For over a decade, I wandered through gym after gym trying to learn how to defend myself. Each gym, a new promise. Each promise, a new disappointment.
What I found was Jiu-Jitsu taught as a random collection of submissions, takedowns and scrambling which only favored the 'athlete'.
The physical toll was brutal. Two medial tendons snapped by a blue belt. Cracked ribs. Torn ligaments. Broken bones. I couldn't stand up straight for a few years because my spine was cracked pursuing a guard with an awesome name...
After more than a decade of searching, I found Rickson Gracie. There, I discovered the 'building blocks' of Jiu-Jitsu. That's when everything changed.
I packed all of my stuff, lived out of my car, slept on couches, academy mats and empty beaches. I invested everything to learn from Rickson.
What I learned wasn't more techniques. It was understanding the fundamental principles that make Jiu-Jitsu work. Rickson showed me that true mastery comes from understanding the why behind each movement.
This Changed Everything
When you understand the principles, you don't need hundreds of techniques.
You need the right techniquesโthose that leverage position and proper mechanics rather than strength and athleticism.
Why Building Blocks Students Are Ready for The Suitcase
You've already learned the fundamental movements in Building Blocks. Now The Suitcase shows you how to apply these principles in every positionโthe complete system that makes everything click together.
The Suitcase contains exactly these essential techniquesโthe ones that saved my body, transformed my training, and finally made Jiu-Jitsu work for me without having to be an athlete.
