Two things have been true for RJ Nealon for virtually his entire life. One, ever since suffering a stroke at birth, he’s lived with cerebral palsy: a condition that limits certain motor skills and muscle development.
Two, he’s a lifelong multi-sport athlete, with his main activities including football, basketball, baseball, and swimming. “I played sports year-round,” Nealon remembers. “There wasn’t a season of the year, I wasn’t doing anything.”
While some may assume that living with a physical disability and maintaining an intense dedication to athleticism to be mutually exclusive, Nealon — alongside a growing number of his fellow adaptive athletes — begs to differ.
“As a teenager, I wanted nothing to do with adaptive this, or adaptive that, but maturity opened my eyes to the opportunities to make a real difference,” says Nealon. “When I started jiu-jitsu, there wasn’t any athlete that looked like me. Now, years later, I want to be that person for the younger generation.”
Currently an adaptive athlete making waves in the sport of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Nealon’s won several major accolades, including a silver medal finish at the 2024 Abu Dhabi World Para Jiu-Jitsu Championships. He’s also competed successfully on the IBJJF circuit, notably taking a number of victories against traditional able-bodied athletes.
“As much as Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a team sport with a family-oriented environment, it’s the individuality that appeals to me,” Nealon explains. “There are fundamental ways to teach each technique, but it’s how each person applies that technique that makes their style. There’s no right or wrong way to do jiu-jitsu, and everybody [interprets] it differently. I think it’s safe to say everyone has an athlete they model their game off of, or find inspiration in, but the cool thing about being an adaptive athlete in a combat sport is that I must modify almost every technique.
“My style is unique to my body and my physical limitations. And that’s special.”
No one familiar with Nealon’s athletic accolades as a child should be surprised by his impressive jiu-jitsu resume as an adult. Throughout his developmental years, ambition and athletic drive followed Nealon from sport to sport. “I won a few state championships and a national championship in swimming,” he recalls. “But it was when I started playing baseball that I realized I was different from all the other kids, and that for the rest of my life, I’d have to adapt to most life situations.”
Not everyone was always supportive of Nealon’s athletic ambitions. “Signing up for little league baseball, the president of the organization at the time flat-out said I wouldn’t be able to play baseball because I couldn’t use my right hand, questioning how I would catch the ball and throw it,” recalls Nealon.
Even as a child, Nealon wasn’t so easily dissuaded. “My grandfather always said this to me, ‘Tell me I can’t, and I will,’” says Nealon. “I went and tried out for the Cal Ripkin Jr. travel team and made it. For the next several years I played shortstop, left field, and pitcher. It worked out in the end; travel ball is better than little league anyways.
“I now have that saying from my grandpa tattooed above my heart.”
While Nealon may not have always embraced his status as an adaptive athlete, one training camp in 2022 would change his attitude toward adaptive athletics forever. “In 2022, I attended the Adaptive Training Foundation in Dallas, Texas,” Nealon remembers. “It is a non-profit organization that provides free, adaptive fitness and performance training for veterans, first responders, and civilians with physical or traumatic impairments. I was a part of the Hyper training camp, designed for elite-level adaptive athletes.
“During my ten-day camp, we trained two-a-days, along with participating in numerous mindset sessions. I left the program with a better understanding of being an adaptive athlete and being more accepting of my diagnosis and pursuing adaptive opportunities in athletics. It also gave me the strength and confidence to become a fierce advocate to start promoting disability in combat sports.”
His experiences with the Adaptive Training Foundation have equipped Nealon with unique insight into just how far adaptive athletes can take their sporting careers. Moreover, he’s quick and thoughtful in shutting down harmful assumptions or stereotypes regarding his community.
“People often try and compare adaptive athletes and their accomplishments to traditional able-bodied athletes, and I think that can be a dangerous thing to do,” he observes. “There are elite-level adaptive athletes who have won against the highest of levels, all over the world. That's impressive and should be celebrated.”
Nealon questions the double standards often imposed against athletes competing with disabilities. “Why is it okay for able-bodied athletes to ‘flex’ their accomplishments — to promote themselves using the ‘wins’ and "highlight" moments — but adaptive athletes can't? Why?” he asks. “Because they’re an adaptive athlete, and [they won] against opponents with impairments, so that somehow makes it less impressive or less respectable?”
Nealon invites able-bodied athletes to listen to what their adaptive teammates and peers have to say on the subject. “Disability belongs in combat sports because there are so many different avenues to find a space in jiu-jitsu — but that’s a hard thing to do when people automatically think [you're] less than, or [don't] see achievements as equal,” he points out. “Remember this: someone who hasn't lived with a disability should not have a say. They should be curious and listen, but they don't sit at the same table. To ‘para-splain’ to an adaptive athlete that they are wrong about something you don't and won't have a lived experience of is wild.”
