I received a promotion on my Black Belt!

I was promoted a degree this week while I was in Costa Rica! I honestly had forgotten all about it. I was never big on stripes, as my original instructor didn’t use them, and as a Black Belt you’re not focused on them (since they only come after several years). It is crazy though to think about the journey of the last 3 ½ years. It’s been one of immense growth in me as well as my students, in my abilities as a competitor and a teacher.

Leading up to the day I received my Black Belt I had been with my mother who was entrenched in a losing battle against cancer. During the struggle, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was the only thing that provided an escape for me. Many of the guys in the gym were unaware, and probably still are, but they provided the much needed mental relief I needed. That mental relief helped me put on the “strong” face for my mother and my sisters. It kept me from completely losing my head. Without training and more importantly the people I was training with, I am not sure what I would have done. When I received my Black Belt on July, 9^th, 2011 it was the most bittersweet day of my life. My instructor Renato Tavares stopped the training session and awarded me my Black Belt. Immediately afterwards my friend wrapped his arms around me and said, “I’m sorry brother.” I knew what it meant.

As I reflect back on the last 3 ½ years as a Black Belt. What I am most grateful for, are the people that I have had the pleasure of developing relationships with. They’ve assisted in making me a better Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioner, competitor and teacher. They’ve also helped make me a better person and have assisted me, albeit sometimes unknowingly, through some of the most absolutely nasty times in my life. It’s been a great journey as a Black Belt so far, full of ups and downs, mostly ups, and I am excited to see it progress.

In our quest for medals, submissions and improvement it’s always important to sit back and enjoy the journey that is taking place and the people that were are surrounded by that make that journey worthwhile.

Being awarded my black belt