About Leverage BJJ

Twenty years ago, I stepped onto a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu mat for the first time.

I wasn't special.

I wasn't athletic. I wasn't particularly talented or gifted. In fact, I was probably what you would describe as an ordinary, below-average human being. Plain vanilla.

But I grew up watching 90s action movies with my father, and somewhere along the way, he instilled in me a very simple belief: a man should know how to fight.

So I tried.

I started with Taekwondo. I wanted to learn Aikido, but my family couldn't afford it at the time. In my twenties, I dabbled in boxing and spent two years training Muay Thai.

Then I found Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

And something just clicked.

From my very first class, I knew I had found something different. Jiu-Jitsu made sense to me. It was practical, technical, and endlessly challenging. More importantly, I could see that I could become better—not because I was naturally gifted, but because I was willing to learn, struggle, fail, and keep coming back.

That was the beginning of an obsession.

It took me 14 years to earn my black belt in 2020.

But earning the black belt was never the end of the journey. If anything, it marked the beginning of another chapter. Six years later, I still have the same desire to learn that I had on my very first day.

Jiu-Jitsu continues to challenge me physically, but as I've grown older, I've come to appreciate how much more it challenges me mentally. It keeps me sharp, keeps me humble, keeps me moving, and gives me a lifelong pursuit of improvement.

But my relationship with Jiu-Jitsu goes far beyond the techniques.

I was bullied in secondary school. I entered college carrying very little confidence and a poor sense of self-worth. Jiu-Jitsu gave me something I desperately needed: the experience of doing something difficult, repeatedly failing at it, and discovering that I could eventually get better.

Year after year, belt after belt, challenge after challenge, I became more confident—not because Jiu-Jitsu taught me that I could beat everyone, but because it taught me that I could face difficult things and not quit.

That lesson changed my life.

And that is why I coach.

I've experienced firsthand what this martial art can do for a person. I've seen how Jiu-Jitsu can transform someone's confidence, discipline, resilience, fitness, and outlook on life.

You don't need to be athletic to start.

You don't need to be strong.

You don't need to be young.

You don't even need to believe you're capable of doing it.

You just need to be willing to step onto the mat.

At Leverage, my goal is to create the kind of environment I believe every student deserves: a room where you are supported, challenged, and surrounded by coaches and teammates who genuinely want to see you thrive.

Because ultimately, Jiu-Jitsu isn't just about learning how to fight.

It's about learning how to overcome.

It's about becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

And perhaps that's what a martial art should ultimately do:

Help you become the best version of yourself.