Whoa, Black Betty, Bam-ba-lam

I swear, I remember my first day on the mats like it was yesterday. I had been an athlete my entire life, varsity sports throughout thee duration of high school, and almost continued my pursuit in sports into college. I had a few scholarships to continue playing soccer into my future studies, but I realized […]

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Wish Upon a Star

When I was a little kid, trapped in the backseat of the car betwixt my two brothers as my family was driving home from some sort of excursion, I remember vividly staring out the window and getting lost in the stars above me. Daydreaming as my thoughts wandered, staring at the galaxy and often pondering […]

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Shoot Your Shot

It goes without saying that the more days you have on this earth, the more hard days and bad days that inevitably arrive at your doorstep. But this also means the more wonderfully great days you will have as well. It is simply the law of averages. The conflict therein lies with understanding that no […]

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When Your Ego is Straight Bullshido

There are so many gyms with signs and posters plastered right up front detailing some basic mat rules and gym courtesies. They will say things such as proper mat etiquette with your teammates and coaches (inning up by rank or bowing onto the mats as per tradition), helpful hygiene advice to follow (i.e. keeping the […]

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Leaping Into 2023 Fully-Assed

The New Year is upon us, which to me, means a great time for leaving bad habits behind and embracing new routines. For myself personally, that means fully and wholly dedicating myself to every task that lays before me, i.e. never doing anything half-assed, but always with the entirety of all of my buttocks instead. […]

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Beauty is in the Eye of the Gi Holder

I’m tired of society thinking you have to conform to one narrative to be beautiful. I have a half-shaved head, a muscular frame, gnarled fingers & toes, cauliflower ears, and am usually spotting some type of gi burn or bruising and when I tell you I have never in my life felt more beautiful than […]

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