When Our True Hero is Not on the Mat

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Effort with Purpose: For His Glory

Growing up in sports, I was always told to give 100% of my effort. If I heard this once, I heard it a thousand times....

The Competitive Edge…or Competitive Wedge?

With our Christian witness on display, we must work at improving our game without jeopardizing our relationships with our teammates...

The Day I Quit BJJ

Very recently Jiu Jitsu taught me an amazing lesson about my faith. I am relatively new to BJJ...

Life Lessons from the Mat: The Importance of Good Posture

Over the last two years I have learned a lot about life and myself in general. To the surprise of most, those lessons were not learned...

Embrace the Uncomfortable

When my sons, Tony and David roughhouse one of them usually comes running saying “Dad, he smacked me...

Jesus Was a Jiu Jitsu Fighter

The sense of power to subdue a bigger opponent than myself without hurting him awakens something within me...

Developing an Impassable Guard

In Jiu-Jitsu, if you are careful to keep your guard impassable then the fight is complete...

Trust the Technique

As an Instructor, I find myself often repeating things I have heard my former coaches or others say, while offering advice...

Hope Against Hope

Do you sometimes find yourself hoping that your life would suddenly change for the better? 

Running the Race: Lessons from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the Christian Life

The issue we must face in discussing the Christian life is not whether it is a marathon or a sprint but that it is a race that is...

The Power of Community

Community is an essential element of life. God created us to do life with others. However, community is often “messy”...

Golden Technique

One of the worst positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is being on the receiving end of someone’s full mount....

The Source

I must confess, I love the internet, especially Google. I am an information junkie. Any subject I want to learn about, I just type...

Armor of God, A Reflection

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a belt promotion ceremony with a gathering of various affiliated schools...

A Christian View on Practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

We would be wise to pay attention to the links between martial arts and spiritualism or religions that can sway people away from Christ...

The Journey Upward

As we progress in our BJJ journey and climb up the ranks, we will discover that there are fewer peers...

Just Breath

Jiu Jitsu is one of the only martial arts/sports where live rolling or sparring is a requirement to learn the art...

The BJJ Black Belt: Refiner’s Fire

The Jiu Jitsu black belt: an average ten-plus year road of continually being crushed on the mat...

The Abundant Life

Almost a year ago I sat down with my dad’s doctor that had diagnosed him with cancer...

The BJJ Black Belt: Responsibility (Part 2)

We learn best by observing what to do right, rather than just simply being told what not to do....

The BJJ Black Belt: Responsibility (Part 1)

The BJJ black belt is accomplished through a rare dedication to one’s trade; achieved through...

Vine and Branches

Our professor and head instructor at our academy was gone for a missionary trip to Haiti...

Apply the Technique

One of the best pieces of advice that one of my coaches gave me was that if I were to watch...

Remain in the Battle

One of the first questions I receive from students who have not been training for a long time or...

4 things I learned in 5 minutes of Jiu Jitsu

I recently competed at the IBJJF Atlanta Spring Open. I lost my match by two points.

Rolling Out of Love Versus Fear: What Motivates You?

It’s on. You put on your gi, tie your belt, step on the mat, line up, and wait in expectancy as...

When Our Ture Hero is Not on the Mat

We may be tempted to seek other things apart from God to fulfill us. In our day-to-day routine...

Jiu Jitsu Mat Culture

Mat culture. It shapes our training experience, how we perform on the mat, and....

Belts and Baptism

When we train Jiu Jitsu or set a goal of learning, we look for markers of accomplishment...

Into The Wilderness

The more you train BJJ, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you improve,..

Why You Don’t Need to Get in Shape Before You Begin Training

As an academy owner, I hear many people express their desire to begin training Jiu Jitsu...

Living In Community

I just returned from a vacation on North Carolina’s outer banks. This has become a special...

Passion is Contagious

Recently, one of my closest childhood friends decided to train jiu-jitsu at my academy...

Closest Thing to Jesus

When you enter a new academy for the first time, you will make a decision about training...

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