#15 Josh, Mark and Derek Triune

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Today I have three jiu jitsu Brothers from Truine. Mark Josh and Derek Triune is a non-profit located in Santa Clara off De La Cruz Boulevard. The school's main instructor is Josh, which is a third degree black belt. Mark also helps teach a few days out of the week whom is a black belt. Derek is a four stripe purple belt who's in and out of our dojo. Due to his high demand career as a marketing manager, he travels all over the US. But still gets his mat time, wherever he travels. Mark, let's start with you. So can you tell me about your upbringing where you grew up? yeah. I was born at Stanford. and I lived in East Palo Alto where, my grandpa's house was. So it was like any other, family we were just trying to like, get things together. There was like three different families living in one house. I just remember during that time it was pretty dangerous during the nineties of living in East Palo Alto. I wasn't really allowed to go outside or make friends mm-hmm. and my mom, made sure that she kept me and my brother outta trouble. So she brought us to the west side of, Palo Alto, which is like University. And it was really interesting, like I remember. having friends that had maids and stuff. Then I remember like getting picked up by my mom and then coming back home where it was like super dangerous, you know? It gave me two perspectives of life. Right. And, being around my grandfather at the time. he worked at a, greenhouse. He was a veteran, a World War II veteran. He was a really good man. He was a POW and a Purple Heart so I really feel like, I get a lot of grit from him. Did you have any, brothers or sisters growing up? Yeah, I have an older brother, he's a little different than I am. He's very bright. I remember trying to get him toys to play with me and stuff, but he was like into music. He was playing classical piano and were just like, so opposite. I remember we finally shared something in common and it was wrestling. Josh, tell me about your upbringing. Yeah, so I was born in, Philippines and I came here when I was, four years old to the United States. I was born in 1981. We lived in Sunnyvale with, my aunt. Then my parents were able to save up money and got a place in Santa Clara. Okay. Your parents, what did they do? My dad was a construction worker in the Philippines from what I remember. Then when, he came to the United States, he did assembly jobs. Okay. Yeah. Did you have any siblings? Yes, I have, three sisters, one brother. My sister that was born before I was, passed away. I never got to meet her. How old was she when she passed away? I believe she was two. Oh, wow. That's really hard on the family. Yeah. Yeah. That's tough. I'm sorry to hear that. How was the discipline, in the house? My mom was more of the disciplinary, she did more of the discipline. My dad was more of the loving, caring, type. Okay. How was your upbringing? Derek? Yeah. So I was, born up here in San Jose and my family after I was born, we stayed here for about eight months or so, and then, we moved down to San Diego. I lived there until I was 18. Then I came back up here for college, back up to San Jose. So I've been here, ever since. Pretty typical upbringing though. My dad, had different jobs growing up, but I mostly remember him, doing real estate. Loans, mortgages and things like that. My mom worked mostly, with different school districts and, universities, and junior colleges. Just doing like executive admin work. Did you have any, siblings? I have an older sister. It was just us two. Very normal. I mean, you know, stuff that, that other families deal with too, but not like anything that's too unusual. Yeah. Mark, Tell me about your parents. I'll start with my dad. He was more of the old school where he was the provider, paying for the bills, having a house and a roof for bare heads and food. He was pretty hard at times. But I think, since he's gotten older and we've gotten older, he's gotten a lot better. We actually talk a lot now, he's a good dude. My mom is a really sweet lady. She's super nice. She's always been supportive, always made sure that I had everything that I needed. She was the wrestling mom. She bought all the snacks and stuff and she would set up during our meets. She is just super sweet. Like, you ask Josh, her mom and my mom are good friends. Okay. And so is my dad and his dad. Okay, cool. Yeah, that's good. You guys have that all in common. your family bonds. Yeah. Let's move on. So what kind of values or discipline did they instill in you? Your family? They really instilled, like being honest, being a standup person, doing the right things and like working hard. Like I watched my mom work very hard. She's, always been a very big figure in my life. And, my dad, at times, he can be one too. How about you, Josh? What kind of values did your family give you? I wanna say that my parents, they taught me to just be strong, whatever I wanted to do they were, very supportive and I think they just want me to like, just be happy and to live my life. That's how I look at it. How about you, Derek? Yeah. Just to add onto that, it's, definitely a hard work ethic that they put into myself and my sister. They're, different than the typical Filipino parents growing up because, they're first generation Filipino Americans. They had a similar upbringing to a lot of our friends um, you know, their parents immigrate here. I'm actually a second gen. So, being raised by them, there were, a lot of different things that, are normal in Filipino culture where, there's these expectations of you, the stereotype, like they want you to be a nurse or a doctor engineer or something like that. They gave my sister and I the freedom to, see where we wanted to take our careers, like what we wanted to do for fun, and activities. They just wanted to break some of those norms, raising us. But they did want us to work hard towards whatever we're doing and apply ourselves. So if we messed up in school or we're lazy about something like yeah, we definitely hear about it, so, yeah, I bet. Let's move on. Mark, you talked about your community. The neighborhood that you, grew up in. Can you explain in detail? Oh, like in Palo Alto? Yeah. EPA. During that time it was, pretty much murder capital at that time during the nineties, so the crack epidemic was really high. People were dying pretty much every day. I think there was a point where, a lot of people wouldn't wanna stop at certain places'cause they know that, either you'll get shot or people will try to sell you drugs. And I remember we, we used to go to this, Kind of cul-de-sac, we called it the dice. And until this day people know it as the dice. And it's very interesting because, back then you would find like junkies like just dead. Wow. So pretty dangerous. Pretty much. Yeah. Any drive-bys or anything like that? Growing up, I remember someone running over my dad in front of me. No way. Yeah. Wow. I remember my mom taking me to the flower shop. So back then in the nineties, they had a flower shop right across the street from like a store. And my dad ran in and he