Who We Are
Heritage Arts, Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax exempt educational charity, EIN number 81-5406720.
Interested in who we are and where we came from? Explore our origins.
Where we Started
Mixed martial arts rose to prominence in the 1990s, and by 2000 the “no holds barred” revolution had shattered time-honored assumptions about traditional martial arts.
In the spirit of these new discoveries, Robert Mitchell founded Richmond All Martial Arts Club (RAMAC) in 2001. Practitioners of various martial arts gathered at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College where they sparred and shared techniques. Interest in RAMAC faded and the group folded.
A succession of groups followed — Cabal Fang being the most noteworthy — each new version cutting away failed concepts and building upon previous successes, but each one ultimately insufficient.
Heritage Arts, Inc. and it’s Rough ‘n’ Tumble program are the culmination of over three decades of seeking, experimentation, and research.
who we are
A martial art must contain sincere contact, fighting realism and real fitness in order to be effective. Yet it must also involve the work of the spirit.
Without a spiritual center, martial arts are at risk of becoming nothing more than dark arts that put pain and punishment on a pedestal.
Our Rough ‘n’ Tumble program is a practical, pragmatic American martial art — a fusion of the fighting methods and lifeways of the colonial and indigenous peoples of North America, from frontier period to the present day.
But the old-timers were also big on the great spiritual disciplines — contemplation, meditation, prayer, and sacred reading. So we are too.
We engage the hearts and minds of our members to promote a strong moral and ethical center.
Robert Mitchell, Founder of Heritage ARts, Inc.
Robert “Mitch” Mitchell Jr. has been practicing martial arts since 1986. From 1990 until 2005 he held a number of teaching posts, including Korean Karate instructor for the YMCA and City of Richmond Recreation and Parks. In 2010 he was awarded the rank of Master by the Combat Martial Arts Practitioner’s Association and in 2019 became an affiliate coach in Mark Hatmaker’s Rough ‘n’ Tumble fighting arts system.
After 20+ years as a religious seeker practicing Taoism, Buddhism, Shamanism, Wicca, and so on, Mitch returned to the Christian faith of his childhood. In 2017 he enrolled in Ekklesia Epignostika Seminary and in 2023 was ordained as priest in the Old Catholic Tradition.
He and his wife Karen are the proud parents of four children and five grandchildren.
To contact Mitch, call (804) 516-1224 or email mitch@heritageartsinc.com.