In the Fire

​I’m not an ultra competitor. I was never out traveling every weekend to find a tournament. I know that I did not take things as seriously as I needed to if I wanted to be in the realm of the elite competitors, but I got to be there anyway. That’s what’s cool about Jiu Jitsu. You can compete against elite athletes in the sport if you put yourself out there. For me as a non-competitor coming up a lot of the time, I would compete maybe 2-3 times a year. From November 2016 to June 2017, I competed 5 times. Sérvio Túlio, Thomas Keenan, Edmund Kim, a gentleman from Checkmat, and Jake Watson. I don’t know much about the guy from Checkmat, but everyone else has elite credentials. Colored belt world champions, an eventual top ten black belt, an adcc South American trials winner, a guy who went viral for putting his wrist back in place during a match and continuing. I know what the elite of the elite is like, and I also know that my time is better served helping other people reach their potential. It’s good to compete, I absolutely believe everyone should try it if you do Jiu Jitsu, but also know why you’re doing it. My drive to compete was always to see what my level was like against the top tier and I’m satisfied with having done that. I might compete again I might not, but I know I put myself out there in a big way.