So You Want to Be a Grappler

Here's what they don't tell you.

2023 ADCC East Coast Trials — Photo by Nancy V Photography

At 12, I went to my first wrestling practice.

I was a chubby kid, who liked baseball, Friday night pizza with my mom and dad, and playing soccer —I was the goalkeeper, meaning no running. I loved sports but I wasn’t really “athletic”.

On my first day of wrestling, one of the nerdiest kids in my ent…