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Parker

Current Rank:

Purple

What year did you start training?

2010

How did you get started?

I started training because after my 30th birthday I realized my lack of fitness and strength was affecting my health. I had sat at a desk job with hard any level of activity for over a decade, I always loved watching MMA, so I wanted to give Brazilian JiuJitsu a chance. Secondary to that, I never knew how to fight and I wanted to learn.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?

Initially, my body was weak and frail and I hurt myself almost every week I trained. If not for the encouragement from my coaches and staff, I would have quit within the first 6 months. Over the years, degenerative disk disease has severely damaged my spine, but the core strength, flexibility, and range of motion I get from regular training has been more effective at maintaining my physical health than anything else I’ve tried.

What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?

In general I am simply passionate about teaching. I’m a technical team lead at my full time job, I mentor colleagues and teammates in various capacity. I love Brazilian JiuJitsu most of all, and if I can help somebody else love it even half as much as I do, then the effort is all worth it.

What are your personal goals on and off the mat?

As I get older, my goals on the mat are simply to train consistently, and to complete every training session without injury. BJJ is so valuable to me in terms of my mental, physical, and spiritual health that I cannot imagine what my live would be like without it.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a part-time Uber driver and am starting a blog where I’ll post all my funny, scary, crazy, or interesting stories. I’m also an aspiring author and hope to publish my first book in 2020. My full-time job is basically a glorified computer guy for a healthcare provider, so I spend my days behind a computer screen, then do the exact opposite thing when I train and try to keep people from strangling me on the mat!

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kingstanding,Birmingham,England

Current Rank:

Black shirt

What year did you start training?

1987

How did you get started?

A New gym opened up in my hometown called KSTAR THAI BOXING.

My brother and I were already in boxing and this sounded way cooler. The first week was free so we would finish boxing and then go across the street to K-STAR. Once we saw the instructor kick the bag we were hooked. It was the coolest thing I ever saw. So we ended up quitting boxing and joining K-STAR and that lit a fire in me to start competing.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was when I was knocked out defending my title, To this day I don’t remember my fight at all. The biggest thing I learned was that I shouldn’t take ANY opponents lightly, in fact I learned that if you are a champion you have to train like a champion. You have to train harder than you ever trained before so that nobody can EVER take your place. Once I learned that about myself it was easier to overcome.

What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?

My favorite thing about training is the whole martial arts journey, the more you know, the more you realize how much more there is to learn. I am forever a student. To be able to pass on my Knowledge,stories, mistakes and triumphs to the next student is everything to me as a martial artist and the most awesome job in the world.

What are your personal goals on and off the mat?

My personal goal is to one day open my own gym in my hometown of woodland park.

When I am at the gym teaching the students it is my personal goal to make Everybody feel great while going through the curriculum and learning the proper technique.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I Love to hike and fish in my spare time, it really gives me a connection with nature and teaches me patience.

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Current Rank
Black Belt

What year did you start training?
2008

How did you get started?
I worked at a bar with Eliot and he invited me in to train after I told him about an amateur MMA fight I did on my own.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?
I think for me the biggest challenge was being super competitive and trying to win in the academy rather than trying to learn and get better. My instructors were mainly Professors Amal, Eliot, and Chaun, and they helped me learn to check my ego and train with the intention of improving my techniques.

What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?

My favorite thing about BJJ is that there’s something for everyone. People like me who were overly aggressive and needed a positive outlet get a brutal ego check and learn how to be ok with losing and gain confidence to be ok with tapping early and often. For others who might be struggling with confidence, BJJ helps you learn to protect yourself and to stand up for yourself. I love seeing the transformation of timid, shy, or even broken people come in and grow stronger and more comfortable in their own skin.

