“We have to go with the punches,” McSweeney said. “We’ve never had to go through something like this before. It was a learning curve for everybody.”
McSweeney and his business partners started the business last year with the intention of teaching martial arts, from jiujitsu to kickboxing, as well as offering strength and conditioning training.
The Plano area was an attractive business market for them, McSweeney said. But that was before the coronavirus forced them to shut down in March.
The gym was growing in prominence in the weeks before the pandemic struck, McSweeney said. Just before the closures, he said, he had hosted several Dallas Cowboys defensive linemen for a training session.
“And then, bang, we [had] to close, so all of that hype and all of that momentum just came crashing to a complete stop,” McSweeney said.
For weeks, McSweeney taught free classes online, some of which featured other professionals he had met over the course of his career. He said, given the circumstances, that he felt it would be wrong for him to charge for the classes or to restrict access to members.
After reopening, the mixed martial arts center took additional safety steps. It has benefited from its expansive interior, which allowed it to space people out farther, McSweeney said.
The center also prioritized activities for children, including versions of its jiujitsu, kickboxing and mixed martial arts classes.
Now, the business is finding its footing in the Plano community, McSweeney said.
“It wasn’t just a business venture,” McSweeney said. “It was really because we wanted to follow our passion.”
McSweeney Martial Arts
2901 W. 15th St., Ste. B, Plano
469-998-1948
www.mcsweeneymartialarts.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-noon, closed Sun.
