280 gym aims to meet ‘hot need’ for sport-specific training facility

Randy Beckham hadn’t been in Birmingham for long when he realized the U.S. 280 area could use something he could provide — a top-of-the-line athlete training facility.

“With Spain Park, Chelsea, Leeds, Oak Mountain, Briarwood and other schools around, there was a great location to start something here,” said Beckham, co-owner of BlackWatch Sports. “There are a variety of businesses here that offer some kind of training, either health and wellness, or team building, or speed and agility training. What we bring to a table is a very holistic approach — it’s all of the above under one roof.”

And it’s a big roof for BlackWatch Sports at its new location in the former Sports Blast building at 19220 U.S. 280, said Kit Arrington, business development director.

“We’ve come in there and re-turfed the whole facility, and we have a retractable dome for infield practice,” he said. “We also have the former BJCC basketball court installed in our building.”

And the facility is ready to offer “total sports training” and run multiple sports leagues and camps in its wide span of fields and facilities starting in August, Arrington said. “It was a hot need in the area, and a couple of the owners talked about it, and the vision came together.”

BlackWatch Sports will have trainers in speed and agility, strength training and sport-specific training, such as soccer, football and basketball. The trainers will use pure motion as their equipment, and BlackWatch Sports’ facilities will be available to rent for use from charity events to team batting-cage practice.

BlackWatch Sports also will offer sport-specific summer camps, as well as general sports camp programs to expose children to a number of different games, Arrington said.

“It’s really exciting,” he said, noting that the facility will start running volleyball, flag football, baseball and other leagues in the next year. It also will host events and tournaments and other avenues for its clients to get involved in sports.

It’s a dynamic team sports offering, Beckham said, and it’s a dynamic training program for athletes of all skills and ages.

It’s definitely great for kids wanting to learn a sport, he said, offering the foundations of running, jumping and movement.

But it’s also for young athletes wanting to hone their skills or older athletes who just want to stay fit and live well, Beckham said.

“At the end of the day, we want everyone to have a good time. Athletics should be something that people enjoy and learn from,” he said. 

And at the end of the day, he said he wants to help people in Shelby County live well, enjoy exercise and live better lives.

“We have a platform that is unmatched in this area, and we want to use that platform to build better people,” Beckham said.

For more information, go to blackwatchsports.com or call 518-6591.