was just bleeding uhhuh, And then I, it's crazy'cause I brought it up to my dad and he didn't even think I would remember something like that. But you know, it was some trauma stuff. So of course you'll remember. Yeah. That was the first time I ever like experienced like violence. Violence. So was he just crossing the street? What happened? I honestly, I was too young and I didn't really understand it. My dad had nine brothers. Oh. So they were out there gooning, and like during that time if you do something wrong, or look at somebody wrong. It was in the nineties. Like gang affiliation was like there, it was like the birth, you know? Yeah. You hear a lot of, stories about EPA. You said that your mom pretty much sheltered you from that. Yeah. So she didn't want you to go play outside? No. Did you have very many friends growing up in that community? I had one friend across the street from me, his name was Tim, and we would go watch CMC together. And I remember watching, I think it was like Keith Sweat it first came on and I was like, what the heck is this? Yeah, it was a bunch of songs. I was like, oh, this is cool. Because it was like the hip hop station at that time. Cool. Josh, how about you? What was it like growing up in your neighborhood? What were you like as a kid? Growing up in Santa Clara? The neighborhood, it's like, there was really nothing to do around, that area, it was, I was pretty much just the wild child, I would always be getting into fights. We'd have backyard fights. You remember those backyard fights? Yeah. I remember going to a party. I've done a lot of crazy stuff when I was a kid. yeah. And who'd you hang out with during that time? I hanged around with, a buddy of mine named Walter, Neil and, Matt DeGuzman. Yeah. That's, uh, actually Derek's, cousin. You've hung out with his brother, right? Yeah. We went to high school together. With his cousin also? Yeah. Yeah. His brother and his cousin knows like a bunch of stories, when my high school days. So how was that neighborhood that you lived in? in Santa Clara? Yeah. I would say it's pretty safe. But it was just boring. It was just like really nothing much to do. As kids, we would go out and ride our bikes, meet up with other kids, and then maybe get into fist fights with other kids. Or if we had a problem, we would always go to this one guy's house. my, friend's house, Michael Ansyge, and he would always have like backyard, garage fights because, uh, he would have the house to himself. We would just go into the backyard and if we had a problem with somebody, we'd just duke it out in the garage. So like boxing? Yeah, just like straight up like a street fight, you know what I mean? Sometimes would go with friends and just go all the way down to the east side San Jose and be goons over there. Yeah. Derek, where'd you grow up? Grew up in San Diego. Part of the reason that we went down there is'cause my parents, they're pretty much born and raised up here in the Bay Area. And shortly after I was born, they were, concerned with the area. Like they were worried that I might, be influenced by like gangs. And things like that because we have a lot of like family friends and like cousins and stuff that, got involved with that kind of stuff. And then there was also, just the growing population. It was getting very crowded. And to be specific, the area that I grew up around mostly is the North County area so it's like Carlsbad, Oceanside. And before I could say that and people wouldn't know where it is, but now that, Legolands there and then pros skating got popular and stuff, right? Like more people are familiar with it. At the time I moved down there, It was like a typical suburban, neighborhood. But, we were also, one of the only, ethnic families in the neighborhood that we moved into. I remember a story that my dad said when we moved in, like after my sister and I grew up a little bit. I think they had someone that came to the house and they were asking my dad oh, do the people. that live here, are they home or something? Because I guess they thought he was like, like a worker or something That was, and not the owner working on the house. Exactly. Yeah. but yeah, for the most part, like just growing up in a suburban area it has its own set of problems. You don't deal with the stuff like the gangs and all that around there, but there's definitely, as a minority in those areas, it definitely has its own things that you deal with growing up. As a kid, like that wasn't really much of an issue. We play in the neighborhood with the other kids. Yeah. Just like normal play games, ride bikes, things like that. But, as you get older there's, people grow into cliques and, it becomes more apparent if you're a different ethnic background, you don't necessarily fit in. I know it's not like that for everybody, but from my experience and a lot of other people I know that grew up in an area where they're a minority it was a very similar, upbringing. I mean, uh, We got through it, but it's just a different experience. Being that area that's like where Tony Hawk and like Bucky Lasek and some of those guys are from, all those pro skaters from back in the day. Everyone's like into skateboarding and like surfing. If you weren't doing any of those, like you were an outsider, you are a, poser. Or whatever it is. So yeah, so if you didn't do that, you weren't cool. So there's always those types of things, as people got older, you get made fun of. It be, it definitely became more apparent as I got older. Mm-hmm. Okay. You surfed over there? yeah, I did surf, growing up there and then I did quit. Once I started driving and stuff, I got more into cars. I recently picked it up a couple years ago again. Yeah. But it's a lot harder learning now than it was back then. So true. Yeah. It's still a lot of fun though. Heck yeah. Mark, what hobbies or sports were you into as a kid? I always wanted to be like, I always wanted to do karate. Did you do karate? No, I didn't. I was into swimming. Okay. Yeah. my mom used to take me to the Palo Alto rec center. They had a swimming pool and they had a diving board. I used to jump on that thing all the time. It was pretty fun. So that's the only sport you did as a kid? Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. How did you stay outta trouble? My mom. My mom. She's a super saint. If it wasn't for her, I think I would be in a lot more trouble. So she pretty much sheltered you? Pretty much. She tried to protect me, yeah. Yeah. Josh, what type of hobbies or sports were you into as a kid? As a kid I was playing basketball, and then I was also doing, boxing, judo, freestyle wrestling. Oh wow. So how did you get turned onto all those sports? It's just something that I wanted to do. I had my cousin Jason and Justin, they were doing judo as well. So I think it all started out with that, I was always fighting anyway, right? So I figured, to get some skills behind what I was doing. It kept me out of trouble, even though I was the troublemaker. Did your parents try to keep you outta trouble or did you just they tried, but it was me that was pretty much the troublemaker. I was the little kid that like every parent did not want their kids to hang around with. I was like that kid if an adult told me something I'd be like, fuck you old man and then run away and then all the other kids would run and shit. Oh, man's funny. Yeah. Oh man. That is funny. How about you Derek? Yeah, I tried to do a little bit of everything growing up. I was a video game nerd for most of my younger years. And we had the best games in the nineties, so I obvious, but yeah. yeah. But my, parents wanted me to, try different sports and activities just because you can't just stay home and play video games all day. And then, two to try to make more friends and stuff. So I tried at least every ball sport, at least like baseball, soccer, football, things like that. And, I didn't, I never really stuck with him. Maybe I played him like one year and then that was it. But, I did do, TaeKwonDo when I was younger. I did bowling, I was like in a bowling league as a kid. That one was fun for a couple years. And then, I did football like Pop Warner football for three years, which was fun at the time too. And then, I started playing basketball between elementary, middle school. And, that probably stuck with me the longest. Like I, I still play to this day. Not nearly as much as when I was younger, but I still love basketball to this day. Right on. Let's go into your teenage years and some of your adulthood. Any high school experiences, sports, fights or finding yourself? Mark. Yeah. I followed my brother around a lot and so I didn't really know where I fit in'cause a lot of my friends were all like football players and basketball and all the other sports. And I tried. But I wasn't good, you know, I was totally honest with people too. I remember I tried basketball and they gave me the ball. I was like, I don't know what to do with this dude. I'm gonna run as far hard as I can with it, and I'm just gonna pass it, even though I could've just shot it. But I wasn't good. But I remember asking my brother, I was like, what can I do? And he was just like, just join wrestling with me. And I think that's where it really started. I never really had anything in common with my brother. but this was actually something I really enjoyed doing with them. Then, come to find out like a lot of, Josh's, in-law like Gabe and Pat ended up being one of my captains and they were like in the varsity scene. So like I couldn't really do too much besides wrestling at that point. How many years older was your brother than you? He was two years older than me. Okay. Yeah. So he was already in high school wrestling. Yeah. And then he brought you in. That's really cool. Wrestling's pretty tough. Yeah. Tell me about the conditioning. It was tough. We did Olympic running, like we did the circuit running where we're in a line. And one person in the back would sprint to the front. Yeah. We would do four miles. Then we would go into the, weight room and they would do our circuit training. And after circuit training, that's when wrestling really starts. Oh, wow. And I remember my coach and his assistants coach, they're very, good at what they're doing, pushing the kids I think having the wrestling background, especially'cause my coach was a alternate he was an Olympic alternate. It gave us a lot of pride and, just knowing that like the guy that we're being taught is like high caliber. It gave us that feeling that if we're out there, wrestling we'll be capable to hold our own. What high school was it at? I went to Wilcox. Cool. Santa Clara. All right. How about you, Josh? Any experiences in sports? Were you in sports in high school or did you do any I did a bunch of, like the PE sports that they would do. They had a PE course one time of wrestling, and I did that, but it was mainly after school programs that I would actually focus on. The PAL programs that I used to go to, they had wrestling judo and boxing, and those were the ones that I would do after school. Like high school stuff, I was just getting into a lot of fights. I remember my freshman year, one of these kids, in the classroom was like behind me messing with the back of my head and I got so annoyed. I remember picking up my binder and turned around and just smacked them over the mouth. That was like my first fight ever in high school. But I used, even before high school and middle school, I got into a lot of fights too. Why do you think you got into a lot of fights?'Cause it was boring, in Santa Clara. So, like I said, we would do backyard fights, get into a bunch of crazy stuff, and then it just like a snowball effect. Carried over the years. Do you think because you were a smaller guy that they tried picking on you? Oh, definitely. Yeah, definitely. I knew because I was small, I was probably gonna get picked on, but in my head I was like, okay, if you wanna pick on me, I'm gonna fight you and I'm not gonna be a victim. You know what I mean? I'm gonna keep fighting you, even if I lose. Until I am satisfied. That's how I was when I was growing up. Like it's not over until I decide it's over. Yeah. Did you get kicked outta high school because of your fighting? Yeah, I got kicked outta my, junior year. Okay. Yeah, freshman, sophomore, and then junior year, they said we're not having it anymore. Yeah. So they sent you to another school? They sent me to, Wilson. It was like, where all the bad kids used to go. Yeah. Yeah. I remember a teacher one time was telling me, before I left, she was like, oh, you're not gonna come back. You know what I mean? So I was like, okay. I remember finishing in Wilson. And then my senior year when I came back, first thing I ever did when I came back was go to that same teacher and I was like, I'm back. You know, like all crazy. And then she was like, get out. And then the first day coming back I got sent back to the, principal's office, Uhhuh. And he was like. What are you doing? It's your first day. And I played it off like a good kid, all I said is that I'm back. He like, but really I was just like, I'm back motherfucker. He like. Man. Oh, that's crazy. That's funny. Yeah. How about you, Derek? What high school did you go to? When I was down there, first off I started at, Carlsbad High School. And then I transferred to, El Camino across the town. So El Camino in San Diego? Yeah, so Carlsbad High School, Carlsbad obviously. And then, El Camino's in Oceanside, just the next town over. Did you play any sports there? So I was still playing basketball back then. It's like the sport I really stuck with. But I always felt I was at a disadvantage. I did try out all four years and I never made the team for different reasons. Some reasons I agree with some I don't. But regardless I was still always playing like at the park just playing pickup. But that was really it. Was there any major turning points in your teenage years? Yeah. I think when, I stopped doing wrestling, I remember getting kicked out of school. I got in a fight. And I remember not knowing what to do with'Cause I competed a lot and just being with my team, it hindered me. I just didn't know what I was gonna do, with my aggression. I took a lot of pride, being in a wrestling team with like my brother and his