Hometown
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Current Rank
White Belt 4 Stripe
What year did you start training?
2018
How did you get started?
I wanted to learn how to defend myself. I tried many martial arts but when I came upon Jiu Jitsu I knew that this was the martial art for me.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?
When starting out training, I had this self defeating mentally that took place whenever someone would advance in position against me. For instance, when someone went from being in my guard to passing it and getting in side control I would get in my head and think I lost. I accepted it. With time, reps, and my coach’s egging me on to keep trying I managed to shift my mentality to a more resilient outlook. The best part is this bled to other aspects of my life!
What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?
My favorite part of training is being in a meditative state of no-mind, feeling like a child playing in the grass, but with chokes and armbars.
What are your personal goals on and off the mat?
On the mat, my goal each training session is to embody total presence and to learn my coach’s take on the technique he/she is teaching. Off the mat, my goal is to take the mental aspects of BJJ, especially having less ego, and applying that to my everyday life.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
People are usually surprised that I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia because English is my first language. I am also fluent in Arabic.
