Billy Crafton Looks Back on Trip to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Puerto Rico
During the trip, I found time for a fun detour to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Puerto Rico, a very nice 1500-square foot, air-conditioned Jiu-Jitsu gym, located in the Hato Rey area.
I was accepting an invitation from the gym’s own Professor Carlos Reyes, to join him in teaching a two-day seminar that centered on Gracie principles of self-defense, including the core, important belief “that martial arts are created for a self-defense purpose.” Taking the time to help other students was a no-brainer, made even better by the high quality of the gym, which includes Zebra Mats, and a free first class with no commitment for new students, perfect for helping prospective pupils decide if Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is indeed right for them.
I think by joining forces with Carlos, another highly-skilled Jiu-Jitsu instructor in his own right, we really offered some extra motivation to the students.
Carlos has worked in the martial arts since he was thirteen. His first experience was karate, then Moo-Duk-Won, Combat Hapkido, and Tae-Kwon-Do. He “integrates his Hapkido and TKD knowledge into BJJ, offering his students a well round self-defense class for all kind of situations.” In addition to that incredibly solid pedigree, Carlos has trained under Master Rilion Gracie for ten years now as well.
I truly enjoyed the two-day teaching experience, plus the entire Puerto Rico trip too. The one obstacle I always joke about from the the adventure, however, comes to you courtesy of the language barrier, as I noted in our press release on the trip:
“The biggest test on my Puerto Rico visit wasn’t a test of my Jiu Jitsu skills… instead, the biggest test was my Spanish-speaking skills.”
After I completed a round of teaching, I tried to ask the students if anyone had any questions, but in Spanish, which reads “Alguien tiene alguna pregunta?”
My pronunciation of the word “pregunta”, however, brought laughter from the students. As one of them lightheartedly joked, “I think your Spanish shows more of a surfer gringo accent than a Puerto Rican one!”
It’s nice to wander back to that memory right now, as we all look forward to the day when trips like that can safely return for everyone. You can see more with Billy Crafton on the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Puerto Rico Facebook page.
Stay safe, healthy, and strong everyone!
— Billy