friends. And I remember when I got kicked outta school, this dude, broke into my house. Oh, dang. And, he tried to puck my uncle and my uncle's blind. I remember, me and my friends went to Lick Mill. I remember Lick Mill. It's like where everything happens, bro. We all met up. It was the whole basketball team. Yeah. Yeah. You know what we would do? We would hide like weapons. We would hide weapons and bushes in case we got into some fights in the basketball courts, uhhuh, and so we would always hide like these little, weapons, knives, whatever, in the bushes that we knew it was there in case something went down.'Cause a lot of times things went down. Yeah. So what happened? so we all met up at the park Uhhuh, and we had this big rumble and the cops came. And then, I remember it happened again in front of my friend Jr's house. The next couple of weeks, it was just chaos. It was just like consistent. Like we just kept fighting these kids, same kids over and over again. I know that sounds lame, but like it was over a girl. Its either over a girl, money. Yeah. I was young, you know what I'm saying? I didn't know any better. This dude had a girlfriend. We had the same class, And that's how it all started. And then I got called in and my mom was there. Oh, dang. You know what I'm saying? It was my mom, dude. It was so like, oh man. It was so embarrassing. And all the teachers were all there and they sat me down. They were like, Hey, like I heard that these kids broke into your house. Do you want me to expel them? And I was like. They're all seniors. I don't want to take that away from them, so I'll leave Uhhuh. So I left. So what year was that? That was my junior year. Oh wow. Like, when wrestling season was done. But the cool thing was that, my coaches found out. And they still let me train with them. So it was all season for me. So yeah, that was one of the turning point for me. How about you Josh? Yeah, like I said, I was never like a bully, but I was always down to fight,. I think, one of the major turning points, in my teen days that made me focus, more into my martial arts was there was a time that I was at the Guadalupe off of the creek in Santa Clara. And I got into it with some random dude and I'm not proud of it, but I took my knife out and almost stabbed him. Yeah, like I got into some pretty heated, moment with that guy. And I just took it out and swung as hard as I could. After that happened, what'd you think? I missed, he, he dodged and then he just took off and then, yeah, I just, I started getting to thinking when I got home, what if. What if I actually did what if, you know what I mean? And I started getting like bad anxiety because of my actions. And then I really thought about it. And then I just said, you know what, I'm, I need to change. And I just focused on keeping my ass in the gym. Yeah. Yeah. And outta trouble. Yeah, of course. Yeah. It could have changed your life forever? Even till this day, I think about it, what if I hit them game over. Yep. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That's good that it didn't happen. What's ironic is that I'm into knives, I collect knives. Yeah. We know that. But I'm like, yeah. So definitely, I think that was a big turning point that I was like, you know what? I gotta control my anger. Yeah. Derek, any, uh, major turning points in your teenage years? Yeah, I actually have quite a bit, and I didn't, sorry for not elaborating in the previous, sections, but yeah, my teenage years were probably some of my biggest turning points, in life. like I mentioned earlier, growing up down there, I had a lot of trouble fitting in, cliques. That's every high school, but it is, like I said, as a minority, it is a bit different too. I think my first turning point was, in middle school. coming from elementary, everyone's just hanging out with their own people. People started going into their cliques and stuff, I was cool with most of the skaters. And then being that I played football, I was also cool with all the jocks. This is like what I wanted. I fit in with these guys. And then, people get into their cliques and then there's into girls. People care about being popular. You know, at the time I thought that's like what I wanted, just like a lot of us dude growing up. And, I was like, okay, if someone, more popular than me wanted to do something or if they wanted me to help them do something, yeah, do that just to get accepted type of deal. In that phase is being that I'm from up here, I had a turning point'cause my family would visit here all the time. Hanging out with my cousins and my friends up here. It was just very different and more stuff that I related to. I came back and I was like, I'm wearing like skate shoes and like all these like different things. What we did have in common is we all listen to like hip hop. I'm hanging out with them and all their friends and it's like they're, wearing at the time. It's like FUBU Echo and Polo, all those brands like K Swisses, shoes. I stood out and I was wow, I feel out of place here. The frost tip hair and stuff like that. I think what happened is, I got really in touch with the culture up here.'Cause I'm born up here. I visit all the time, like why am I doing all this? To try to fit in with all these guys down south? So when I came back, my whole thing changed. Like I, I was doing everything, like how they were up here. And I brought that down with me. And being down there, I stood out even more than, I originally did. I already was, a minority, but then now that I had a different style and everything, some people didn't like that. So I lost a lot of friends that way. That was like most of my middle school years going into high school. I went in as an outcast a bit because of that. So yeah, all I did is I really just played basketball and then I was like starting to become friends with people that I wouldn't think I'd be friends with. Because I just have more in common with them. Those first couple years of high school and middle school were this is who I am, and if people didn't like me for what it was, then, that is what it is. I'm not trying to impress anybody or fit in anymore. Like I was over all the cliques. And all that stuff too. But it did get to a point too where, just long story short, I did transfer high schools for different reasons. That's probably like the most rebellious phase I had with my parents.'cause most of the time I did get along with them growing up. They were pushing me so hard to be involved in clubs and sports and stuff and, I told them how it is, this is what I'm dealing with at school on a day-to-day basis. They had a great high school experience and they still go back to their reunions like, 50 something years later right up here. And I'm like, I want that for myself too. so I did get what I wanted. I did, I was able to transfer schools and spend my last few years, like in a more enjoyable experience. Those last few years where I had another group of friends going into this school. Which is part of what made me want to go there too. I was like, they were all there. I was like, okay, I get to be with them for my last couple years. And I had another