Hometown:
Parker
Current Rank:
Purple
What year did you start training?
2010
How did you get started?
I started training because after my 30th birthday I realized my lack of fitness and strength was affecting my health. I had sat at a desk job with hard any level of activity for over a decade, I always loved watching MMA, so I wanted to give Brazilian JiuJitsu a chance. Secondary to that, I never knew how to fight and I wanted to learn.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?
Initially, my body was weak and frail and I hurt myself almost every week I trained. If not for the encouragement from my coaches and staff, I would have quit within the first 6 months. Over the years, degenerative disk disease has severely damaged my spine, but the core strength, flexibility, and range of motion I get from regular training has been more effective at maintaining my physical health than anything else I’ve tried.
What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?
In general I am simply passionate about teaching. I’m a technical team lead at my full time job, I mentor colleagues and teammates in various capacity. I love Brazilian JiuJitsu most of all, and if I can help somebody else love it even half as much as I do, then the effort is all worth it.
What are your personal goals on and off the mat?
As I get older, my goals on the mat are simply to train consistently, and to complete every training session without injury. BJJ is so valuable to me in terms of my mental, physical, and spiritual health that I cannot imagine what my live would be like without it.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m a part-time Uber driver and am starting a blog where I’ll post all my funny, scary, crazy, or interesting stories. I’m also an aspiring author and hope to publish my first book in 2020. My full-time job is basically a glorified computer guy for a healthcare provider, so I spend my days behind a computer screen, then do the exact opposite thing when I train and try to keep people from strangling me on the mat!
