Professor CJ Hollett

Professor CJ Hollett

After roughly 7 years of studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu full-time, I earned my black belt.  From that point on people called me “Professor” and I was not sure what to make of it. It didn’t sound right and it wasn’t the reason I began training Jiu Jitsu.  I never cared about rank or the title of “Professor”, I just concentrated on studying the art of Jiu Jitsu.  Over the years I became aware of the positive effects and fundamental changes Jiu Jitsu had on me, and I knew I wanted to share what I had learned with others.  That is what receiving my black belt meant to me; the opportunity to share my journey and the things I had learned with my training partners and students.

Rewind 20 years, I was a young man, growing up poor, in a home with little to no guidance or supervision.  At the age of 16 I was asked to live with a friend because there was not enough money to support me, so I left.  

I was not the best at picking my friends back then and I quickly found myself in much more trouble than I could handle. I was in and out of jail on a regular basis for fighting and constantly surrounded by negative influences.  It was not long before trouble found me and led to the moment that changed my life forever.

One night in 1998 all the negative influences and decisions I had made coalesced, and a life was lost. The events of that night are something I will live with forever.  In hindsight, without that night, the loss, the hardship and rehabilitation I wouldn’t be the person I am today. As much as I want to go back and change the events of that night, I cannot.  Jiu Jitsu has given me the opportunity to give back to my community and in return, it gives me hope that I can help others avoid the mistakes I once made. 

I have come a long way since that day. My father and brother introduced me to Jiu Jitsu and I began studying it privately during my rehabilitation. Upon my release I began training Jiu Jitsu full time.  My training brought me a sense of calmness and peace of mind that I had never experienced. Jiu Jitsu forces you to think your way through stressful situations, it teaches you that brute force does not always work, and finesse will prevail.  It gives you the tools to apply those lessons to the rest of your life.  My goal, through Jiu Jitsu, is to help my students develop these tools, on the mats and in life. 

That is why I teach.