falling out with them too. It was over different stuff, like not the stuff that I was dealing with in my earlier years. It was like different kinds of petty issues that, high school drama. I was, really concerned adjusting to getting into college. And I was like, I don't have time to deal with, whatever it is that you have against me. But I was just so focused on, getting into college and getting good grades. So yeah, those were some major turning points. It's just I just never really fit in, but I was like, I had to eventually find out like where I did belong, what I wanted to do and go from there. So I don't regret any of it. Like a lot of those lessons taught me, things that I do nowadays, and it's if I didn't go through that, then it could've been a different outcome for me. Yeah, absolutely. What were you into around the age of 18 and 20? Oh man, 18 to 20. I was kinda lost at that time. Okay. Like right after high school.'cause I got kicked out. Just unhappy with everything and how things played out for me in high school, I missed out on prom and graduating with my friends. So I carried that on until like I was in my twenties. Did you have a job during that time? No. I didn't and then if I did, it was like some, like part-time job or contract. I remember I was like at Netflix for a little bit and all my best friends were all there too. So it was like cool, kind of like a hangout spot plus a job. Okay. How about you, Josh? Yeah, I'd had like, just part-time jobs. Yeah. Okay. How about you, Derek? yeah, 18 and 20. I moved back up here to the Bay Area for college and, it was a lot of fun, those first couple years.'Cause I missed all my friends and family up here, so it's oh, I get to come back and, go to school here and, see everyone again. At the time I was really into tuning cars. So like I used to have a Celica back in the day and there's a big scene, big car scene up here, so it felt right at home. This was also like the peak of the Hifi movement. So the parties were pretty crazy and you just hear the music everywhere you go. So to be here and experience that culture, while it's in the peak was awesome. But also the whole college experience too. Like I, I joined a fraternity my first year. I tried to be involved in as many clubs as I could just because of the lack of involvement I had in high school. And, yeah, just just soak it all in but yeah, those are some fun years for me. Awesome. So let's talk about the first exposure to martial arts or combat sports. So you had wrestling, correct? Correct. And did you have any other type of martial arts that you did? No, just wrestling. Okay. Yeah, just wrestled. Wrestled hard. Josh, you talked about martial arts. Yeah. So let's go into that. Tell me about your experience. So I started, at 10 I started boxing through, pal boxing. And then, from there I also did, pal wrestling and pal judo. It was not like consistent. It was like off and on, right? since 10. Then I did it off and on again in middle school and then off and on again in high school. But in like 1999 is where I got into the MMA scene and I was really focused on that. Who were you under in the MMA scene and tell us about that experience. And I know, you told me about some cage fighting that you did. Yeah. so in 1999, I, was in the school called, NorCal Fight Factory. At the time it was called Extreme Training Center, but it was before that, it was called NorCal Fight Factory. And it was under, Dave Velasquez. He's the owner of Dark Horse right now. How was the, training? It was. Brutal. Tough. So there'd be days where, we would, do our circuit, training and then rolling and have cage fighting in the gym. And there would be days where he would bring out a bucket. And he'd be like, okay, if everyone needs to throw up, you throw up in here and continue. Wow. Yeah. So he'd make you, work out hard until you, lost everything. Pretty much. I remember that time some knucklehead came in the gym, say, oh, I want to be an MMA fighter, blah, blah, blah. I remember, Dave telling me, okay, roll with him. And so he was talking to me, so he was like, Josh, I want you to roll with him and then I want you to, put a rear naked choke on him. So we're over there, we're rolling. And I got him in a rear naked choke and this guy was already tapping. And I remember, Dave was looking at me like. You better not let go or I'm gonna choke you out. He even said that to me too because the guy kept tapping and I was like, about to let it go. And then Dave was like, no, hold it. You put him out or I'm gonna put you out. And then I remember just whispering in his ear like, I'm sorry dude. And shit you not the taps where like, it was taps and then it became like punching my face to get that choke off of him. And then I was just, I just like, I'm so sorry, dude. And he went out. yeah. And so what was that supposed to prove to this guy? I guess'cause he was talking too much crap. He's a big dude. So he took like the smallest one, which is me. Yeah. see what, how well you do against him. Yeah. And shut him up. Yeah. Because a lot of people talk until it gets real. And then, for me it's okay, let's put you through hell and then if you come back maybe I'll teach you. We'll put you through hell again and again. Oh, okay. He hasn't left yet. Okay. We'll teach you now. So there was this, entry that you would have to do and prove yourself before they would even start to teach you. Yeah. I think it was crazy back then. It's not as, it is now. Yeah. Like for me, when I wanted to do it, it was like, okay, you really wanna do it well. Get in the cage. Yeah. See what you got. Yeah. And it was like that, they didn't even really gimme any instructions. They just threw me in the cage and okay, we'll fight. You wanna do this? Then fight, and then we'll see if you come back tomorrow. So I came back the next day and the next day just to get my ass beat. And then finally, eventually. This guy hasn't left yet. Let's teach him. All right, cool. That's awesome. Yeah. Derek, how about you? Any type of martial arts? Growing up, yeah. I did TaeKwonDo earlier. That's probably the one I stuck with the longest. I remember I had like a brief thing with Kendo. I liked the swords. I didn't end up sticking with it. I did a little bit of boxing too, but it's mainly, my dad had a bag in the garage. He used to do boxing when he was a teenager, I practiced like combos and stuff, but it wasn't like any formal boxing training. The TaeKwonDo I stuck with, up until like blue Belt. And I remember, I think the reason I quit was because it felt repetitive to me. I guess it maybe just felt boring to me, but looking back, I kinda wish I stuck with it.'cause I was like, I have a couple more belts to go. And it's if I already know the stuff that the upper belts are doing, then what's keeping me from just getting it? But, and then it's like jiu jitsu is like very repetitive too. So it's just like a different discipline now that I'm older. Correct. Okay. During your martial arts or wrestling, any early mentors? My brother, first of all, he was actually. He's always been pushing me, we would always wrestle, after practice or when we're in the