Promoted to Nidan



Promotion based on recommendation of head of state board (Ron Hansen, hachidan) after viewing local competition performances
Promoted in less than two years because of point accumulation (without competition points, minimum time-in-grade is 3 years at shodan)
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I had the great fortune to attend a 12-hour, 2-day seminar by Olympic Silver Medalist Travis Stevens (@judosilencer) at Nito Judo Club. The Judo newaza content was incredible, and I'm sure I'll be resharing much of that content for the rest of my life, as I internalize it into my game. My promotion to Nidan (second degree black belt) in Judo was also announced by the head of the promotion board of NC, Sensei Woody Bostic. A special thank you to Kokoro Judo, a wonderful little club in Austin, Texas that I'm honored to have come from and received my shodan through. And a special thank you to @opensourcejiujitsuavl, for adopting me and giving me the chance to hone my art and share what I have. I love being a part of what you have created and contributing to it. I'm also grateful to Sensei Ron Hansen for taking notice of my judo in the past few months and guiding me through the promotion process. Finally, thank you to all my instructors, training partners, competition opponents, and students I've had on this path. It is through your sharing yourselves with me that I have had the opportunity to reach where I am today. It's been quite a journey–perhaps I should say quite a "dō" or "way". I've been very fortunate to have you all.

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January 2019

Nito Grappling Cup BJJ



Gold 73kg Senior Elite/Mixed (13 man bracket; $100 prize) (Won all matches by ippon)
Gold 81kg Senior Elite/Mixed (13 man bracket; $100 prize) (Won all matches by ippon, including against nidan opponent)
Undefeated in Open Weight (made to semifinals; due to record attendance, however, the venue closed before we could finish the division, and we were unable to finish the bracket)
Won all 10 matches by ippon (threw ko-soto-gari, uchi-mata, & tomoe-nage for ippon; also received ippon from various collar chokes and arm attacks)
Only one opponent scored a wazari
Noticed by senior members of state promotion board, recommended for fast-tracked promotion to Judo Nidan

December 2018

NAGA BJJ



Gold in 160 lb brown belt division (by submission)
Gold in 160 lb no-gi Expert division (by submission)
November 2018

Grapple For Good BJJ



1st place, open weight/open skill division (final vs. 215 lb purple belt)
For charity, “light” event (one division, competitors wore costumes)
October 2018

Fall Brawl NC State Championships Judo



Silver 73kg Senior Elite/Mixed (10 man bracket, double elimination, loss in final to nidan in 10.5 minute golden score match)
Silver in Open Weight category, (4 wins, including 2 wins against yudansha -- 1 by ippon, 1 by wazari throw in Golden Score against same nidan victor from 73kg division; 16 man division; loss in final was to 240 lb opponent, who I scored wazari against before he scored ippon)
One Open Source Judo student who attended received bronze in large 81kg senior division
October 2018

Invited to stay at Open Source



Asked to stay for a minimum of three months (later extended)
Founded Open Source Judo program
Designed BJJ kids curriculum and lead kids program
Continued teaching theory, advanced, and fundamentals classes on rotating basis
September 2018

Grappling on the Gridiron BJJ



Gold in no-gi open weight, open skill division. (Featured 4 brown belts, was lightest in division.)
Final was against 190 lb brown belt. (EBI rules, win in overtime by escape vs. no escape)
September 2018

Invited to be Instructor in Residence



Open Source Jiu Jitsu (opensourcebjj.net)
Trusted to manage gym for two weeks while head instructor was out of town, teach all classes
Invited to teach 5 part “Judo for BJJ” course
July 2018

BJJ Globetrotters Camp Instructor



Taught “Famous Fight Analysis” - Kron Gracie vs Marcelo Garcia, ADCC 2009
May 2018

Submission FC BJJ



Gold in Gi; faced 270+ lb opponent; won by submission
Gold in expert no-gi; won best of 3 (two submission wins)
February 2018

Go Shibata Judo



Gold in 81kg Senior Elite (3 matches, all opponents yudansha, all wins by ippon)
Two ippon wins against Zach Godbold, sandan, former member of Olympic Training Center
Win in exhibition match against -90kg yudansha by ippon
October 2017

Promoted to Brown Belt in BJJ



Surprise promotion
Promoted by “Council of Traveling Black Belts”
Push for my promotion was made by Oliver Geddes
See more
October 2017

