My dad was a martial arts instructor who practiced Moo Duk Kwan. I remember him telling me stories about how, in high school and college, he could jump and kick basketball nets. That fascinated me. My journey began as a small child—not in any official capacity, but whenever I spent time with him, we would go through katas and exercises. Most importantly, he taught me how to block—haha.

Like him, I was naturally flexible in the legs. While I never got close to kicking basketball nets, I could kick most people in the face by the time I was his age. That led me to try kickboxing and boxing, so I joined an MMA school in Kent called Ring Demon. I mainly trained in boxing and kickboxing, but one day, I decided to check out their submission wrestling class…I was completely lost.

Growing up, I had cousins who wrestled, but I never trained myself. The positions, the techniques, the grips—none of it made sense. I left that first class feeling perplexed. Ironically, I never went back. Money was tight, and I didn’t train again for a few years.

Later, while living in Buckley, WA, I was working in Northgate, WA—a 2 to 2.5-hour drive with traffic. I hate sitting in traffic, so I looked for a BJJ school nearby to improve something I knew I sucked at while also boosting my confidence and overall health (injuries aside).

I enrolled at Gracie Barra Northeast Seattle under Professor Joel. Though my time there was short, I pushed through some tough training and earned my first stripe on my white belt, which made me feel like a badass—haha.

After a short 2–3 month hiatus, I switched schools when my job no longer had me commuting to Northgate. I joined Gracie Barra Renton under Professor Shannon, where I stayed for two years. I competed for the first time with this school after about six months of training and got absolutely demolished in my first gi match. My opponent took second place and earned his blue belt on the podium.

I had signed up for both gi and no-gi. My no-gi matches went a lot better—I was in the beginner division with only two competitors, one of whom was my teammate. I won my first match against the heavier opponent with an RNC, then won my match against my teammate by decision (he was salty about it). That was a huge confidence boost.

About a year later, I competed in The Revolution, one of Washington’s biggest BJJ tournaments. I won my first match but lost my second to a Judo black belt and my third to a 16-year-old orange belt. Professor Shannon thought I did great, and about a month later, I earned my blue belt, which I still hold today.

I love this sport, and it all started on a whim—trying out an MMA-based wrestling-BJJ hybrid class. Over the years, I’ve met incredible people from all walks of life and made lasting friendships. People come and go, but BJJ is forever for me. I’ll never quit—I will get my black belt one day.

Oss!