Interview Archives

Masters Worlds After Thoughts from a Competitor

Originally, I had envisioned this blog as a compilation of after thoughts by a bunch of Masters Worlds competitors varying by belt and age. However, after receiving my first response, I definitely felt that it deserved its own post. So thank you, Dion Watts, BJJ black belt, BJJ photographer, gym owner, and most importantly – […]

Small Town Jiu-Jitsu With Big Vibes

In a sleepy beach town 20 minutes away from Astoria and Cannon Beach (both made famous by the iconic 1985 hit movie the Goonies), Seaside, Oregon, is the home to a secret Jiu-Jitsu powerhouse – Adamson Bros BJJ. Run by Rafael Lovato Jr. black belts, brothers Nate and Zach Adamson, have brought BJJ to their […]

Serving After Service: Human Performance Psychology with Chris Diaz

Black belt Chris Diaz is changing the game for athletes and high performers by helping them develop the mental skills needed to improve their physical performance. Diaz is also a US Navy veteran, Ph.D. candidate, Tillman Scholar, and one of our guest bloggers. He is all about changing the conversation around psychology in as many […]

“Conscious Eating” with Johnny Tama

With Worlds at the end of the month, athletes are putting the final touches on their training camps… and their weight cuts. The struggle to make weight is nothing new to the Jiu-Jitsu scene, but perhaps the way that athletes get there is a different story. Over the last few months, we’ve seen many athletes […]

170 > 240 /// By: Robert Martinez

I have always been on the heavier side of the scale. I’ve had been weighing in at anywhere from 220-240 lbs while standing a towering five feet nine inches tall. 😂 This never got me down though, for three reasons: First, my girlfriend at the time (now fiancé) somehow fell in love with all the jokes and […]

BJJ United’s Jared Weiner Retires From Competition

If you were around Jiu-Jitsu in the 2000’s, you’d know that Jared Weiner was one of the strongest American competitors in the sport during that decade. Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Weiner is more notably known as the founder of BJJ United and TAC Team, two associations that have also produced a plethora of champions as […]

Big Things Come in Small Packages: The Purple Belt Rooster Weight Queen Kaori Hernandez

At just 19-years-old, Kaori Hernadez is taking the adult rooster weight division (107 lbs in the gi) by storm. She has been under the tutelage of her champion professor, Orlando Sanchez, of Gracie Barra Pasadena since 2011 when she was 11. Kaori says that Sanchez used to be a frequent customer at her parents’ business […]

Island Boy to BJJ Nomad: Jake Scovel

How far would you go to pursue your dreams of living the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle? Not many of us can say that we would give up everything (our home, job, family security, etc.) to step outside of our comfort zone to live a nomad’s lifestyle for Jiu-Jitsu. I mean, would you really trade your bed and […]

BJJ Black Belt: Privilege and Responsibility /// By: Vincent Inoncillo

The jiu-jitsu black belt is one of the most heralded belts in all of martial arts. It is one of the most, if not the hardest to achieve. It takes an average of 8 to 10 years for an individual to earn their black belt in jiu-jitsu. Through the ranks of white to black one […]

Reasons Why Jiu-Jitsu is Awesome

Photo credit: Moises Lopez/Honeybadger BJJ For those of us who have already managed to get bit by the BJJ bug, we can give you 101 or more reasons why Jiu-Jitsu is so awesome. However, when explaining BJJ (and all of its awesomeness) to others who have no idea what it is, it may sound like you’re […]

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