living room, just like doing stuff that we just learned. And we would just like scramble. Then there was like Pat and Gabe, there were big mentors to me. They would never let me skip, practice. And who were they? Just, Fellow, wrestlers. Yeah. They were my brother's best friends. And they actually lived in this neighborhood too, so if I ever did try to skip practice, they would be at my house. So like me coming home, you know, yeah. I pulling you in. Yeah. Pretty much no choice. Yeah. Pretty much. All right, cool. How about you, Josh? In your martial arts or all those things you did judo, any mentors that stood out to you during that time? Yeah, for me, I felt all my coaches were my mentors. Yeah. I didn't really have a favorite. I think each coach had their, views in certain things, and I just, even till this day, I always have that saying, even when I do a post on Instagram, I always have that saying, always learning. So for me, I took in, I'm like a sponge. Whoever my coaches were, I just learn from them. Okay. It is like that too. Even now at Triune, like when I have even lower belts help and teach, I'm learning from them too. Yeah. So I think that's what's good about our gym in Triune is that we have that bond where like everyone, is learning from each other. Yeah. Did you have any mentors? With your, sports or martial arts? I had a few, for the sports I didn't, it was like I just looked up to someone that was maybe pro. I remember, when I was doing TaeKwonDo, like my dad was an influence for that too.'Cause, when he was a teenager, he actually trained here, with the Ernie Reyes family. At that time, like Ernie Reyes Jr. Was just a little kid when he was there. But like, when I was like doing TaeKwonDo and, playing football, like my dad was like a football star in high school, him and my uncle, here at Wilcox. And I remember when I played football, he was like very into it too, since it was his sport. He was like a mentor for that too. He got me interested in football when I was younger which is what initially got me to do it. When I, started playing basketball, I didn't really have a mentor. I looked up to certain athletes that I would watch on TV and of course Jordan. There was a time where a bunch of my cousins all played basketball, like all the boys and the girls played for a few years. So I saw them as mentors too. Cool. Let's get into the jiu jitsu journey. Mark, tell me about when you started training BJJ and how you heard about it. Oh, so, uh, it happened to me. It what? I got BJJed. I was at my friend's, house. we were like messing around. his name is Jeffrey, Sauna, and he wrestled with me too. So a lot of my friends, we all wrestled together. I remember Joffrey. He first got into Jiu Jitsu and I was like super wrestler down, nah, dude, not gonna be able to get me. You know? So I clinched with him. I got him in the throw and then we started scrambling on the floor and he got me in the arm triangle and I was like, dude, I can't get out of this. Yeah. He choked me out, dude, and out of that I was like, this is it. And then, I went to go find like a gym. I ended up at Smash Gyms in 20 12. And I got striped up there with my white belt and then I wanted something else. And nothing against them they're great people. That's where I like met Ian. Shout, shout outs to Ian. He's one of my really good friends from jiu jitsu. Kind of start up together. So I ended up at Triune where I knew Josh was there and a lot of the people from our neighborhood, ended up here. And I just felt like this was where I wanted to be.'Cause it had a lot of presence of, Santa Clara people. when did you come here to Triune? I think, when was it? Like 2018 maybe. Yeah, something like that. Maybe something. It was a long time ago. Yeah. Yeah. I remember, I met Coach Stan and then I walked in and Amador was there. And he's all oh, you like jiu jitsu? I'm like, yeah, I was outta shape too. Like I didn't roll for a while'cause like I was still doing college I think it was 20 14, 20 15? Yeah. Yeah. I remember walking in I see Alex Blank and Amador I tell him like, yeah, I've rolled before. And then Stan's oh, roll with him. And it was Amador. And he like, destroyed me, dude. I like ran out of the room and I just threw up outside. And I was like, okay, this is what's up. And then I met Wayne and, Derek and everybody else. So I just really felt a really big connection with this school. Right on. Yeah. Derek, how about you? We'll skip Josh right now. Tell me how you started jiu jitsu? Yeah, so I, I started jiu jitsu, in 2014. And a lot of it is just from being peer pressured because, I take this, for granted, but I've known Josh like maybe 10 years prior to me joining, and sometimes for people like, oh, I wish I met Josh earlier, blah, blah, blah. But like being friends with Josh and then that group of friends, like he mentioned, his friend Walter, my cousin Matt, Wayne and Neil, like they're all martial artists and they've all been doing jiu jitsu as well as other martial arts, for many years. We'd always watch the UFC fights and I liked watching UFC MMA and all that and they were always like, oh, when are you gonna come, try a class? All that stuff. And I just like, oh, I don't know, like whatever. And then, 2014 is when I actually made the jump. And, being that, Josh was already coaching here at Triune, it was like an easy choice, to try it out. Also, I was like getting bored with what I was doing already like I would just go to the gym and, lift and do cardio and then I'd still be playing basketball. But, I just needed something different. And I was like, well, I'm always watching the fights with these guys. Why don't I finally give it a try? I hit'em up and at the time, they were still down the street with the CrossFit gym and, I just remember my first class. I didn't have a uniform yet, obviously, but at the time there's a lot of OGs there. There was like Stan and Jimmy. And a lot of those guys have, You know, Jimmy's running the gym in Texas. Everyone's in different places now'cause it was such a long time ago. But I remember not having a uniform and I borrowed one from Wayne and then the only, loaner belt they had was a force drive white belt. So I wore that and there are some other students there that thought I had previous training. But it was my first day and I just remember, one getting my ass beat by teenagers and like some of the other higher up like white belts. They did not take it easy on me. But, there are also times where like Josh would have me do a drill and I'd just get swept really easily. Like anything that I thought I knew from watching the fights. Just went out the window. But, um, in your mind, in your mind, you thought I could do that. Exactly. But yeah, I was just so baffled. How is the smaller guy able to sweep me, how's this guy able to take my back so easily or just make me look like a fish outta water? And the mental part got me more hooked than the physical part, because the physical part was great. Like getting in shape with the stuff your body's not used to but just thinking about how, this happened and why that is how I got hooked. That's cool. All right, Josh, so