Today I pay because I’m a black belt. It means I’ve learned something and I’m good somehow, right?
But why the hell did I start this back then?
It All Started With Arnold, Van Damme, and Stallone
Truth is, I grew up watching those guys in action movies. It wasn’t about showing jiu-jitsu — it was all about that vibe of guns, explosions, and lots of fights!
Looking at those three options (guns, explosions, fights), I thought fighting was something I could actually do.
So my first choice was Muay Thai. Started training at the beginning of college, around 2005-2006.
The Annoying Friend Who Changed Everything
During college, I made a friend who trained BJJ. He started in a bakery garage with a purple belt teacher.
We were always poking each other:
- Me saying Muay Thai was better
- Him saying BJJ was superior
Until the day I went to a training session to see what BJJ was all about.
First Time on the Mats
No technique. No idea what I was doing. Only brute force — a lot of it.
But I didn’t tap.
And I felt like this could work well for me.
That’s when everything changed.
The Intermittent Journey
I found a gym that had classes from 11 PM to midnight (after college). I don’t even remember which team it was — I still didn’t know this universe.
I trained for about 4 months. Then stopped.
My friend called me to train at a Gracie Barra. The instructor was going to give us “private lessons” after the official class.
It worked for a while. Until every now and then we’d have no training because the instructor had gone clubbing. (It was 40km from my home — so it was pretty unbelievable sometimes.)
I stopped again.
Several Years Later: Boxing and MMA
I started boxing. Trained for a year.
My boxing coach wanted to venture into MMA (it was trending at the time). We started doing “rolls” on Saturday mornings.
More people started joining. Gi, no-gi, submission…
A brown belt saw that the time slot was getting busy and decided to officially put a jiu-jitsu class there.
Most of the crew stayed. Including me.
And that’s when I actually started learning about teams, competitions, etc.
From First Stripe to Black Belt
From my first stripe on white belt all the way to my black belt, it was all with this instructor.
Who, by the way, is now my best man at my wedding.
Some injuries here, others there (I’ll talk about that in another post).
Why Do I Keep Going?
Because jiu-jitsu became part of who I am.
I’m not a competitor. I’m a regular guy with a job, a family, no focus on championships.
But it’s on the mats where I de-stress, challenge my body and mind, and maintain real friendships.
And that’s what I want to share here — the perspective of someone who lives jiu-jitsu without glamour, but with truth.
Do you train or have you trained? Share your story in the comments!