My many faces

Two weeks ago I finished an interview with Jason Davis Founder the founder of AMAA(The Adaptive Martial Arts Association) for his podcast on Martial Arts and life with a disability. Links will be posted here and on all my other social media sites when it goes live.

People always ask "What do you love more BJJ or writing?" My answer is "I love art." I've said in previous posts that BJJ is the only thing that feeds both the artistic and scientific parts of my brain, while quenching that thirst for competition that has driven me since I was young. Whereas writing is, for the lack of a better term, peaceful torment. Putting words to paper in a creative format forces you to run the gambit of emotions. They are really two sides of the same coin. They are both my therapeutic canvas, but for very different reasons. I can't live without both they are integral parts of the triangle that makes me whole. I've written poems about BJJ and many of novels include BJJ in some capacity. There have been many times where I've adjusted novels thanks to an idea that came to when I was trying to finish a submission. The mat is one of my favorite places to think; the mat and the bathroom work best for me. The shower is a thinking ma...

People who know me know I'm very passionate about two things Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and storytelling. Storytelling is the reason I decided to take the leap into writing novels. It's also the reason I'm able to enjoy professional wrestling even though I'm older in spite of the fact that the writing in most American promotions is total shit right now(and one in particular has the wrong guy at the top of the card). The in-ring storytelling is still amazing. Watch the 30-min ironman match between Bailey and Sasha Banks from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn for proof of this. It can be found on WWE network for those interested.(Vince you're welcome) This is predominately a BJJ blog, so you're probably confused right now. You're probably asking, "What does storytelling have to do with BJJ?" Well let's break down a story then it'll make sense. Every good story has 5 parts- Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Denouncement. Any really good...

This was originally going to be a youtube video and i'll still do a video on this, it'll just be detailed version of this post. I'm still fooling around with editing(partially deciding if i want/need to or not) among other things. There was question posed by the late, Ian Matuszak almost a year ago now. It's a simple one, but the possible solutions make it interesting. The question was: How do we get more exposure for Para-grappling? Well the answer is simple we create people. No matter how many tournaments there are like GrapplersHeart none of them matter in the long run, because people are interested people. No one says "That girl who does armbars I really like her." Everyone says "I really like Ronda Rousey." Now it's true that some people don't, but that's not the point. The point is that second sentence has a name. I'll leave it at that for now the youtube video will discuss how we do that. Until next time. Click an ad to s...

So I've kept this post draft format until everything was setup. Maguilla BJJ is starting a program for disabled military veterans in partnership with Walter Reed medical center. I will the head instructor of the program. We are currently working on transportation for the veterans who have expressed interest. If anyone is interested feel free to get in touch with me through any of the links on the "Contact Me" tab.

The title of this post, it's a phrase I hear a lot. Usually in the form of a question, "What do you do if he's got legs?" My response is usually something like "So what? He's got two extra limbs to attack." That is somewhat of a snarky answer, but it's true. Asking that question is the same as asking, "How do you shower?" However unlike, "How do you shower?" It's not a dumb question just a poorly phrased question. Ironically, both of these questions have the same answer. What you must understand is BJJ and every other martial art for that matter, is bio-mechanically perfect. They're all perfect at what they are specifically designed to do. Defend oneself under some given circumstance. The point is you'll never create "new Jiu-Jitsu" you'll only modify it to fit your level of strength, flexibility, agility, speed, etc. Ever wonder why people considered "innovators" like Ryan Hall, the Mendes bro...

Normally, Nationals(excluding Brazilian Nationals, because it's part of the grand slam) events never matter. However, the IBJJF has taken the right steps towards making the Regional and National tournaments matter with the new point system introduced after this year's World Championship event. I'm not going to talk about results here, just know that you now have another reason to watch American Nationals and tournaments like it. Not only are these the tournaments where the next generation truly shines, but it's also where they earn their spot in the biggest tournament of the year.