At Easton, we have two kinds of awesome GMs – those who open a school and those who inherit one to lead to its next evolution. Often, the gap between the two ends up being much smaller than it seems.
This month, we highlight Professor Nick Mavrick, GM of Easton Littleton, Black Belt, nutritionist and Jiu Jitsu dad, as our newest location picks up speed three weeks past opening.
Nick first became Littleton’s GM in January 2022, after its 2018 opening, when GM Peter Straub left to take over as GM at Easton Centennial. His journey from student and blog writer to coach, Department Head and finally General Manager of an Easton was a snowball effect of momentum paired with good timing.
Professor Nick originally started training Jiu Jitsu at Easton Denver in September 2007. He took a two-year break at blue belt when his first daughter was born, and re-entered the community permenantly when blog writing provided a membership exchange. Gradually, coaching and a front desk position opened up, and Nick became even more ingrained.
At one point, Nick and Denver’s GM, Carlos Espinosa, ran the Denver front desk together as First Impressions Specialists – some of the most fun he’s ever had on a shift. Nick used to always see himself running the Denver academy, but when his help was needed post-pandemic at Littleton, he rose to the challenge. It all worked out the way it should – Carlos made a perfect fit for Denver, Nick says.
With a competitive streak – for better or worse – that simply won’t let him back down, Nick has never let Littleton’s size (a 2,000 square-foot facility, compared to Boulder’s 10,000) deter him from driving its success. Any limitations only posed new challenges in reframing.
“No matter how much I wanted to be the best,” Nick says, “the most profitable, or the best percentage of retail, the space I had could only accommodate 300 people tops.”
One of the hardest things Professor Nick has had to overcome includes learning how to be bad at something. Growing up, much of what he did came easily. Like many high achievers who thrive on wins, his external input rarely included anything but affirmations, which created a tricky gap to manage between expectation and reality.
“I spent my first 38 years in a fixed mindset,” says Nick, referencing the book Mindset by Carol S. Dweck. “This paralyzed me from doing a lot of things I really wanted to do. As a young person, I’d pick things up really fast and be really good, competitive even, but then I’d get to a level where it required actual work… and I didn’t want to do that. I wouldn’t want to be seen failing.”
While this may be hard for people who fear starting something they won’t have the time to perfect, it also can serve as a test of ego. For Nick, this also meant that if he did anything, he’d make sure to excel.
The best is an ever-changing mark, as times shift, techniques evolve and new players emerge. In the end, we have only ourselves to compare to along our unique journey – where we’ve come from, where we are and where we want to see ourselves going.
When Nick returned to Easton after an almost two-year break, he felt like the worst blue belt – like he was giving Easton a bad name. It took him nearly two more years to get back to where he was prior to the break, and then another three years to earn his purple belt. Nick earned his black belt on April 20 of 2021.
[Resistance: Embrace the Suck + Invoke the Muse]
Inspiration close to home
While anxiety can cause us to ruminate and stress, action has the power to take the steam out of ego. When we stop dwelling on something, comparing ourselves or overplanning and get to work, the energy shifts from potential to kinetic — from attitude to action.
By focusing on action, we redirect our mental energy from self-centric concerns to productive endeavors, leading to a more fulfilling experience. When this desire catalyzes real action, the fruits of our labor can go on to flower infinitely, touching everyone in our paths.
At home, Nick’s wife, who’s just as action-oriented as he is – if not more – provides a constant stream of motivation. Having this momentum of growth and someone to measure up to in a positive way fuels him to keep challenging himself and expanding. Nick also accepts a healthy dose of anxiety as a driving factor in his life which ensures that he’s always prepared for everything.
Whereas Nick couldn’t start training in martial arts until he left home and had the ability to pay for things himself, around 21, he and his wife made sure to put both of his daughters in BJJ as soon as they could. Victoria, 13, and Nadia, 15, both started in January of 2015 at ages four and six.
Because his ultra-pacifist parents didn’t approve of combat sports, Nick came up in the Chicago area playing team sports instead – primarily basketball – and a lot of music. Growing up in a family of classically trained musicians, Nick picked up guitar as a teenager and also played the alto and baritone saxophones.