“Representation matters,” Nealon reminds us. “Advocacy matters. Respect and understanding matter. An equal playing field matters.”
In present day, does Nealon’s jiu-jitsu game change at all depending on whether or not he’s facing a fellow adaptive athlete?
“I wouldn’t say my mindset or strategy changes too much,” he muses. “My coaches and I always come up with a game plan and goals we want to hit during competition, but I am more willing to take risks and get fancy in adaptive tournaments. When I compete in IBJJF, the margin or error is small. Being technical and sticking to a strict strategy is the priority.”
As an adaptive athlete, Nealon has built a unique game that plays to his specific strengths while minimizing potential weaknesses. “I am a big berimbolo guy and very proud of the open guard that I play,” he shares. “The difference is, the way a typical athlete would use [the berimbolo] to take the back, I use it to retain guard and enter leg entanglements or to come up and get the sweep. Because I don’t have that second grip, it’s difficult to finish the actual bolo, so I’m forced to adapt and think outside the box.”
Nealon’s hard-earned ability to earn dominant victories against both adaptive and able-bodied opponents point to learning methods that aren’t just valuable to the adaptive community — they’re useful to anyone who trains jiu-jitsu, regardless of physical status.
“I think everybody can benefit from learning methods from full-time adaptive athletes, regardless of their physical abilities,” says Nealon.
While able-bodied athletes may not require the same physical modifications or technical adaptations on the mat, Nealon believes that much can be gleaned from the mindset of a successful adaptive athlete. This becomes particularly true during periods of injury, illness, or other physical limitations — something all too familiar to anyone who participates in a full-contact combat sport.
“[Adaptive athletes] have to spend a lot of time troubleshooting things that work and don’t work,” explains Nealon. “Showcasing a new perspective can only help us grow the jiu-jitsu community. And I do always tell people, if you are injured or do have a short-term disability, it can force you to step outside your comfort zone and develop your game in other areas.”
For what it’s worth, Nealon’s own creative, acrobatic style of jiu-jitsu has also paid dividends in his personal health and physical development. “I went to the neurologist a few years ago just for a checkup, and she had mentioned wanting me to start physical therapy again,” Nealon tells us. “When I told her I did jiu-jitsu and showed her pictures and videos, she told me to just keep doing martial arts. She said given the type of cerebral palsy I have, I shouldn’t be able to move the way I do. She was a little speechless.”
Now a proud member of Gaidama’s growing roster of sponsored athletes, Nealon is eager to highlight the fox team’s strong support for the adaptive community. “I wanted to partner with the fox team because of the people,” says Nealon. “Everyone I have crossed paths with has welcomed me with open arms and has supported me as an equal. I am seen as an athlete. I take a lot of pride in being the adaptive representative because it sends a strong message that disability belongs in combat sports and with hard work anything is possible. It sets the standard for the rest of the jiu-jitsu community.”
Moreover, Gaidama is one of the only brands in the combat sport space that produces gear that comfortably fits Nealon’s specific physique as a an athlete with cerebral palsy. “Because of my cerebral palsy, my right side has less muscle mass,” he explains. “Gaidama is the only brand that fits my right side and that’s important.”
What can other athletic brands learn from Gaidama’s example?
“I think companies should be aware of the products they are making and the fabric they are using,” says Nealon. “The Gaidama gear fits especially my hips well, and I think a big part of that is because the shorts have built-in undergarments. And, you must think, there’s many invisible disabilities. Sometimes, athletes on the [autism] spectrum [for example] have sensitivity with the fabric, so being mindful of that can be a game-changer.”
When it comes to his own Gaidama wardrobe, Nealon has two favorites. His first is the men’s Wotto Doodle rashguard — which he loves for the comments it elicits whenever he rocks the set. “Every time I wear it, at least one person comments on it,” he tells us. “It’s always the wildest no-gi set on the mats.
The men’s ranked Signature rashguard, however, remains his favorite piece for competition. “It’s simple, but clean,” says Nealon.
Above all, it’s gear that fits him correctly and comfortably. For an adaptive athlete, that in itself is a step in the right direction.
Want to channel your inner RJ Nealon? Rock his signature Wotto Doodle rashguard at your next open mat. Alternately, don the men’s ranked Signature rashguard the next time you compete, for a timeless look that’s clean, elegant, and best of all, IBJJF uniform check approved!