Introduce yourself - PART 2
6 year(s) ago • 35138 views • 161 replies
The other topic got a bit long, so we'll continue it here! (PART 1: https://beltchecker.com/f[...]bcb15b9139) *** While we wait for the site to mature and verified user base to slowly grow, let’s hear some introductions here? What’s your training / competition career been like? Would be nice to get to know the serious early adopters here a bit! :) This is also a good opportunity to connect with people here on the site, who might take a look at your profile and chose to verify it or not. Please note, that we kindly don't allow "please verify me" topics in the forum as there will be too many of them. |
Hello all!! Just wanted to say that this is an amazing platform to get to know so many of your fellow jiu Jitsu enthusiasts!! I've been training close to 9 years and cant wait to have another 9. While during my time training I have been able to compete and get a few wins. The best part has been the bond and family that I've gained. Nothing else has compared to this lifestyle. It has given so much to me. I've been able to train all over the world and meet amazing great people. |
Hey all! My name is Brad Fulton and I have been training for 3 years. I started BJJ at 37 years of age and withen my first 6 months I had received a sprained neck (day 1), two herniated disks (month 1) broken rib (month 3) and then tore my acl, meniscus and cartilage and had to have my knee reconstructed (month 6). After the knee injury I switched clubs and have been training with Allan Goes at Goes Jiu Jitsu Club in Orange County, Ca. ever since. I was promoted to blue belt by Allan just over a year ago and am working hard toward that purple belt, though having my first child has definitely slowed progress. I currently do not compete, but would like to in the future. We focus on self defense at our club and do lots of sparring and training with strikes. I haven't noticed many people from Southern California or Orange County on the site and am hoping to meet more members of the community through the site and cross training at other academies. |
Hey everyone. I'm Steve Laird. I have been training since August 2009. I started at 25 after I graduated from law school and passed the bar exam here in NC. I received my blue and purple belts from Jeremy Owens at Evolution MMA in Wrightsville Beach, NC, who is a black belt under Charuto Verissimo under Nova Uniao Hawaii. That academy shut down and I currently train at Combat Club in Jacksonville NC and got my brown belt there under Chico Santiago. His academy is a Brazil 021 affiliate under Andre Terencio and Hannette Staack. Looking forward to getting to know you guys. (Edited 6 year(s) ago) |
Name - Aaron Shields Academy - Flow Brazilian Jiu JItsu in Swanzey, NH Favorite submissions - Omoplatas and wristlocks I started training 7 years ago when I moved to NH from PA so that I could make friends in a new place, tbh. I've trained all over the United States thanks to a previous job in sales. Been strangled by Bruno Malfacine, Magid Hage, and Thiago Sa, and trained under a bunch of other great instructors (Andre Galvao, Leo Nogueira, Robert Drysdale, and more). I've been to one BJJ Globetrotters camp and looking forward to Maine Camp this year (hoping it doesn't get rescheduled). I've competed a bunch and won some local tournaments in the Boston area, but have yet to compete at the brown belt level since being promoted last July. I've really enjoyed teaching and the challenges that come along with trying to explain what I know to people with much less experience than me. Love this beltchecker community already. I'm a frequent Reddit user (u/inverted_vortex) as well. (Edited 6 year(s) ago) |
Hey, y’all. My name is greg. I’m a 50 year old dad/chef/strength coach that has been training BJJ since ‘98. I started training in my hometown of Las Vegas, NV as a way to stay athletic/fit after playing college football at UNLV. I continued training on off (two knee/two hand surgeries) in NYC while living there for 14+ years. After a short stint in LV to have my second child, I was lucky enough to be promoted to brown belt by Robert Drysdale (who was a blue belt teenager when I started!) in front of many of the same friends I started with in the late 90’s. I’m a lifer. I now live in remote Far West Texas with no organized BJJ within three hours of us- my training now consists of teaching my 5 + 3 year old. I’m happy to read all of your stories, as it keeps me connected with y’all- my people. Moving the family to Tucson soon- holler if you’re out there. Looking for a new academy. Grateful for Belt Checker as I’ve forgone my other social media platforms. Hit me up if I can help with any S&C questions: gunclubbrooklyn.com Oss.  |