Trained in Europe



Trained Judo and BJJ in multiple clubs in Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Poland
Promoted to brown belt in Poland by group of black belts
Regularly invited to teach
Summer-Winter 2017

Promoted to shodan in Judo



Performed all 5 section of nage no kata
First student to go from nanakyu (white) to shodan (black) at my club
After exceptional competition season and club teaching, promoted directly to shodan after 2 years at sankyu, a few days before the fourth anniversary of the day I began Judo.
Read more January 2017

Dallas Invitational Judo



D level National tournament
Tied for 5th in 81kg Senior Elite (17 man bracket)
Lost only to two athletes who placed 1st and 2nd (First match was with Jack Hatton, “A” rank international competitor)
Same losses as 3rd place finisher
4 ippon victories
November 2016

Houston Open Judo



Gold in 90kg Senior Elite (3 man bracket, weighed about 78kg) ($150 cash prize)
Silver in Open Weight category (winner--not me--received $500 cash prize)
Only two losses were to same single competitor who weighed 100~ lbs more with international european competition experience
All wins in both categories by ippon, including victory against previous year’s open weight champion
November 2016

Go Shibata Judo



Silver in 81kg Brown Belt category (7 man bracket) (loss by single wazari points in last minute)
Silver in 81kg Senior Elite category (6 man bracket) (loss in 81kg Senior Elite was to Arthur “Kyle” Wright, ”B” rank international competitor)
All wins by ippon
October 2016

Becerra Challenge Judo



Gold in 81kg Senior Elite (two man bracket, best of three, both wins by ippon throws)
Gold in 81kg ‘newaza’ division (5 man bracket, round robin, all 4 wins by ippon)
All wins in less than 1 minute in both divisions
September 2016

Gave Paid Private Lessons in BJJ to Judo Yudansha



Personalized newaza lessons
Summer 2015

Eastside Austin Elite Sambo Comp



Gold in Lightweight category (all wins by tko from 8 - 0 lead)
April 2015

Promoted to Judo Brown Belt / Sankyu



Fast promotion (1 yr 10 mo) in part due to exceptional competition performance; gold in every novice division entered except for 1st comp (where I got a silver, losing to an experienced samboist)
December 2014

Dallas Invitational Judo



D Level Competition
Gold in Novice 73kg
November 2014

Fight 2 Win BJJ



Gold in no-gi Expert category (all wins by submission)
October 2014

Alamo Classic Judo



Gold in Novice 73kg
Best of 3 against a fellow Judo green belt, BJJ purple belt, all very close matches
Competed in spite of having had a motorcycle wreck at 3am the day-of
September 2014

NAGA BJJ



Gold in purple belt division (3 man bracket, both wins by submission)
Gold in no-gi Expert division (3 man bracket, faced TX state wrestling champ and BJJ black belt) (wins by submission & by 12-0 point lead)
August 2014

Promoted to Purple Belt in BJJ



Promoted by Dave Thomas at Austin Jiu Jitsu
July 2014

Naturally Fit Games BJJ



Gold in blue belt division (2 wins by submission, including kneebar)
Gold in no-gi beginner division (2 wins by submission)
Gold in no-gi intermediate division (2 wins by submission, including kneebar)
July 2014

Began Teaching BJJ Classes



Austin Jiu Jitsu
Taught for 6 months
Spring 2014

Eastside Austin Elite Sambo Comp



Gold in Lightweight category
February 2014

Matshark BJJ



Gold in no-gi Beginner division
February 2014

Houston Open Judo



Gold in Novice 73kg ($100 cash prize)
3 matches
November 2013)

Go Shibata Judo



Silver in Novice 73kg
Only loss was to an experienced samboist who was promoted shortly thereafter
October 2013

Promoted to Blue Belt in BJJ



Austin Jiu Jitsu / Dave Thomas
August 2013

Restarted BJJ Study



Austin Jiu Jitsu / Dave Thomas
July 2013

Began studying Judo



Kokoro Judo / Many Instructors
February 2013

Trained at AKBAN



They had some cross-training in BJJ and Judo
Threw my first seoi-nage, was a beautiful moment
Was all I could afford as a poor college student
October 2010

Began studying BJJ



Vandry’s BJJ
Studied for 6 months, then a 6 month break, then 1 more month
Ran out of money, as teenagers do
Participated in adult class as a scrawny 16 year old with obnoxiously flexible shoulders
Spring 2006

High School Wrestling



Cedar Park High School
Fall 2005