Student of the Month: Kevin Duong(Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Adults)

Congratulations to our Student of the Month: Kevin! Kevin has been crushing his New Year Goals of 2018 such as losing 40 lbs. Read about the inspiring journey of his 2018 New Years Resolutions.

Hi Kevin, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

My hometown and current city is San Gabriel! It’s great to represent my community and train down the street from my parent’s house. It makes it easy to get to practice. When I’m not training, I love to code and build software applications to solve real-world problems. My other hobbies include hiking and trying new restaurants with my friends.

What classes do you take and what got you interested?

I take all of the BJJ classes (all levels, no-gi, and fundamentals). My friends from high school have been pressuring me to try Jiu-Jitsu, but I never had an interest.

How long have you been training and what is your current belt rank?

I’m a white belt that has been training since January 2018.

What is your favorite part of the Jiu-Jitsu class?

I really enjoy the drilling section of the class. Drilling gives me the time to refine my techniques, learn new things, ask questions, work slowly through the sequence of movements, and build muscle memory. The other parts of the class are great, but I feel that drilling is the most underrated parts, but also the most valuable part of Jiu-Jitsu.

Do you have a favorite Jiu-Jitsu technique?

The X guard. It sounds and looks cool.

When you first joined us in January 2018, you said it was your New Years resolution….one year later, how has it been going for you? What were your goals at the time and have you met them?

My main goal for 2018 was to learn a new skill. In 2018, I definitely gained an invaluable life skill! My smaller goals were to lose some weight and get into shape. There was a day where I was coming home from the grocery store and I had to carry a couple of heavy bags up one flight of stairs. Just one flight of stairs. I remember I was struggling to walk up the stairs. My breathing was so heavy. I was sweating and my legs were burning. I’m in my late 20’s! I shouldn’t be feeling like this. That was a pivotal moment for me to start making changes in my life. I can’t believe I lost 15lbs in the first two months of signing up. This whole year I’ve lost more than 40lbs. Unbelievable!

An unexpected thing that I have gained from this journey is the confidence in myself. Especially at work, where I have the courage to share my ideas at meetings and being comfortable with communicating with other people.

What current and future goals do you have?

My goal for myself this year is to compete at a Jiu-Jitsu competition. This year was focused on preparing myself for 2019. I’m ready!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

Jiu-jitsu is a superpower. It really is. Aside from armbars and choking people, it teaches you about discipline, hard work, and maneuvering your way through life. If you’re consistent, work hard and adapt to situations then only good things can happen to you. That was the biggest lesson I learned in 2018.

What are your goals for 2019?

Reach your fitness goals for the new year together with others. Lose weight and learn to defend yourself by taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and/or our Muay Thai classes. Read about some of our other students here. Try out before committing to anything and request a Free Week Trial. Or come say hi and start by checking out our schedule.