About Us

​

The name of this gym carries a lot of weight! First, some backstory...

​

Brannon Shaw (July 9, 1990 – August 7, 2021) was my brother. He lost his life in a lake near Nashville, GA at the age of 31, just two days after my 25th birthday.

Brannon was an absolute fitness freak. I remember being a young, unathletic kid watching in awe as my older brother pulled off amazing feats of athleticism. He was larger than life to me.

​

Things began to shift as we got older. I started taking fitness more seriously in high school. We were both enrolled in martial arts as kids, but around this time, our paths split. Brannon moved toward bodybuilding, and I dove headfirst into combat sports, becoming more involved than ever before.

​

My relationship with my brother was great! He was one of my biggest inspirations. Brannon was also my harshest critic and my most loving supporter.

 

I spent most of his later years trying to pull him back into martial arts. Deep down, I think maybe he didn’t like the idea of his little brother (in both age and size) being able to beat him up! But I also believe he knew we were each meant to walk different paths in the athletic world.

​

So yeah, this is the short version—but that’s where the name comes from.
LEGACY 31 isn’t just about the legacy I want to create for myself.
It’s about the one my brother never got to finish.

​

There’s a little more to the story...

​

Before we were LEGACY 31, we were known as White Tiger Martial Arts Academy. I bought the gym from Mike Mason in 2023. Mike ran WTMA for 20 years—he’s the one who started this legacy. He was my original coach, and he’ll always be like a second father to me.

I’m eternally grateful for his teachings, his mentorship, and the influence he still has on me to this day. <3