Holy Shit….. It’s been only 3 months since my first blog entry. So much has happened not only since my first session on the mats almost a year ago but since starting the blog. I honestly don’t know where to start it has been an absolute whirlwind and I can’t believe how fast time has gone. In the past 3 months I have met so many people through the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Those of you who have been following my journey would have seen the Free Rollers events that I have been arranging here in Perth. After the first event and its positive feedback I have decided to put a little more time into arranging more for the future. I still aim to hold an outdoor open mat once every 2 months, but the initial idea of being able to move around from location to location has been put on hold until I can do a couple of things, get a trailer and get more mats. This may take a little time as I will need to save a little bit of money to be able to purchase this gear. I have also had plenty of ideas to shoot from Free Rollers and look forward to sharing these with you as they start to develop rest assured I aim to keep things fresh. One thing is very certain; I am excited with the endless possibilities that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has already been able to provide me.
I would like to thank a couple of people in particular, my wife for having the patience with me as I have thrown myself 110% in to my Jiu Jitsu journey which has now become my families Journey, one I couldn’t be happier to be on with them. The other person I would like to thank is Jo, my coach. When I first came up with the idea I consulted no one and off I went, by the time I stopped and had a think about it, it was too late to pull out, I had gone past the point of no return, however as with a lot I have done in the past I had reached the point of self-doubt. Here I was a person who had been training 4 months and I was arranging an open mat for the entire Western Australian community to be a part off. Who was I to be doing this? How were people going to see me? I had a chat to Jo one night about all of my doubts and she re assured me that what I was doing was a positive thing and that she was behind it 110% although as with everything you do in life there is going to be doubters, don’t worry about those people just embrace the positives. Taking in this advice I proceeded with the first event and well the rest is history. You can read about the first event here. https://myjourneythroughbjj.wordpress.com/2015/05/02/free-rollers-perth/
The first Free Rollers event drew attention not just here in Perth but across Australia and also on the International level. I received support from Christian Graugart of BJJ Globetrotters, I was lucky enough to receive a bunch of giveaways for the day which were well received by the people who turned up in support. The event was covered in BJJ Legends magazine, which in turn led me to land a position writing for this dedicated online BJJ publication. My blog has developed a truly global following being seen across ¾ of the world.
This is far more then I could have imagined, my blog and Free Rollers now has the continuing support of the BJJ Globetrotters, Meerkatsu, Connection Rio BJJ Hostel and the official sponsorship deal that was struck between Free Rollers & Break Apparel. I was not only lucky enough to secure a sponsorship for Free Rollers but also a personal Sponsorship for myself. I look forward to a great relationship with Mike and the entire Break team as this quality brand continues to expand its reach and becomes a powerhouse in the BJJ & Surf clothing arena.
I have had a little bit of time to think about my journey and where I want Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to take me, however I have come to the conclusion that for myself the best journeys in my life have been the ones that are unplanned, so continuing in that spirit I will continue to train, compete where and whenever I can, I will continue to arrange Free Roller events and all in all I will just take the brakes off let go of the wheel and see where I end up. Remembering the most fun is had on the journey not at the destination.
As for the coming weeks I will be competing at the 2015 WA State Titles GI, once again I have no perceived outcomes for the day except to go in have an absolute ball doing something that I truly do love, I look forward to meeting more people on the day, I look forward to seeing some quality Jiu Jitsu and as always I look forward to watching my daughters compete. After the State titles I would like to aim at competing at my first IBJJF competition in the Melbourne Open.
That’s it for today`s update, thank you for your support, I look forward to continuing my journey with you all and sharing whatever is around the corner. You can also follow my journey at the following links.
https://www.facebook.com/LukeFreeRoll
https://instagram.com/luke_free_roll/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Rollers-Perth/343901789133874
Until next time.
Luke
Free Rollers Jiu Jitsu 