United States
I'm an Army Vet, a martial artist in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, and an author. I love writing/blogging! It's been a passion of mine for quite some time and look forward to getting more experience.
You can actually higher me for short gigs at https://www.fiverr.com/dfm2099
By David Figueroa-Martinez On Saturday, March 11 th , Five Grappling will be hosting Five Super League Light Heavyweight Pro Invitation in San Diego. It's going to be an evening of action-packed grappling spanning the gamut of blue to black belts.
By David Figueroa-Martinez Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, through the hard work of the Gracie family and their connection to the UFC has spread all over the world. While Brazil is undoubtedly its birthplace, but can it still be considered the Mecca of Jiu-Jitsu. The Mundials, for example, are no longer hosted there.
The Audacity With tonight's massive Pay Per View just a few hours away, something has peaked my interest about Conor McGregor's meteoric rise through the UFC and into a 100 million dollar pay day. That something is his audacity. Conor McGregor is incredibly audacious. Almost to the point of what some would call, disrespectful.
This month marks my one year anniversary of being promoted to Purple Belt. A bunch of thoughts come to mind in regards to what I thought I would feel at this point versus what I actually feel at Purple Belt: Year One.
The focus of this Spotlight piece is on current IBJJF NoGi World Champion Jena Bishop. I've known Jena and her husband Tyler for a little over a year now. I feel like enough time has gone by now that I can write this piece about Jena with the amount of detail necessary to give it the honest effort it deserves.
First Year Thoughts Last month was our Kid's Class teaching anniversary and it's been a bit of a whirlwind. Last year in June Regis asked me if I would take the Kid's Class over, teaching Tuesdays and Thursdays while Zimitri would teach Mondays.
Jiu-Jitsu
"They cut you, son, because they want to win.." I came across the "You Made it Weird" podcast with Pete Holmes today and the guest on the show was Sinbad. I've been a Sinbad fan for years, I was even privileged enough to see him perform at the Fair a while back here in San Diego.
Most recently actor and Bjj Brown Belt practitioner Paul Walker passed away in a car crash leaving his fans and the communities he was a part of in mourning. In honor of his friend and long time student, Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller of Paragon Bjj awarded Walker the rank of Black Belt at his memorial.
As many of you know, I recently decided to change schools. It's been a long process emotionally, longer really than I initially anticipated. It wasn't a decision I ever took lightly. I went back and fourth, obsessing over it's impact on me.
So I finally decided to borrow Bounce by Matthew Syed from Jeff. Before picking it up I thought it was similar to Relentless by Tim Grover. They both touch on similar issues but in the end they are worlds apart.
Trust in all walks of life is a currency of the up most importance. Its existence isn't always acknowledged but much like oxygen it's an abundant element within our Jiu Jitsu universe. Outside of the gym my circle of trust is rather shallow.
Sports
Being in my mid thirties and a fan who s watched wrestling since I was a kid making title belts out of cardboard, I ve seen and lived through various eras. They have all been great for their own reasons, and it s been a pleasure to be a part of as a fan.
By David Figueroa-Martinez: This past Saturday, we were privileged to watch one of the most talented boxers to ever step into the ring in Floyd Mayweather (44-0, 26 KO's) with his 12 round unanimous decision win over Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero (31-2-1, 18 KO's) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Anti-Bullying
"Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?" by RMA Team Member David Figueroa-Martinez I came across this quote this morning and it had a resounding affect on me. It made me reflect on myself, who I am and who I was. I had...
Martial Artist Mindset By David Figueroa-Martinez As a martial artist I've made some huge strides as an athlete and as a person. My weight is down, my cardio is much better, confidence is up, and I'm willing to strive for my goals no matter how lofty they may be.
Dream Big by David Figueroa-Martinez If there is any bit of advice I would share with someone it would be to dream and I mean dream BIG. Dream as if there are no laws or limitations to who or what you can become. Dream as if by not doing so a piece of...
By David Figueroa-Martinez Confidence is something that's extremely priceless. How to gain it is often a journey that's different from person to person. For some it comes easy but for others it finds a foot hold in doing things that you or others find value in.