Welcome to The Grappler's Diary
If you're new, start here. (Updated 11/20/2023)
Hi, I’m Chris,
and welcome to The Grappler’s Diary.
Let’s get right to it:
A little bit about me.
I like Jiu-Jitsu, puppies, and pizza. Oh, and if you’re wondering how I’m doing, my back probably hurts.
Apart from my joint pain, I’m also a writer, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and competitor. I’m on a journey through the world of martial arts as an athlete, teacher, and student, and I’m here to share it all with you.
That’s because, at the end of the day, I’m a teacher at heart, though I guess not necessarily in the conventional sense of the word. I try to teach people how to overcome physical and mental hurdles through martial arts and storytelling. I started doing this long before I got my black belt in BJJ.
The first time I remember doing this was when I was a senior in high school and I gave my sister a motivational speech before one of our wiffle ball games.
In case you’re curious, we won that game.
Anyway—grappling and writing are my passions, and this newsletter is where they intersect.
About me.
Here are a few things I’ve accomplished in writing and Jiu-Jitsu that I’d like to share with you.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:
2019 IBJJF Purple Belt No-Gi World Champion (click here to read an article about how I did it)
2022 ADCC West Coast Trials 4th Place finisher (click here to read an article about that event)
2023 ADCC European Trials Bronze Medalist (click here for an article about the weekend)
Writing:
I’ve only been writing on the internet for a short time, but in that time I’ve gained more than 20 million views on my writing.
I’ve written 3 ebooks, one on getting better at Jiu-Jitsu faster, one on lifestyle design, and one on overcoming performance anxiety. If you’d like to support my work, check out any of these ebooks.
What exactly is The Grappler’s Diary?
For the first 14 months of its existence, this newsletter was called Who’s That? On the Mat? in honor of my high school wrestling team’s meme Facebook group.
However, it came to rebrand, and now this newsletter is named exactly what it is today. I like this name.
This is The Grappler’s Diary.
This newsletter is a digital program that helps us improve ourselves physically and mentally—with a heavy emphasis on martial arts training.
How does The Grappler’s Diary work?
First, hit the “subscribe” button below and enter your email address.
Then, every Friday morning, I'll send you an article. That’s it.
Training tips, mindset approaches, stories, and life lessons learned through my journey in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, writing, and traveling the world pursuing my dream. That’s my life, and this newsletter is where I share things I’ve learned. Occasionally, I also share work from writers that I’ve met through the martial arts world.
That’s pretty much it…
Unless you want more.
If you want to read more of my articles, the subscribe button below offers an option to join my premium newsletter for just $5 per month. By going premium, you get access to my community and an additional 4-6 articles each month.
Each article costs you about a dollar. It’s a pretty good deal if you ask me.
However, whatever sounds good to you, I’m honestly just happy to have you here. Click the button below to join what I’m trying to build into the best grappling newsletter in the world.
Best,
Chris