Hey all, I knew lots of people who trained in my 20’s, and always wanted to start. My excuses were stronger than my desire to start though. Finally got on the mats Oct ‘19 as an old man in my late 30’s, and I’m hooked. We have a strong gym and a great culture, so it’s fun to learn and roll. Great community and great sport! |
Hey guys and gals, my name is Joseph and I’m a husband, father and a youth pastor. I come from a small town of about 600 and lucky for me that’s where I started my BJJ journey. In 2015 I stepped on the mats for the first time and soon after my wife did too. We both trained hard for a while but in 2017 she went back to school to get her master’s degree and work prevented me from training. Fast forward 2.5 years and we were able to get back on the mats and I’m so blessed by the opportunity. I believe my coach is glad I’m back also. We have a busy schedule with teenage boys and younger, but we somehow fit training into our schedule. So excited to be on this platform to connect with new friends and someday maybe training partners. Be blessed in all you do.  (Edited 6 year(s) ago) |
Hello everyone! I am brand new to this forum. I have been involved in marital arts since I was a kid. My father is a black belt in karate and a variation of Wing Chun Kung Fu. I was taking a style of Kung Fu in my early 20’s at the time when I was first introduced to BJJ in 1994 if I recall. During one of my Kung Fu classes our guest was a black belt from Brazil brought in to teach BJJ, which I later found out was the first BJJ black belts brought to Canada. I was shown an armbar. Needless to say I preferred my flashy Kung Fu at the time. I moved to a different city, gained a bunch of weight, then in 2000 I joined a BJJ club. Did it for a few months, lost a bunch of weight, 55 lbs to be exact, worked out like crazy, chased girls. An injury from snowboarding came up and I had to quit BJJ, but met my then girlfriend who would become my wife. Had two kids. Got fat again. Went back to BJJ in 2013 and haven’t stopped since. It is a big part of my life I can’t imagine going and living without. I’m glad to be a part of this community. (Edited 6 year(s) ago) |
"Hello everyone! I am brand new to this forum. I have been involved in marital arts since I was a kid. My father is a black belt in karate and a variation of Wing Chun Kung Fu. I was taking a style of Kung Fu in my early 20’s at the time when I was first introduced to BJJ in 1994 if I recall. During one of my Kung Fu classes our guest was a black belt from Brazil brought in to teach BJJ, which I later found out was the first BJJ black belts brought to Canada. I was shown an armbar. Needless to say I preferred my flashy Kung Fu at the time. I moved to a different city, gained a bunch of weight, then in 2000 I joined a BJJ club. Did it for a few months, lost a bunch of weight, 55 lbs to be exact, worked out like crazy, chased girls. An injury from snowboarding came up and I had to quit BJJ, but met my then girlfriend who would become my wife. Had two kids. Got fat again. Went back to BJJ in 2013 and haven’t stopped since. It is a big part of my life I can’t imagine going and living without. I’m glad to be a part of this community." That is quite the bjj journey! I'm Glad you decided to stick with it! |
Hello! My name is Randy Sheets, I am a black belt under Vicente Junior. I started bjj in 2009 while dating my sons mother. Her dad ask me to wrestle, and I was like "ok old man" he proceeded to triangle choke me over and over. I never grappled a day in my life until then. Later found out he was a blue belt under Renzo from back in the day. So I started training and fell in love with the game. I started teaching part time at blue belt and by purple belt I was teaching full time on the local air force base. At brown I moved to another gym and now at black I just train. I moved and decided it was time to focus on learning as much and getting better. My goal is to start competing again. I have a great group of students I still visit all over the country and now a great group to train with here in Salisbury. I train at many gyms visiting many different places. I love that I get to share and train all of the time. Thanks for all the stories! |
Hello friends, My name is Dave and I'm a brown belt under Daniel Reid. I've trained the art suave for 15 years. My Nick name is Dick Kicker because I have big feet. I live in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where I run Northside Jiu jitsu. I train a lot, compete a bit. I'm mostly concerned in creating a place for folks to train consistently while growing stronger physically and technically, while also developing a healthy sense of community where everyone is empowered and where everyone can also ride unicorns. Sounds like paradise, I know. I'm excited about this more focused flavor of social media! If anyone is visiting Kaohsiung feel free to drop in for some training. Dave  |
