Praise

Would it shock you to learn that I didn’t really come up in an environment of traditional praise? I started Jiu Jitsu before the Ultimate Fighter (I have receipts). In 2003 Tucson, Arizona Jiu Jitsu wasn’t that popular, and it certainly wasn’t Joe Rogan popular. There weren’t many schools, so you had to want to be there. I think I was a late purple belt before I felt I regularly did things right in my coach’s eyes. That’s definitely carried over into my teaching. I really only know a decent amount about Jiu Jitsu, and I continuously work on my interpersonal skills. It’s not that you’re not doing well, sometimes maybe you aren’t, but also sometimes I just use 2003 expectations and not 2025.