Elements Studio owner and SMU grad Gerardo Mulas, it’s been a winding path of resilience from Madrid to Dallas.
With the ongoing rise in MMA (mixed martial arts) interest, thanks in part to popular podcasters like Joe Rogan, the jiu-jitsu Mulas specializes in continues to garner adherents among local kids and adults alike.
“I’ve always been into athletics, all my life,” Mulas said. “I started in martial arts as a kid, doing judo in school.”
After playing soccer, then tennis, his professional tennis career was sidelined by an injury.
“After I recovered, I ended up accepting an offer from SMU to represent the tennis team,” he recalled. “I graduated in 2000 from the business school.”
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A well-paying but ultimately unfulfilling corporate job led him back to his beloved athletics, where he immersed himself in various martial arts.
“I clicked with jiu-jitsu,” he said. “I took it all the way to achieving my blackbelt, which takes a while — at least 10 to 12 years.”
He started competing at the brown belt level, one rung below black, before earning his blackbelt in 2018.
He was already teaching, helping to build up the jiu-jitsu program at a local taekwondo studio. During the 2020 COVID shutdowns, Mulas decided to open his own space. After renovations, 5 Elements opened in February 2021.
“We have about a hundred members, between kids and adults,” said the still-active competitor. “Most people come here to take better care of themselves fitness-wise, health-wise, and then use jiu-jitsu as a self-development tool.”
A certified nutritionist, Mulas takes a holistic approach that stresses healthy eating, training, and recovery. He and his four trainers teach a variety of classes from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to students ranging in age from 3 to their late 70s.
“A lot of times it’s also psychological or empowerment or reinforcement,” he said. “We all deal with different things — lack of self-confidence, anxiety, self-doubt. I use this martial art and this space to try to help people discover themselves all the way.”
He’s not the only one.
“Jiu-jitsu has exploded as a martial art worldwide,” he pointed out. “Texas and California are the meccas of jiu-jitsu right now worldwide. Brazilian jiu-jitsu can be exclusively a sport, without hitting. Or, some of the top athletes in MMA use jiu-jitsu to dominate mixed martial arts, with striking allowed.”
“The goal is to be able to take it to the next level,” he said of his vision for the studio’s future, “have a little better visibility, increase the space. Right now, we’re limited, unfortunately — We’re blessed, because classes are pretty filled-up.”
Mulas envisions having space for different classes taking place simultaneously, along with a separate fitness and recovery area for parents to partake in cold plunges or lymphatic drainage while their child engages in a class. But he admitted the challenges of finding affordable real estate in the area, especially with adequate parking and a convenient location.
“That would be the intention I would want to take the business towards,” he said. “It’s a work in progress.”