Hi all, I'm Deepu from Montreal Mile End Jiu Jitsu (used to be called Montreal BJJ Revolution) and also Waza Dojo. I train and help out at those schools. I started training Jiu Jitsu back in 1999 with Koji Murakami and have been with him since. He's a black belt under Julio 'Foca' Fernandez, a coral belt now, but one of the original Carlson Sr black belts and co-founder of Revolution Team. Just wanted to say that I love this project and specifically created an account to support it after the whole IBJJF fiasco ... took me a few tries but I appreciate the thoroughness of creating an account. Good luck with your projects. Deepu |
Hi Everyone, I found out about this website when the IBJJF/Globetrotter news first hit. Love the idea of communal & independent belt verification, and am impressed with how quickly the community has begun to congregate here. I've been training since 2009. I've had 3 separate meniscus surgeries in that time, which stymied me for a while, but I've been relatively healthy for several years now. From the beginning I've trained under Professor Gustavo Rodrigues (originally from Santos, Brazil who trained under Integracao's Elcio Figueiredo). Professor Gustavo advanced through all belt colors in his gym alongside Rodrigo Cavaca, Almiro Barros, and Leandro Silvestre. Also training with them at that time was a chubby cheeked blue belt named Marcus "Buchecha" Almeida. Gustavo hosted Buchecha several times at his gym when I was a blue belt (at the time Buchecha was a new black belt and about to take the world by storm). I got to roll with him several times in a room of about 6 people. So fun, looking back. I don't compete much, due to nagging injuries, but love the robust BJJ culture here in Salt Lake City, UT. Lots of excellent Pedro Sauer affiliate schools that grew out of his time here throughout the 1990's. I grew up wrestling my entire life - a sport I still love and follow religiously. Jiu Jitsu seemed to be a natural transition, and I only wish I would have adopted it earlier in my life. My hope is to retire as early as possible from my career in software and real estate and teach in a little gym alongside Professor Gustavo. Much love to all you fellow brothers of the mat. |
Hey everyone, Chris Papandria began training in 1991 in New Jersey with David Adiv (now 6th degree Royler Gracie black belt) and Alex Wilkie. During that time did multiple kickboxing/boxing/ and grappling matches including earning my black belts in judo and American Freestyle Martial Arts from Alex Wilkie. I eventually moved to Indiana where I started training with James Clingerman an Anibal Braga black belt and then moved north to be with my wife and daughter and met my current instructor Jason Fox, who was also a Royler Gracie black belt. So in a way I went back to my original roots. Opened my current school Dynamic Jiu Jitsu 7 years ago as a purple belt. Currently on track for my 1st degree year in November. I have 3 affiliates under me, one in Tennessee - purple belt Matt Carpenter. One in NYC - blue belt Tony Andreocci. One in Monticello In- Purple belt Greg Adams. My goal is to blend the old school Jiu Jitsu I learned originally in 1991 with the new and spread it to Northern Indiana. I have been a part of the Mission 22 Instructor team since brown belt, traveling the country teaching seminars to raise awareness for the ongoing PTSD and veteran suicide epidemic.  |
Hey everyone. I’ll try to keep this brief. I started training in 2007. It was a pretty neat time due to the fact that the Jiu Jitsu scene in Nebraska was pretty small. I believe the highest ranking person was a newly promoted purple belt. In 2012, I lost the use of my right foot due to an injury during a tournament. I thought I would stop training after that but after eight months I gave into peer pressure and returned. After 13 years I’m currently a purple belt and I am sure it will be another 13 before I make it to black belt (slow learner). I am married and in two weeks I will complete my master’s degree. I plan to invest that newly acquired free time to getting in shape and competing on a regular basis. On a side note I’m a huge Hawkeye wrestling fan and they were destined to be national champs this year.  |
