NJU student Tom Coda takes GOLD at IBJJF!

NJU student Tom Coda took gold at IBJJF this Sunday after tough battles in a stacked division!

23 year-old Tom Coda is one of our most consistent and dedicated BJJ students, and his hard work paid off exponentially last Sunday at the 2019 IBJJF NY Spring Open tournament in New York, NY. He straight-up won his blue belt no-gi division, and he took silver in his gi division, coming up short in the finals by 2 points. His no-gi division had 14 competitors and his gi division 23, and since both divisions were on the same day, he sure had his work cut out for him! Moreover, IBJJF tournaments are not small, local tournaments. From all over the east coast, top grapplers of all weight classes, ages, and belt levels enter IBJJF events to test themselves. Some athletes travel from different parts of the country and the world.

So first of all with all that being said, I’ve got to give a big congrats to Tom! But second of all, I have some advice and encouragement for any readers out there who are looking for a martial arts school to set down roots in. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned BJJ practitioner, or if you’ve never grappled in your life. What matters in your training is that you’re in a friendly setting where you can train hard, train smart, get the best workout of your life, and gain an understanding of the how’s and why’s of strong martial arts. Sure, hard work will always be a factor, as well as the fact that all of us have different levels of talent. But I believe the critical element of success and happiness in martial arts is developing good relationships with good people, and gaining an understanding of those technical how’s and why’s.

There are a lot of tough, talented martial artists out there, but smart strategy wins the day! Whatever your motives and goals for training are, remember: “Right move, right time, right opponent”!

I’m not going to go into a technical break-down Tom’s matches, because I’m not a fan of jargon-dropping. What I am a fan of is people who fight with their minds first and their athleticism second. In all of his matches, Tom demonstrated a strong knowledge of everything we’ve been reviewing in our BJJ classes recently. In BJJ culture, there’s a lot of talk about “Right move, right time, right opponent.” To use the martial art effectively, you need to sync-up these three factors. To solve the human puzzle before you and gain victory against your opponent, you need to discern which move to use, when to use it, and whether or not that move would be effective against your opponent’s style and body-type. That’s precisely what Tom did again and again last Sunday.

BJJ is both an art and a science. At NJ United MMA, we always respect the art and the men and women who practice it. We teach moves that have the highest success-rates, and strategies that can be grasped and drilled by everyone. Whether your goal for training is competition, self-defense, self-confidence, getting in shape, or just to try something new, we’d love for you to train with us and discover how martial arts can give back to you!

Come train at NJ United Mixed Martial Arts and take advantage of our 7-day free trial offer! Whether you’re an aspiring competitor or casual student, you will benefit from training in our friendly, professional, and ego-free environment. Call us at 973-638-1570 to schedule your first class, and visit us on the web at http://www.njunitedmma.com/ for more info.

JJ Mike