Our Coaches
We are incredibly proud and honored to call these wonderful humans coaches at Higs Academy!
As you will read, our coaches have a variety of skills and interests, but one thing that is a constant for all is their extreme care for our students and their desire to be a positive part of their Higs journey!
We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about them below!
Byron Higinbotham
Head Coach & Co-Owner
Byron Higinbotham
- Husband & Father
- 1st Degree BJJ Black Belt
- 3rd Dan Tae Kwon Do Black Belt
- Certified Rock Steady Coach
- Bachelors in Criminology
- 4th Generation Farmer
Byron Higinbotham is a lifelong martial artist and fitness nut! Growing up on a farm taught him the value of hard work and working with what you’ve got. As a youngster, he built a workout gym in one of his family's hay barns which included hay bale punching bags, hydraulic cylinders as weights, and epic obstacle courses around the stacks of hay. Fast forward to today and now he and his family and a wonderful group of friends have created a similar concept on a much bigger scale for all of you to enjoy on his own farm in Central Point.
Byron started his formal martial arts training in Tae Kwon Do and achieved the rank of 3rd Dan Black Belt. Wanting to grow and have a way of handling a self-protection situation that didn’t involve punching and or kicking someone he took up grappling in 2001. Byron then met his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach, Roy Dean, in 2010 and is currently a 1st degree Black Belt with only moderate cauliflower ear (BTW there is a way to train BJJ without messing your ears up).
Wanting to supplement his martial arts training with a functional conditioning method he began looking into military obstacle courses. Being inspired by early YouTube vids of the U.S. Navy’s O course at Coronado, Byron began building his own version. You can now find these continually growing and changing indoor and outdoor courses within Higs Performance Academy and utilized in various forms of training including Functional Fitness and Parkour.
Byron loves exploring, traveling, and dreaming with his family. He is continually learning and working to become a better version of himself physically, mentally, and spiritually each day so he can help those around him do the same. He is honored to coach and truly believes in one of our long-standing academy mottos, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” —Proverbs 27:17. He is excited for the future of the academy and to seeing some of his and his wife Emmy’s visions come to fruition!
Emmy Higinbotham
Co-Owner & Functional Fitness Coach
Emmy Higinbotham
Kim Adams
Higs Academy Manager
Kim Adams
- Higs Performance Academy Manager
- Rock Steady Boxing Coach
- Ladies Boxing Coach
Kim Adams is a wife and mother of 3 kids (18, 16, and 14)….and like most people in the HIgs family, it all started with her kids becoming part of the program over 10 years ago. She was looking for a physical outlet for her kids that wasn’t a typical sport. She wanted something that would teach them life skills as well as challenge them and encourage them to be better. And that was found at Higs. Not only did she find it a great place for her kids, it was a great place for her to explore her fitness passion…..boxing!
That passion for boxing has led to her becoming a coach for both the ladies boxing program and Rock Steady Boxing, a program designed for those with Parkinson’s Disease to fight back! She loves coaching and encouraging people to do the best they can. She works hard at keeping a variety in the workouts she coaches and making her boxers feel empowered!
Beyond the gym, Kim is the owner of a mobile bar called The HJB Booze and Brews that caters to weddings and events. She is also the founder of a ministry called Love Stripped, loving and encouraging women right where they are at and sharing the love of Jesus with them.
Nancy Higinbotham
Assistant Rock Steady Boxing Coach
Nancy Higinbotham
- Assistant Rocksteady Boxing Coach
Nancy was born and raised in Central Point, Oregon, and married her high school sweetheart. Together with her husband Tim they raised 3 children on a farm in the countryside. She later worked at Rogue Community College as a Veterans Advisor before retiring to take care of her grandchildren.
Nancy and her husband turned over the farming operation to their son Byron and his wife Emmalee who are now raising their boys in the same farming atmosphere.
Nancy has helped coach the Higs Performance Academy Rocksteady Boxing program since it was first introduced. She also loves to train in our ladies' boxing and golden gloves classes.
Jason Kuhlman
MMA & Birthday Party Coach
Jason Kuhlman
- Mixed Martial Arts Coach
- Birthday Party Coach Extraordinaire
Jason moved from a small town in Iowa to a small town in Oregon in 1986. He and his wife Amy have raised their son and daughter in Central Point where he has also taught Elementary in the public-school setting for 21 years. Coach Jason has been a part of the Higs family for almost 15 years. He has received his black belt in Taekwondo and is working towards his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He enjoys coaching MMA, filling in for kids and adult classes when needed as well as coaching birthday parties. When not at Higs or school, he enjoys camping, hiking, hunting, mountain biking, and throwing things at kids. We sure are thankful for him and would love to hear your stories of how he has impacted you and/or your family too!
John Eaton
Youth BJJ Coach
John Eaton
- Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
- Fixer & Idea Man
John has been a member of the academy since 2013 and a coach since 2018. In his youth, John found a much-needed source of mentoring and belonging at a Tae Kwon Do school. Years later he now strives to encourage and connect with the kids he coaches in a meaningful and lasting way. His faith in God and his commitment to helping kids find their own strength and courage is what drives his coaching style, taking kids from where they are to where they want to be.