"Hey everyone. I’ll try to keep this brief. I started training in 2007. It was a pretty neat time due to the fact that the Jiu Jitsu scene in Nebraska was pretty small. I believe the highest ranking person was a newly promoted purple belt. In 2012, I lost the use of my right foot due to an injury during a tournament. I thought I would stop training after that but after eight months I gave into peer pressure and returned. After 13 years I’m currently a purple belt and I am sure it will be another 13 before I make it to black belt (slow learner). I am married and in two weeks I will complete my master’s degree. I plan to invest that newly acquired free time to getting in shape and competing on a regular basis. On a side note I’m a huge Hawkeye wrestling fan and they were destined to be national champs this year." I had tickets to watch NCAAs in Minnesota this year. Agreed, I don’t see how the Hawks would have lost. Huge bummer everything got cancelled. I feel bad for all those hard working young men. |
"I had tickets to watch NCAAs in Minnesota this year. Agreed, I don’t see how the Hawks would have lost. Huge bummer everything got cancelled. I feel bad for all those hard working young men." Yeah, feel bad for Pat Lugo being a senior. Everyone else in the starting lineup has at least one more year of eligibility. |
Good morning everyone, I hope everyone is doing well while these ongoing events with the virus continue to top us from training. Just wanted to tell you that this is the best time to heal up and watch instructionals and realize you’ll come on the mats stronger than ever. Take an epsom salt bath, douse yourself in tigerbalm or icy hot and take care of yourself. Hope to see everyone on the mats soon! Best, Alex |
Hi...Stephen Marx. I'm about 20 miles north of NYC. Got my black belt in Nov at Connected BJJ in Franklin Lakes NJ where I am one of the instructors. I'm close to a red belt in cycling...lol. Just on the road--I'm too fragile for mountain bikes. Bio Teacher by day. 2 kids (8/10). Usually train 4 classes a week during school then up to 8 in the summer. If you are ever in Rockland County NY or North Jersey and need a place to train let me know. http://www.connectedbjj.com  |
"Hi...Stephen Marx. I'm about 20 miles north of NYC. Got my black belt in Nov at Connected BJJ in Franklin Lakes NJ where I am one of the instructors. I'm close to a red belt in cycling...lol. Just on the road--I'm too fragile for mountain bikes. Bio Teacher by day. 2 kids (8/10). Usually train 4 classes a week during school then up to 8 in the summer. If you are ever in Rockland County NY or North Jersey and need a place to train let me know. http://www.connectedbjj.com" Hey Stephen! I’m great friends with Pete and tony from up top, I’m 20 Minutes down the road from you in kinnelon, NJ. I’ll have to swing by soon. See you on the mats soon, Alex |
"The other topic got a bit long, so we'll continue it here! (PART 1: https://beltchecker.com/f[...]bcb15b9139) *** While we wait for the site to mature and verified user base to slowly grow, let’s hear some introductions here? What’s your training / competition career been like? Would be nice to get to know the serious early adopters here a bit! :) This is also a good opportunity to connect with people here on the site, who might take a look at your profile and chose to verify it or not. Please note, that we kindly don't allow 'please verify me' topics in the forum as there will be too many of them." Hello family, I am a Marine who has the liberty to serve for almost 11 years (almost at 20). I’ve been grabbing since I was 14 years old, and for the last six year I have been training Jiu Jitsu. I have been trained under the Todd Cutler - Fight Sports Daytona (Cyborg blackbelts) my entire career on the mats. I’ve also had the opportunity to travel the world, and learn from other schools and the community as a whole. I’m hoping this platform grows into something great considering that life in the military will take me around the globe and I would love to be connected globally. I hope all is well, and I’m sure in the days to come I shall meet atleast one of you and get some motivating lessons and rolls in. (Edited 6 year(s) ago) |
"Hey Stephen! I’m great friends with Pete and tony from up top, I’m 20 Minutes down the road from you in kinnelon, NJ. I’ll have to swing by soon. See you on the mats soon, Alex" I looked you up Alex...we trained years ago at Connected before Casey passed. You and your brother came by one Friday night for an open mat when you were purple belts. (Edited 6 year(s) ago) |
Hello everybody Pleased to be a member of the Beltchecker community. I'm John, 61, a brown belt, and a grumpy old grappler who loves to compete. Like many others, I'm battling with bjj withdrawl, but lucky to have a little matted area and a perfectly padded purple belt wife. Hope to catch you on the mats soon!  |
Hello, My name is Greg Cappello. I'm a 4 strip purple belt at Kenn Brach MMA in Voorhees, NJ - Team Balance. This is a great website. I really enjoy seeing everyone and where your from. Missing time on the mats, so lots of time on my hands. https://www.jiujitsutimes[...]UU4xJY-2x4 Stay Safe, Greg  |