However, as a dad now steeped in the martial arts world, he recognizes the importance of self defense – for anyone, but especially for young girls.
“I’m more concerned with their safety,” says Nick. “My goal is for them to be situationally aware, confident and physically strong. It’s more for my peace of mind than anything.”
- New Arrivals
Easton Ranked
MT Sports Jersey
100% recycled polyester fabric, breathable, moisture-wicking, and double-layered v-neck collar
Nick, who became a nutritionist when the girls were babies after working as a bartender for 20 years, is hyper-concerned with them growing up healthy and strong in a way he wasn’t exposed to as a kid. His family didn’t have a lot of money, and Nick grew up injury-prone and brittle, without the focus of a holistic connection between food and health.
Today, his daughters have a joint total of around 80 competitions under their belts. The girls have even inspired Nick to take on more competitions – something he had not previously been able to focus on.
He’d competed some at blue belt, but injuries kept him back for much of blue, purple and brown belt. As a black belt, he thought his competition days had passed him by until his kid and all the students he’s coached through competition (he’s coached over 10,000 matches) inspired him.
Starting January 1st of 2023, he began cutting weight and training a ton, and he won his first competition on March 8th. After that, he did four IBJJFs over eight days in May, winning one, followed by a few divisions of AGF – all of which he won, along with a dislocated elbow.
“You may think ‘If I lose, everyone’s going to see me lose,’’ Nick says, “but nobody’s actually watching. As soon as you walk off the mat, nobody remembers. Your coach has 25 more matches to coach.”
While he doesn’t think everyone is cut out for competition, he encourages everyone to try it. For some who battle heavy social anxiety or other stresses, it could ruin the experience and take them further away from the art. However, to understand the entire experience and be able to relate to your teammates and students, you have to try it, Nick says.
[Easton Open Spring 2024: Competition that Elevates Community]
Constantly finding new “bests”
As we adapt to strive for the best, we continue to find new ceilings. Whereas at one point, for a martial arts academy, “best” may have meant simply teaching a good class and treating people well, today, “best” also includes a multi-level curriculum and battle-tested martial arts at kid and adult levels. When the people you surround yourself with have no ceiling for their best, the sky becomes the limit for you too.
Nick’s relationship with Jiu Jitsu has shifted and evolved also over the years since becoming Littleton’s GM. There are times where his training subsides due to the job, or his age and injury history, and he has to navigate a new normal.
“I still have this thing where I say I’m going to go easy,” says Nick, “and then three minutes in, I catch myself at 110%. I want to do that less because I want to be in less pain. I have a budget in terms of energy and pain tolerance for the week, so I have to modulate.”
The students always driving him makes it tough to step back, but Nick tries to stay aware of the addiction side of Jiu Jitsu – taking care to rest and recover and not to feed the negative feedback loop that causes overtraining at the expense of injury. Now, his relationship has deepened and expanded to include the growth of much more than his own technique and passion.
Littleton’s recent move has had Nick’s hands in every part of the operation. From writing new schedules and painting walls to filling holes, checking on construction, fowarding mail and preparing to launch a brand new striking program, Nick takes care to mind each detail that crosses his path.
The safe choice would’ve been to renew the lease and keep operating as they were – successful, profitable, and with predictable results. Safe, however, doesn’t always mean growth. The new location has three times the space of the one in Kipling Marketplace, with new schedules, new classes, new departments and more people managing it all.
“I like kickboxing,” says Nick, “and I don’t want to have to go to other academies to do that. I don’t want to drive to Denver to do a class that’s not my main discipline.”
As a result, Nick has carefully fielded, edited and revised the Littleton academy with the help of his team to become what we see today – an ever-growing production geared at enhancing our experience of martial arts, community and our own resilient nature through Jiu Jitsu and Kickboxing.
Regardless of size or location, every Easton school seeks to evolve towards excellence. GMs grow the culture, drive it, maintain it and continue to find new ways to allocate resources and further its reach. They do this by building up their school’s competitive side, events or coach’s training, but first – they must build up its community with relentless drive and a fueling optimism for what the “best” can mean.
We can’t wait to see how Littleton continues to grow and enhance the lives of even more people, and how its programs evolve as Nick welcomes the world of striking to the mats!
