How to Reinvent Yourself as a Grappler

I used to be a "wrestler".

Photo by Walo Jay

I wrestled when I was in high school.

I wasn’t very good.

Compared to how my Jiu-Jitsu career has gone, my wrestling experience was downright uneventful.

If I had to speculate, I’d say part of the reason was that I started wrestling late compared to many of the top guys, but there were other factors too. I cut a lot of weight, I didn’t work very hard in the offseason until my second to last year, and also I didn’t really mature physically until I was done with the sport.

But still, when I was younger, wrestling was who I was — especially at the end of high school. It made me more confident and tougher, and it gave me something to strive for. When I started Jiu-Jitsu, I clung to wrestling a lot in the first 2 years.

But now? Most people know me as a guard player and a leg locker. My wrestling is solid but it’s more something in my back pocket than it is a centerpiece of my game.

Here’s how I reinvented myself as a grappler from a “wrestler” to a well-rounded practitioner.