An Exercise in Fortitude

In August of 2018 Coach Nick Hanley decided to take a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class. He loved the experience and it didn’t take long for Nick to fall in love with the competitive side of Jiu-Jitsu. This past weekend he took on a submissive only competition and took home a first place win in overtime. Read below to learn more about Coach Nick’s latest endeavor!

What made you want to stat Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I started because I have never learned any sort of self defense and I was looking for something new! My brother and some cousins had done it before and it sounded like a fun martial arts to try! Back in August of 2018 I went in for my first class, loved it and signed up for a 6 month contract. Not to long after starting BJJ I got hooked into the competitive side of things... pretty standard for me haha!

What has the journey taught you so far?

It has been a wild journey learning some new skills and abilities that my body can do. Taking on combat sport is a completely different world that has taught me the importance of mental toughness, breathing, skills, and attention to detail.

Being coached in something completely new has also brought on a whole new perspective on what it’s like for the clients I work with everyday. I have definitely become a better coach because of it!

Tell us about your recent competition experience

I competed in a Submission Only Competition. This means the only way to win is to get your opponent to tap out(submit) via choke or some joint lock. Each fight we had 10min to do this otherwise it went to an overtime round! I competed in 2 divisions Gi and NoGi. I got 2nd in my NoGi competition and went on to win Gi in overtime!

Follow Coach Nick’s Journey: fithanley.com