Hero Adaptive Combat, Ocean & Recovery Program
HACORP is built to create life-changing retreat experiences through combat sports, ocean therapy, connection, recovery, and purpose. Rooted in the work we have already done with adaptive athletes, veterans, and mission-driven nonprofit partners, this program is about using Costa Rica, community, and challenge to help people reconnect with strength, confidence, and possibility.
Built on Real Work, Not Just an Idea
HACORP grows out of real retreat experience at Hero Academy, including past work with Lee’s Heart and our commitment to creating powerful experiences that blend movement, ocean, recovery, and belonging.
A Program Built Around Strength, Healing & Purpose
The mission of HACORP is to serve veterans, adaptive athletes, and others who can benefit from a transformational experience centered around challenge, nature, movement, recovery, and meaningful human connection.
We believe healing and restoration do not happen in one lane alone. They happen when people are brought into the right environment, surrounded by the right team, and given the opportunity to reconnect with their bodies, their confidence, and a deeper sense of purpose.
Combat. Ocean. Recovery. These are not just activities. They are the pillars of an immersive experience designed to help participants reset, grow, and move forward stronger.
The Story Behind HACORP
This program did not begin in theory. It began through real relationships, real retreats, and real impact.
Past Work With Lee’s Heart
HACORP is inspired in part by our past work with Lee’s Heart, where we helped host meaningful retreat experiences built around camaraderie, challenge, and recovery. Those experiences reinforced what we had already seen firsthand: when people are taken out of survival mode and placed into a powerful environment with the right support, incredible things can happen.
Why We’re Building This
Hero Academy has spent years creating transformational experiences through jiu-jitsu retreats, youth impact work, and service-driven community building in Costa Rica. HACORP is the next evolution of that mission — a focused initiative designed to serve adaptive and recovery-centered populations through a more intentional, purpose-built program.
Three Core Elements of the Experience
HACORP is designed around three interconnected pillars that help participants challenge themselves, regulate their system, reconnect with others, and rediscover what they are capable of.
Combat
Combat sports and movement-based training provide challenge, confidence, discipline, resilience, and a direct pathway back into the body.
Ocean
The ocean provides a powerful setting for restoration and perspective. Surf, saltwater, sun, breath, and nature-based experiences can help participants reset and reconnect.
Recovery
Recovery is intentional space for reflection, community, wellness practices, and the opportunity to leave stronger than you arrived.
Built for People Who Need More Than a Vacation
HACORP is intended for veterans, adaptive athletes, and mission-aligned communities who can benefit from a retreat experience that goes deeper than recreation alone.
Costa Rica provides a unique environment for this kind of work — ocean, sun, movement, community, nature, and enough distance from normal life to create real perspective.
Combined with Hero Academy’s existing retreat infrastructure and service-first mission, it creates the foundation for something truly special.
Apply for a HACORP Sponsorship
HACORP sponsorships are intended to help qualified veterans and adaptive participants access a transformational retreat experience built around jiu-jitsu, surfing, yoga, recovery, and community.
The initial application helps us understand your background, travel readiness, prior experience with jiu-jitsu or surfing, and any general accommodations that may help create a safe and positive experience.
This first step is not a medical evaluation and does not guarantee acceptance. Some applicants may later be contacted by Hero Academy or one of our veteran support or clinical partners for additional screening or coordination.
The Kind of Impact We Want to Create
Help Us Build Something Bigger
We are actively growing HACORP through participant sponsorships, aligned supporters, nonprofit relationships, clinical/veteran support partners, and future retreat opportunities.