When I started training 15 years ago, my only goal was to get as good as possible and earn a black belt as quickly as I could. In my first year on the journey to black belt, I trained every day, hoping to fast-track my way to the coveted blue belt. I reached it relatively quickly, which signified that I had become someone within the Jiu-Jitsu community. In reality, though, I was still a beginner, with a long way to go.
During this time, my life outside of Jiu-Jitsu began to change and take shape. I became a newlywed, a father, a student, all while being a full-time blue-collar knuckle dragger. I struggled to find time to practice, and my goal shifted from earning a black belt to simply not quitting. Over these 15 years, I faced injuries, career changes, completed school, entered a new era of fatherhood, and celebrated milestones with my wife—all while trying to find time to continue my training, hoping that one day I could call myself a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
In 2021, I received my black belt from my long-time friend and professor/coach, Magno Almeida. It was at that moment that I realized the journey didn’t end—it only changed course. I found myself becoming a student of detail and a teacher of techniques. Now, you can find me passing on knowledge to the next generation of hungry individuals looking to build skills to better protect themselves and their loved ones.
A black belt is just a white belt who doesn’t quit.
Vazquez Jiu-Jitsu – Home of the GOON GARAGE and the GOON CREW.
NEW CLASSES JUST ADDED
Pre-Register on our classes page.
Click on the link below. Scroll down until you see our class schedule.
Beginners Jiu-Jitsu classes are at 6pm every Monday and Wednesday
and our Self-Defense class is every Saturday at 10am.
All classes are coed ages 16-Adult and 60mn. Please wear workout
clothes or loose comfortable clothes.
Contact us for information on kids Jiu-Jitsu classes.
Call (562) 945-5636 for more information or email
