Saturday, July 9, 2011

Ireland's Chris Leddy's shares His Jiu Jitsu Story


Article written by Chris Leddy-
I was introduced to Jiu Jitsu by my friend, and now Jiu Jitsu teacher, Darragh O’Conaill. Darragh was training NoGi grappling at an MMA club in Dublin, Ireland at the time. I had been training grappling there as well for about a year and a half, and had competed in numerous tournaments. I never really wanted to fight MMA, and Darragh had talked to me about Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As soon as I put the Gi on, I knew right away this was for me. In grappling, I always competed relatively well. I was athletic and strong from weight lifting. I soon realized that BJJ offered me a whole new challenge. I wasn’t able to use my athleticism to pull out of bad positions anymore. I felt like I had started all over again with BJJ. I had to relearn so many things, which for me was really rewarding. At the time, I was working in a bank, a 9 to 5 job. I was training 2x a week at best. I made the decision to leave my job in December of 2010, and began training full time with Darragh in his academy. Nowadays I train 5 days a week and twice a day. I don’t make very much money, but I get to do something I love to do everyday! Most people wouldn’t understand that.
This summer I came to the University of Jiu Jitsu with Darragh. I had no idea what to expect and was a bit apprehensive. As soon as I walked in to the University, I was welcomed as if I were already part of the team. It felt great! I got there just in time for the World Championships training camp. The team atmosphere was incredible! Everyone pushing each other to the limit, getting the best out of each other. I’m due to fly back to Ireland in a couple of weeks. I hope to take home some of the energy with me. I have learned so much during my stay at the University. Thanks to Saulo, and everyone at the University for accepting me. Thank you to Darragh for instructing me every day, and taking the time to answer all my questions! If you are ever in Ireland, come visit us in Dublin at Darragh’s academy!
Chris went on to win 3 fights and finish with a bronze medal at the 2011 World Jiu Jitsu Championships….

1 comment:

  1. Shop for MMA devices and battling devices at Practitioners Industry. Discover item name gis and kimonos like Koral, Vulkan and Atama.
    Buy Your Product koral gi

    ReplyDelete