Instructor Interview

Q: What led you to become interested in the martial arts?

A: I was drawn to the martial arts when I was a kid. I was a huge fan of the Ninja Turtles which came out in 1990 so I would have been around 7 years old. My parents got me into Tae Kwon Do some time after and I did that for a short time before getting more involved in school sports. I came back to Tae Kwon Do in my early 20s, eventually receiving a Black Belt and opening my own academy in Hibbing. I was also training and competing in MMA around the same time.

Q: Why has Jiu-Jitsu become your chosen discipline?

A: I feel that Jiu-Jitsu allows for application of what you learn against a resisting opponent with the least amount of risk to yourself or your training partner. Jiu-Jitsu is also open to creative problem solving so that a person of any build can find a way to be effective — you are able to find what really works for you. I especially like it for kids because it teaches them to control themselves (both physically and emotionally) and their opponents, without needing to kick or punch.

Q: What do you like most about teaching?

A: I like seeing the moment when things start working for students that don’t give up. Jiu-Jitsu is extremely difficult and progress is usually very slow but there is always a time when what they have been learning starts working.

Q: Have you ever had to use Jiu-Jitsu outside of the academy?

A: I am an avid bowhunter and while it sounds completely fictional, I did once use a triangle choke to incapacitate and break the neck of a wounded deer that I was helping a hunting partner retrieve.