During my visit to Gracie Barra BJJ in Paris, I was impressed by the school’s blend of professionalism, technical instruction, and welcoming atmosphere. Gracie Barra has several campuses spread throughout the city, making it convenient to find a class no matter where you are staying. I attended the HQ location, situated within a moderate walking Continue Reading
I learned I would be in Brazil to speak and conduct a workshop at the University of São Paulo for a week in July, just over a month before landing there. As I had little time to prepare for what would be mashed into a working vacation, I did little research into my BJJ exploration Continue Reading
It was after returning home 10 years ago from a trip to Pamplona to attend the San Fermin festival’s run with the bulls that I decided to take a BJJ class with my son and hence initiate my love for the sport. So after running with the bulls again this past year, but with my now Continue Reading
Lisbon, Portugal was originally an eight hour layover on my way to Spain. I identified a couple of BJJ schools close to the airport, that offered an opportunity to train since I was going to try to catch some site seeing between flights. Because of my timing in the city I booked an inexpensive Airbnb Continue Reading
My brother and I decided to meet up this summer for yoga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, comparing life’s notes, and beer. I immediately turned to some BJJ schools I wanted to visit before the pandemic quarantine and found a few had either closed or relocated out of town without notice. A school closing is sad for the Continue Reading
During the last few months of the COVID-19 quarantine, I took advantage of my early vaccination and remote working status to visit Utah. Yeah…Utah seems random as hell, but Utah is an amazingly beautiful state that I wanted to explore a bit more than driving through it provided a few years ago. I decided to Continue Reading
When I was a kid, a popular television show aired about a community bar in Boston, “where everyone knew your name.” The show’s name was “Cheers,” and I can’t remember the bar’s name, but it might as well have been called Westside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Do your soul and Jiu-Jitsu practice a huge favor, and stop Continue Reading
A friend recently asked if I had only one pair of jeans? I laughingly responded that I had more than one pair; in fact, I had six pairs. She apologetically explained that she only ever saw me wear one pair, and she was just curious. I turned to her and smiled. I told her that Continue Reading
How did Jiu-Jitsu intertwine into my dating life? If you are thinking of some kinky choke move, you are on the wrong page…but call me…for the number to a counselor…and to my favorite bar…and the times I’ll be there. All jokes aside…call me. But really, Jiu-Jitsu helped me with my dating life, and it had Continue Reading
I became a single parent as a young man. It was challenging to perform the usual paces of an energized twenty-something in the city with a pullup-clad toddler vomiting in a papoose each day, but we managed. I always say my son raised me into adulthood. I say this because my son helped me learn Continue Reading