Joey is the founder and co-owner of Harrison County BJJ. He is a black belt who focuses on teaching his students self-defense based jiu jitsu. He has a strong background in combat sports, with over a decade of experience in Mixed Martial Arts, kickboxing, and judo.

 

While attending college in Vincennes Joey was part of an MMA club. A visiting jiu jitsu blue belt came in to train with them one day and easily submitted everyone. Joey was so impressed that he was inspired to learn jiu jitsu. He began practicing bjj at The Jiu Jitsu Academy in Evansivlle, Indiana, in 2009 under Professor Bruce Shepherd.

 

Joey felt that Harrison County, Indiana, needed a place where people, especially those working in law enforcement, could learn practical, self-defense based jiu jitsu techniques that they could use in the real world.

 

It didn't take him long to see that jiu jitsu has many benefits outside of sporting and combat situations. The gentle art has made a positive impact on his mental health over the years. He says that it helped him to develop patience, improved his temperament, and has given him remarkable confidence.

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In 2017, Joey opened Harrison County BJJ and partnered with the Adopt-A-Cop BJJ program. He received his black belt from Professor Bruce Shepherd on March 5, 2023.

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Joey has been involved in law enforcement for 15 years, including 10 years as a police officer. He is currently a reserve officer for Corydon, Indiana. He runs a full-time construction business, Speece Construction, with his brother Bradley. He also makes time to volunteer as a coach for the North Harrison High School track team.

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Outside of work and jiu jitsu, Joey loves to hunt, fish, and spend time with his family.

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Daniel Evans is the co-owner of Harrison County BJJ. He is a 3 stripe purple belt. He has been doing jiu jitsu since 2016 and started teaching classes in 2019. He also boxed for 2 years at Terry Milton's gym in New Albany, Indiana.

 

Evans has been a police officer since 2009. Before he started training bjj, he was involved in a physical altercation with a suspect. While he was eventually able to subdue this person, the encounter made him realize that he needed more training in how to safely handle a combative suspect.

 

He began training with Joey Speece and a few other officers, and when Joey opened Harrison County BJJ in 2017 he was among the first group of students to sign up. He's been with Harrison County BJJ ever since. 

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As an instructor, Evans values having fun with his training. He loves the sport aspect of jiu jitsu. Jiu jitsu is something he cares deeply about, and he enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for bjj with his students.

 

Evans served 5 years in the Army Infantry before becoming a police officer in 2009. He is currently a detective. Outside of the gym he enjoys working out, ice baths, and spending time with his family.

Nathan is our Wednesday night instructor. He is a purple belt who has been doing jiu jitsu for seven years. He started training when he was working as a corrections officer. When Joey opened Harrison County BJJ, he was among the first group of students to join.

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Nathan is excited to begin the teaching portion of his jiu jitsu journey. He believes in being personable and approachable. He also likes to include in-depth demonstrations that help his students hone in on small details that take basic techniques to the next level, and he also enjoys helping people diagnose and solve problems.

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Like our other instructors, Nathan has been involved with law enforcement in various capacities for many years. He is currently a police officer, a career he has held for a decade. He worked fifteen years on the S.W.A.T. team, including ten years as a S.W.A.T. team leader. He also holds numerous instructor certifications, including Law Enforcement Handgun, Shotgun and Rifle Instructor and S.W.A.T. & Tactics Instructor.

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Jiu jitsu has had a profound effect on Nathan's life. It has taught him many lessons that have translated to real life outside of the gym. It especially helped him to develop a sense of humility.

In his free time, Nathan enjoys Motocross and playing video games.

Haley is a lifelong athlete. She got started with sports by joining the Harrison County Swim Team, which led to her swimming competitively in high school. She has participated in women's fitness classes at local gyms and is a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. She began training two years ago with Team One Martial Arts, then relocated to her home gym, SIMA, in August 2023. She recently stepped onto the mats for her first BJJ competition, bringing home two silver medals.

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Haley is thrilled to begin her journey as a women's fitness coach. She is kind, down to earth, and has a "go with the flow" attitude that she hopes to bring to the gym as a coach. She is excited for the chance to support other women through fitness classes. Training has given Haley confidence in her daily life and a positive mindset that she hopes to pass on to the women she coaches.

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Haley works in admissions and marketing at a local health facility. She is also a mom to a five year old boy. She loves animals and when she's not at work or in the gym, she enjoys spending time with her son and their dog, cats, and chickens.

Dave Puzon has been involved in martial arts his entire life, starting forty years ago as a child in 1984. He was destined to be a martial artist from birth- Dave's father ran a karate school in the 2000s and is a 6th degree black belt, and his uncles are 7th and 8th degree black belts who ran their own karate school in Miami. Dave holds 3rd degree black belts in Shotokan Karate and Aki Jitsu, as well as a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He trained boxing, kickboxing and MMA for 15 years at Battlegrounds Combat Club in Corydon, Indiana, under Matt Kitterman. He is a Golden Gloves boxer and fought in Indiana Golden Gloves amateur matches. He went pro in mixed martial arts with a record of 15-2.

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Dave has extensive experience as a coach. He coached at Battlegrounds Combat Club for a decade. One of his proudest accomplishments was coaching a beginner MMA student all the way to taking the Light Heavyweight Championship. As a coach Dave has a laid back but no-nonsense style of teaching. Martial arts have had a positive influence on his life, guiding him to make better choices than he would have otherwise.

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Dave is a veteran who spent 10 years in the Army, five of those as an MP with an SRT unit. He now works as a leather crafter, making items such as holsters and knives. He is a father of five, with kids aged 23-16. During his free time he enjoys sparring with his kids. He is also an ordained minister and he assists teaching a Sunday school class and youth Bible study.