The People of JiuJitsu: Howard Suyat

In one of the first installments of the People of JiuJitsu, I got to interview one of my teammates Howard. He is one of the awesome people that make up the team of Wakizashi BJJ, and he's always bringing great energy and a big smile with him every time he's on the mats. The type of person that you get good training in and have a great time with. He brought all of that with him to this interview, which we will jump right into!

-How old are you and how long have you been training?
I’m 38 and have been training since March of this year.

-What is your background? What kind of work do you do, what other hobbies/interests/passions to you have outside of JiuJitsu?I’m Filipino, been in the Navy for about 15 years. Aside from Jiu Jitsu, my passion and life mission is to provide a good life for my wife and kids.

-What got you to try your first JiuJitsu class?What got me into this was my weight. I normally sit at about 180-190. I went to Jacksonville, FL. for work and came back 212 pounds. The heaviest I’d ever been in my life. I was struggling to do everyday things like go up and down stairs and normal day to day stuff like that.

-What has been the hardest part about training so far? What have you found to overcome that challenge?The hardest part about all of this is simply getting to class. It’s always easier to just stay home and not do anything but watch TV and eat. So I just kind of berate myself, tell myself to stop being a little bitch and drive to class.

-What do you enjoy the most about training? What have you enjoyed the most about the particular place/instructor/team where you train at. (I love giving shout outs to people doing great things!)I love the family atmosphere we have at Wakizashi! From Professor Eli down, everyone has been super helpful from day one! I like how patient everyone is, and how much they push you, especially before competition! I learn a little something from EVERYONE I roll with here, from Professor all the way down to the newest white belts.

-Do you have any particular goals in regards to training? Such as getting in shape/competition/achieving a black belt/self defense.
My goals here are simple. Be better than I was yesterday, not a belt, not a stripe, just that I’ll give you a little more trouble sinking that choke you got me in last time. Weight loss is another goal (as stated above) and in the 6 short months I’ve been training I’ve lost every ounce of the weight I put on in Jacksonville, and then some! I actually had to put some weight back on before I competed last month to stay in my bracket!
-I know that you just recently competed for the first time in the IBJJF Seattle Open, and even took home bronze! Is there anything about that experience that you would want to share?
So I entered my first competition last month, the IBJJF Seattle Open. The feeling when you get there is electric, there’s very little that can describe the anticipation of having someone come at you 100%. In that short 3:30, I learned more about myself, my Jiu Jitsu and my heart than I can learn in a month of training! I prepared for 6 weeks, ate as best I could, trained 3-4 days a week and I felt great! I was ready. My time came up, checked in and was walked to the mat. We slapped hands, and went to work. I tried to pull guard, and instead I pulled him into side control. I blacked out until I swept him and ended up on top. Ultimately I tapped to an armbar, and the guy I lost to took first, and I placed 3rd! It was awesome and I can’t wait to compete again!

-And anything else that you want to add about yourself that you would want to share? I’ve had the opportunity to start training a long time ago. I always said, “I need to get my wind up” or “maybe when I’m in better shape.” But you know what? Neither one of those things happened until I got on a mat. Everyone always wants an easy out, a magic pill that’ll fix all of their problems. Well folks, we have that and so much more. You can’t get it at any store or online, you get it on a mat. With a bunch of hungry individuals trying to make themselves and YOU better. This isn’t a journey you can make alone, but you make it your own, with all the AWESOME people you meet along the way!




I am really grateful that Howard took the time to be apart of this project, and I hope that you enjoyed reading his story as much as I did! As always, thank you for the support and I hope to see everyone on the mats soon!

About the Author:

Steven McMahon earned his Kyuki-Do Black Belt in 2011 from Grand Master Kim at Kim's Black Belt Academy and his  BJJ Purple Belt in January 2017 under Professor Charles Nunley. He currently trains out of Wakizashi BJJ  in Oak Harbor under Professor Eli Trevino. He is an active competitor at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Army Combative tournaments.