All of us have our reasons for getting started in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Some of us wanted to learn self-defense without having to go to work the next day with a black eye or broken jaw, some of us wanted exercise, and some of us just wanted to do something fun and interesting.
For Professor Nick “Chewy” Albin, there were two reasons: what he terms an “inner” and “outer” reason.
The outer reason was that he got back into mixed martial arts when he was a teenager and figured that if he was going to take people to the ground, he had better know how to submit someone.
The inner reason was that grappling just made him feel “right.” When Chewy was a fat, nerdy kid, wrestling made him happy. It was also a confidence builder for him, as he would be forced to wrestle big, hulking men, and he would defeat them. Wrestling also gave him a sense of connection to his team.
Unfortunately, wrestling wasn’t year round. But as the old saying goes about closing a door and opening a window, Professor Albin eventually found Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he could use to feel fulfilled almost every day of the year.
You can check out the rest of Professor Nick “Chewy” Albin’s video below.
What got you into Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