tell me about your experience, when you started, how you got hooked. I started, I was never really a stranger in grappling'cause'cause of my background with judo and wrestling. I think after doing MMA, it was like the end of 2007, I wanted to do something similar to what I was already doing and I felt like jiu jitsu the closest thing.'Cause it's, you know, the closest thing to what I was doing without having to get punched in the face again. You know what I mean? Yeah. I, started looking through the internet and then I found a Triune, jiu jitsu. it was at ASD, it was called Academy of Self-Defense. And that's where I met, Stan for the first time and that's where it all began. How was your first experience there on the mats? I was, like I said, I wasn't like a stranger to it, so it felt like for me it was natural. But just, some of the different moves that I would learn from like OJ or Earnest was different to me. So it was a little bit challenging, like learning, like De La Riva learning, lasso. Yeah. But other than that, I think, everything else was pretty, easy. Which belt was the hardest and why? Oh, for me, I think it was my purple belt. I made it to my fourth, and then COVID happened. And you remember luckee me and you Josh, we would go to Salinas. But at that time I wasn't training, I was going through a lot with my family. So, being able to like train again, really changed a lot. Being a purple belt, I was going through what is that word? Imposter syndrome. Where I just didn't feel like I was up to par. I would roll with the guys that were purple belts and they would just completely destroy me. I would get lucky, I would catch'em here and there, but I could feel like the technical in them, you know, like when their four strikes or three strikes. I just felt it, And I was like fresh, when I first got it. And then. When I got on my fourth, when I went out to Salinas, I was just like, man, what am I doing, dude? I don't feel like that confident, at it. And I remember rolling with a white belt,'cause you know, it's been like years, like two years or something like that. And then, I just couldn't keep up, And then I remember Josh just threw me the brown belt. Do you remember that? And I was like, whoa, dude, this is it. Like I had points in my time where like I just didn't want to do it. And for you guys to be there, like that kind of, sparked it all over again for me, brought me back to life. That was some fun times traveling to Salinas just to do jiu jitsu. Yeah, that was fun. The four of us, right? Plus, Wayne. Yeah, we'd go down there. So sometimes Terrance, right? Oh yeah. Sometimes you guys remember Terrance, right? Yeah. That was cool. Yeah. It was the only dojo that we had available to us that was open. So let's give a shout out to Adrian for keeping, his dojo open. Oh, Tom's garage too. Oh, and Tom too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was cool. That was really cool. All right, Derek, how about you? What has been your hardest belt so far? You're a four stripe purple belt and, what do you think? Definitely blue belt was my toughest time. I spent blue belt almost six years at Blue Belt. And, I definitely believe I know some people disagree but I definitely believe in the Blue Belt blues and everyone's definition's a bit different. When I had blue, yeah, there were fun times, but then I also felt like I was plateauing as far as what I'm learning and technique wise. And it was like no matter how much I kept training, I'm like, what else do I need to learn at Blue Belt? Or what's the next step? Like what else do I have to do? I was always asking the coaches, like Josh and everyone, like what I can do to improve. And I was just confused because I just felt like I wasn't getting better. No matter how much I trained. And I was like, do I need to do this or do I need to have a different approach? And I was, you know, spend a lot of time reading, articles on that, like what other people were doing, like when they were struggling and, try to find like relatable situations. Especially during COVID, because I was also kind of worried about training for a couple months. And then after a while I was like, I can't just sit and not do anything. Like I was really itching to do stuff. So like Mike was saying, we're going all the way to Salinas and Tom's garage to go train, do underground things. And even getting in touch with Kiko was like, oh, let's find, when there's underground open mats and stuff like that too. And I was like, I'll just take whatever I can. And just see what else I can do. And, these were the times I felt were really, eye-opening as far as what I needed to work on. What I was already good at doing and just to capitalize that. And like eventually, when things started slowly opening up, I remember I had the itch to compete and, I didn't get to compete at White Belt. I never, stepped up for that. But at Blue Belt, I'd done all my competitions at Blue. So far I have yet to do purple, but I just remember once COVID restrictions started lifting, I started, going outta state because California didn't have competitions open yet. And I was just doing random competitions like in Nevada and like SoCal opened up before NorCal. But, I was in Vegas and Reno a lot to compete and being that it was still restricted here in California, like not many people came out with me to compete. So I was just out there alone just to kind of like test myself and put myself out there and definitely spent a lot of time, losing and learning. I did get bronze out, a few of'em, but I think that, that's where. I was fighting my game a little bit and what I was struggling with, and I remember Josh told me at one point, he's man, you always ask so many questions after training. He is like, just do this. Or oh, I know you're doing okay. You just have to do this. You know, just the little details that, that he gives. But like over, over time, eventually things started to make more sense, but I just felt that six years I should have been more confident in where I was. Yeah, there were a lot of times where it's yeah, I couldn't train'cause of work or, money issues or like whatever. There's a time where I was working two jobs and I couldn't train. So it was like very, it was very up and down time for me. So that's why I feel blue belt was the most challenging for me. How about you Josh? You're a third degree black belt now, so what was your hardest, belt do you think? That's a hard question because I'm good at everything I do. No kidding. I'm just kidding. No, dang. all jokes aside, the hardest belt for me is, purple belt. I think because, as a purple belt, I already have my own style and I'm just refining it over and over sharpening my sword, But the most challenging, I think being a purple belt was, teaching I remember Stan was just like, you gotta start learning how to teach people, in this belt color. So I was oh man, how do I do that? And, it was really like, it really got into my head, but I was like, okay, I'll take that challenge, So I remember one time I was at the liquor store no, I was at a gas station and I ran into, Wayne. I remember asking him like, hey, where you train at? Or something like that. And then he had told me he was training at Zulu. So I took that opportunity right. To be like, I'm gonna go there.'Cause there's only a few people there and I'm gonna go ahead and practice, my teaching. So Wayne was like my first, student. What belt was he? Then? A white belt. Oh, nice. