Alexander Crispim and the Crispim BJJ Team would like to congratulate Anthony Diwa on earning third place in the 2010 Las Vegas International Open IBJJF Championship this past weekend in his division.

Anthony’s performance was impressive and he represented our team well.   Anthony is a skilled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and is on his way to a world championship.  Crispim says, “From the beginning, I knew that Anthony was going to be good in BJJ.  He has always been very devoted and dedicated to doing everything right and perfect.  Anthony can’t get enough training.  He is always on time, or early, to class and is always asking others to stay late so that he can train longer.  Anthony wants to understand the positions, the implementation, and the strategies, and through attention to details, questions and a lot of practice, he is always pushing himself to improve and to become a better BJJ practitioner.   Anthony is extremely patient with the newer students and is always there to help his teammates learn and succeed.  He has all of these qualities and a lot of discipline and respect for others.  Anthony is a “true” Martial Artist.  I am really proud to have Anthony as part of the great Crispim BJJ Team that we are building.”

Here is a little about Anthony and how he became involved in BJJ…

“I discovered jiu jitsu by accident in January of 2006 during my senior year at UC Davis. I meant to attend the Sanshou Kickboxing class at our campus recreation center, but I had the times mixed up and ended up in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class instead. Until that time, I never had an interest in jiu jitsu. I even thought it was boring and always hated when the MMA fights on TV ended up on the ground. Not to mention it also looked kinda strange, two guys rolling around on the floor and all.  

Anyways, the instructor who was a Cassio Werneck blue belt at the time, showed us a few moves.  We practiced them and then it was time to spar, or as we Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners like to say, “roll.” At that time I weighed a solid 185. Physically, I was at my strongest and I thought I was tough. My opponent kneeling before me was a small, weak  looking guy who weighed no more than 125 lbs. I almost felt sorry for the kid because I was about to smash him. When the instructor started the clock, I attacked with all of my might trying to do some damage to this skinny and weak looking 125 pounder. I honestly thought he was no match for me, but within 20 seconds, I found myself trapped on my back with my arm being hyper-extended with no way to escape. In shock and panic, I just yelled and he let go. By the end of our 6 minute round, I was completely gassed out and exhausted.  I recall tapping about 5-6 times by this little guy during our 6 minute fight. I cringed at the thought of what could have happened if this were a real street fight.  Every joint in my body would have been dismantled and many bones would have been broken, not to mention I could have died by being choked to death!  I couldn’t believe what just happened. I just got my ass kicked by a scrawny, skinny, 125 pound guy who doesn’t even look like he trains. That was one of those life changing moments, and I’ve been training ever since.

I met Crispim in September of 2006 after graduating and moving back home and have been training mainly with him ever since.  I was always drawn to his teaching style and the way in which he motivates us.  He is very passionate about not only jiu jitsu but also about being a great coach and instructor, which is another entirely different skill set than just being a good jiu jitsu fighter.  On second thought, I think “obsessive” about being a great coach and instructor is a more accurate description of him. In November of 2007, after 23 months of consistent training I was awarded my blue belt. Then, near the end of 2009 I was awarded my purple belt.

Jiu Jitsu was the perfect thing that I needed in my life. I always liked strategy games and before training jiu jitsu, I was a strategy video game playing guy spending hours every day online playing games like Warcraft,  Starcraft and Chess.  I also had a passion for physical exercise and even majored in Exercise Science in college. So… Jiu Jitsu was the perfect thing for me as it is the game of human chess. I also needed something to channel my energy into. In my life, I need to see progression and an ultimate long term goal being worked towards every day.  Jiu Jitsu was a perfect fit and fulfilled all of those needs. 

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I did not discover Jiu Jitsu when I was much younger like the kids at our kids jiu jitsu classes. I really envy those little guys and  really get a kick out of watching them train and watching their reactions at the belt ceremonies.

As of right now my goals in Jiu Jitsu are just to enjoy my time in the purple belt division and try to win as many gold and silver medals as possible before moving on.  After much thought, I have decided on what kind of Jiu Jitsu guy I want to be. I want to be a jiu jitsu fighter with excellent wrestling skills.  I’m excited because not only do I have Crispim as my coach, but also Josh McDonald and Bryant “The Rock” Pangelinan  as my coaches as well.  To say these guys are excellent wrestlers and coaches is a HUGE understatement.  I honestly believe that I can become a world champion one day training with these three. I’m also excited because I always wanted to pick up some Muay Thai and striking skills and as it turns out, we now have an incredible Professional Stand Up Coach Allan Maravilla teaching at our academy as well. I’m pretty blessed and I look forward to training with these beasts!”

Again, Congratulations Anthony.  We are very proud of you and are very fortunate to have you on the Crispim BJJ Team.