What are your personal goals on and off the mat?
On the mat my personal goal is to teach someone from white all the way to black belt. Off the mats my goal is always to try to leave people, places, and things a little better than when I found them. Often times I fail at this, but the times I’m successful are so rewarding that I can’t help but continue to try my best to accomplish this goal every day.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I was very skinny and nerdy in high school. I didn’t have many friends, and I got picked on a lot. I didn’t do myself any favors by joining band, choir, knowledge bowl, etc., but getting bullied throughout school was probably the number one contributing factor to me starting to train Jiu Jitsu. Although I initially did it to become a fighter, I have grown into a much more level-headed martial artist over the years and I’m grateful for all the experiences that lead me to where I am today.

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Blue belt

What year did you start training?

2015

How did you get started?

Watched a UFC fight with my father and something inside me said this was what I was going to do. I knew someone who was training at Easton at the time and they had recommended me to the Centennial location.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge has been learning to get in and train on the days when there’s no motivation to do so. I’ve built up a great amount of self discipline from my training that has spread to all parts of my life!

What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?

To begin, watching the kids flourish through martial arts is simply an amazing thing and i’m grateful to be part of the process! The community is great and I enjoy watching people challenge themselves and achieve goals they may have thought impossible before training!

What are your personal goals on and off the mat?

I strive to better myself everyday as a student first and then a teacher, so that I can offer the best version of myself to my students and classmates!

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I have 5 little sisters!!!

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Black Belt

What year did you start training?

2008

How did you get started?

My roommate in college was training at the time. He always talked about how amazing it was and he was in super good shape so I decided to try it out.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge for me in training martial arts, Jiu Jitsu in particular, is learning how to deal with “failure”. When I first started training I thought that I was supposed to beat all my training partners and not allow them to beat me. If I had a challenging or tough training session where I was submitted or “lost” I felt like I was failing. As I became more experienced I started to realize that if you’re trying new things and challenging daily you you’re going to struggle and that’s ok. Later on in my Jiu Jitsu career I embraced this mindset more and more and now if I have a challenging training session I think of it as a learning experience not as a failure.

What’s your favorite thing about training/teaching, and why?

My favorite thing about teaching and training is seeing the students grow and overcome challenges everyday.

What are your personal goals on and off the mat?

My number one goal on the mat is to be the best coach I can possibly be And to help our students reach their maximum potential. I try to use the lessons I’ve learned in jujitsu to improve my overall life and the lives of others.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

One thing about myself that most people would find surprising is that I am quite introverted by nature.

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Current Rank
Green shirt MT, Blue belt BJJ

What year did you start training?
2013

How did you get started?
I was looking for something to call my own.  I really didn’t know what I was in for, but once I was brave enough to make the call and show up for a class, I knew I was in for life.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your training, and how did you overcome it?
I’ve had a few, but the toughest challenge was coming back to training after having a baby.  It took a while for my body to let me train.  After I started adjusting physically, I was so sleep deprived over that first year that even when I had the time to, I didn’t feel like I had the energy to train.  I got back slowly by deciding it was a priority and committing to a few hours of training per week.  I knew training was good for me both physically and mentally, so eventually I just started to come back to classes even when I didn’t feel like I was at my best, and that was the smartest thing I could’ve done.  Just get in and train.  It’s not always going to feel like the right time, but the timing isn’t ever going to be perfect.

What’s your favorite thing about training or teaching, and why?

My coaches and professors pass their knowledge to me, and it has enriched my life in so many ways.  It’s a total pleasure to be part of that cycle of passing knowledge along to others, and especially to see students develop a love for the art as I have.  It’s also incredibly satisfying when students have specific goals and I’m able to help them achieve those goals.

What are your personal goals on and off the mat?
In the near term, I want to get on a more consistent training schedule for both Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu.  Long term, I’d love to compete more and just learn more!  Off the mats, it’s all about putting my family first, and making a living doing things I love and believe in.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I smoked cigarettes, drank and ate excessively for a long time.  That seriously inhibited my ability to stay fit.  I’m in better physical condition now in my forties than I was in my twenties, by far.

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