John, his wife, and 2 children have lived in the Rogue Valley for the last 8 years, originally from Eugene, OR. When not on the mats, John enjoys outdoor recreation and camping, reading, philosophy, carpentry, cooking, and mad scientist experiments with his kids. His favorite quote to live by since 6th grade has been: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try, just one more time.” —Thomas Eddison
Tyler Maddox
Functional Fitness Coach
Tyler Maddox
- Functional Fitness Coach
Tyler helped launch the Higs Academy Functional Fitness class several years ago and shares coaching responsibilities with his wife Haley, and Academy co-founder Emmalee Higinbotham. He has an energetic style of coaching which is helpful since the classes are at 6am. His whole family has been a part of Higs for many years and they all bring amazing energy to the Academy. Tyler is an outdoors fanatic and loves doing epic adventures.
Haley Maddox
Functional Fitness Coach
Haley Maddox
- Functional Fitness Coach
- Macro Mavens Co-Founder
Haley is a Rogue Valley local with deep roots and a wanderer’s heart. Haley is a co-founder of Macro Mavens, a one-on-one online macro coaching business. Nutrition is and wellness are strong passions for Haley, and she loves helping people reach their goals and become better people. Plus she is partners with her bestie (Emmy Higinbotham) which makes working so fun!!
Haley’s other passion is adventuring all over the world with her family and friends and she has a life goal to visit every continent. When she is not traveling, Haley spends most mornings at her second home; Higs Performance Academy, which she and her family have been a part of for over 9 years.
Rachel Chastain
Assistant Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
Rachel Chastain
- Assistant Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
Rachel found Higs Performance Academy in 2017 when searching for a place for her son Colby to learn Jiu Jitsu. She, along with her son and husband all train now at Higs. Most of Rachel’s free time is spent training or helping coach in our youth BJJ classes. When she is not at the Academy She loves to cook and be outdoors.
Nathan Hubler
Youth Parkour & BJJ Coach
Nathan Hubler
- Teen Parkour Coach
- Youth Parkour Coach
- Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
Nathan started at the gym when he was 15 and has now been training and coaching at Higs for roughly 10 years. Nathan continues to sharpen and evolve his parkour and Jiu Jitsu skills and loves helping others do the same. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and aspires to reach the rank of black in the coming years. Other than Jiu Jitsu and parkour he enjoys reading, longboarding, video games, and movies. Nathan is a great help around the academy and farm and we are honored that he chooses Higs to make an impact.
Arie Kuyper
Youth Parkour & BJJ Coach
Arie Kuyper
- Parkour Coach
- Summer Camp Coach
- Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
Arie has been attending classes and coaching at Higs for the last 7 years. He has three siblings and has lived in the Rogue Valley his whole life. When he is not training parkour or Jiu Jitsu at the Academy, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Arie says that as a coach he has seen many kids and adults grow in both physical strength and mental confidence. “I could not ask for a better gym family and look forward to the bright future of this amazing place.”
Chad Walker
Nogi Jiu Jitsu Coach
Chad Walker
- Nogi Jiu Jitsu Coach
Chad has been a part of Higs for over a decade and is currently a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. He heads up our Nogi program on Monday nights and is a phenomenal coach. Chad has an eye for detail and knows how to bring out the best in our students.
Amareni Sanchez
Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
Amareni Sanchez
- Youth Jiu Jitsu Coach
- Summer Parkour Camp Coach
Amareni has been a member of Higs Performance Academy for 8 years and trains in our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Parkour, and Ladies Boxing classes. She helps coach the youth Jiu Jitsu classes as well as our summer parkour camps. Amareni has pretty much grown up in the gym and loves to grow and learn and help others do the same.
Outside of the academy, she loves to spend time with her family, friends, and dog. She loves to work out and enjoys the outdoors as well as challenging herself to do hard things. She is grateful for her friends and family at Higs and calls it her second home.
Sarah Duron
Assistant Parkour Coach
Sarah Duron
- Assistant Parkour Coach
- Summer Parkour Camp Coach
Sarah has been training at Higs for 4 years and specializes in Parkour. About a year ago she came on board as a coach and has been a great addition to our stellar lineup of coaches. She is amazing with the kiddos and cares about each one. Aside from training Parkour Sarah also enjoys painting, drawing, and spending time with her family.
Eilif Jacobson
Youth Parkour Coach
Eilif Jacobson
- Youth Parkour Coach
Eilif is 20 years old, and loves doing parkour, and has for the past five years. He also enjoys making videos, playing video games, camping, and more.
Peter Hulce
Adult BJJ Coach
Peter Hulce
- Husband & Father
- 1st Degree BJJ Black Belt
- Tae Kwon Do Black Belt
- Parkour Specialist
- Designer & Owner at PHD Studios
Peter Hulce was born in Kona, Hawaii. His family moved to Southern Oregon before he turned two years old, and he’s been here ever since. He came to jiu jitsu when he was 13 years old. His parents thought it would be good for him to have a disciplined physical outlet. So he began training at Higs Performance Academy.
At the time, Higs was an MMA academy doing a little bit of everything. The main three focuses were Tae Kwon Do, no-gi grappling, and parkour. Over the next two years, he earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do, winning gold at various local tournaments along the way.
When he was 15, Higs starting training traditional gi BJJ. Over the next year, he went through the kids’ ranks (yellow, orange, and green). As a 15-year-old green belt, he competed in the men’s white belt division at tournaments and won every match taking the gold.
Immediately after his 16th birthday, he was promoted to blue belt. Throughout the next 9 months, he continued to do very well in tournaments. So in June of 2013, he was promoted to purple belt. He spent the next 2 years at purple belt with good success in tournaments.
In August of 2015, he was promoted to brown belt. Two and a half years later in January of 2018, he was promoted to black belt. He made his black belt competition debut in January of 2020 taking home the gold.
To Peter, jiu jitsu is an intricate mental and physical art that has shaped him for the rest of his life.