The People of JiuJitsu: Heath Garcia

When I asked for volunteers to participate in the White Belts of JiuJitsu Series, my teammate Heath Garcia offered to help be apart of it. This has been a really fun project for me, but I didn't expect that I would be getting to share a story like this. It is an incredibly moving story about overcoming adversity and how JiuJitsu can provide a way to overcome life's challenges by bringing us closer to our families and giving us an extended family to support us through those times. Of all the things I've shared on here, I strongly believe that this is one is by far the one most listening to.

My original intent was to record our conversation, and then transcribe it later. After doing it though, I felt that it was best to be shared in its original format. It is just a phone recording of two JiuJitsu guys hanging out at a car shop, so the audio is far from perfect. The content still carries its message though and I am extremely grateful for Heath being willing to share such a personal story with this community.

The pictures below are to give a reference for as he talks about his journey. Also please reference The Ronin Foundation and their partnership with Wakizashi Jiu-Jitsu for the work that they are doing for the active duty and veteran community.

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.