Hey, Guys! Coach Kirby here. For those of you who are new to the Beacon MMA family, I’m the guy in the funny pajamas choking all the nice people (see photo).

In the interest of protecting my training partner’s privacy, let’s all try to pretend we don’t know that’s Eric in that photo. Man that looks tight!

I’m usually one of the first people you’ll meet at Beacon MMA. I help new members decide which program is right for them, teach adult Jiu-Jitsu classes, and head our Kids Jiu-Jitsu program. I’ve been training for 36 years, and teaching for about 26 of them.

People are never asking me, “Why don’t you start blogging?” So here I am, giving the world what it never asked for - more me. So, what’s in it for you? That’s a good question (that you never asked).

Learning a martial art goes well beyond what you do on the mats. If you’re only coming to class and making your body do what I tell it to do, sure, you’re doing Jiu-Jitsu. But oftentimes, the people who get just that little bit more out of class are the one’s who stay after and ask questions… OFF THE MAT. See what I did there? Sometimes, those questions are very specific and relevant to the material from class; sometimes, they’re very broad. In either situation, my answer usually contextualizes Jiu-Jitsu for for them in a way that I don’t have time for in class. This blog is for anyone who bows out and is in their car before I take my ceremonial post-class sip of Seattle’s finest bean juice.

Not particularly fond of me? You’re in luck. Other Beacon MMA coaches will be posting as well.

Like the impromptu conversations we have after class, please feel free to comment or ask follow up questions. Also feel free to share any of our posts if you think they will benefit someone outside of the Beacon MMA family.

As these posts will be driven by actual conversations I have with real students, I can’t guarantee how often I'll be posting. But let’s be honest, you never asked for this anyway. However, I’m sure I’ll be posting with a fair bit of regularity, since these white belts won’t leave me alone…