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. I felt Stan had a point right. like if just the best way to really understand your style is if you can teach it. Yeah. That way you know that you really understand the things that you've been doing on the mats. Yeah. What has been your biggest personal struggle or lesson through jiu jitsu? I think as a black belt now. I feel like I'm a white belt and now I have to swim with the very high ranker guys. Some of these guys have been black belts for 10 plus years. And I'm fresh, so it's every trick I ever learned and I was able to pull on like lower rank guys. It doesn't work with the black belts. Yeah. It gets even harder if they're a lot bigger too. Because they know how to distribute their weight and they know how people move. It is just the of it. But, it keeps me going, I wanna make sure they know who I am, you know? And I know that rolling with them, it will get me better. Like what Josh says, iron sharpens iron. So I really believe black belt is like, where I'm like struggling at. Yeah. yeah. Yeah. You'll get there. Yeah. Just keep on forging forward. Yeah. The more you roll with them, the better you're gonna get. Yeah. Cool. How about you, Derek? Any lessons that, jiu jitsu has taught you during these years? There's quite a few, but one that comes to mind is basically, jiu jitsu will teach you that's you're more capable of things that even you don't think you are, you might not believe in yourself, but the stuff that you learn in jiu jitsu challenges you to go beyond that. And a lot of people that come through here and train, they realize like they're able to do stuff they never thought they could. And once you realize that and understand how that works and like how you can apply it, like you can use it in things outside of the gym too. So it's like even something as small as like, oh, I was able to escape from an arm bar. It's like, oh, I can go talk to my boss about a raise or something. You can do more than what you think you're capable of. Yeah. It gives you courage, right? Yeah. How about you, Josh? Anything that you've learned from jiu jitsu? I learned that I can kick ass. No kidding. No. Definitely. Yeah. getting my black belt just like Mark. Yeah. Definitely felt like a white belt again. Yeah, especially my first black belt tournament. I had to go against this guy that's been doing it way longer than I have, and man, he put me in the tightest bow and arrow choke in that comp for the first time. When that happened, I felt wow, there's levels to this game. There's levels to being a black belt for sure. So I agree with Mark. when I was a black belt, it taught me, I'm a white belt again. Yeah. You know what I mean? Absolutely. So it actually taught me to, train more and just keep getting better. Yeah. That's it. No other choices. Yep. We already talked about how you guys were introduced to Triune and some first impressions. What makes the Triune community different? For me, I think it's, the fact that everybody I've known that's come from here. We have some people from San Jose, but a lot of'em are rooted from Santa Clara. Mark Herman came from Santa Clara. Um, Tom. But yeah, just like the community, that's tied into this gym. I remember see Josh all the time at church and then I would see him at a tournament. So that's what really lured me into this place is just, the people are really nice. They're great people, very helpful, supportive. If it wasn't for this gym, like I wouldn't know what I would be doing. I actually grew in this gym a lot as a person too. So I really feel like this gym is very special. A wonderful community for sure. How about you, Derek? Yeah, I'm a little bit biased because this is where I started. Jiu jitsu was at Triune and I've been here ever since, and I've been here for a while too. Definitely what's kept me here the longest is the community, like Mark was saying, it doesn't matter how much time you need to take off or if you move away or whatever, like you still have that connection here and you're always welcome back. People have their issues or they got work or whatever. You always have a spot back here. When I travel to other gyms and stuff, I use the community here as like a basis to kind of judge and review another place like Yeah, a lot. And you know, thankfully a lot of places I visit have that, but then it's like a different level. Sometimes I go to these really big gyms and it's there's just so many numbers. Not everyone knows each other'cause there's so many people. And then I come across smaller ones that are similar to ours. And then some that are like big affiliations. So sometimes you don't always get that same feel, that you get here. But I think that's something that, comes over time once you've been coming for a while. Yeah. you could see like deeper into like how the, the community is in a school. so I think that's where I kind of base visiting other gyms. I'm looking for that same vibe when I go places. Very cool. Okay, Josh. Do you still remember the question? Yeah. Repeat the question please. Because you're the only one that tell me. can you repeat that question? What makes the Triune community different? I think what makes, the Triune community different from the other jiu jitsu communities is we have a family vibe. Like a lot of us, like friends, even like the newer people that come in, we kind of tease, you know what I mean? Definitely a family vibe where we can just be ourselves, Yeah. I think other gyms, they're like just focused of the time, right? They want you to like, okay, clock in, get to work. Okay, get out. But over here it is like we come in, we do our thing, and then we even hang out. We will hang out. We'll have fun. We even make like funny videos sometimes. Right. So for me, I think that's what's different from other jiu jitsu schools. Yeah. Yeah. True. Let's talk about teaching. What does teaching give back to you, mark? I taught kids for a while, for Stan and it brought joy, like I remember having rough days at work and stuff, and then I always felt like it when I taught the kids.'cause they're great, kids are great to work with. I just remember being super stressed out. And once I see them come in with a fresh smile and ready to roll and learn something cool, and then the expressions they get when they actually do something that, you taught them, they get excited. Yeah. that changes my mood completely. And it's a special thing. Like it is a special feeling and, I truly appreciate that. How about you, Josh? I agree with Mark. It, brings for me when I teach and it brings joy, right? Yeah. It brings joy to me when I see the kids learn to move and then they get excited because oh, I made it work. Yeah. Yeah. And then also just to see the confidence grow in the kids or even the adults. Yeah. really, oh, wow. Really gets me like, oh, I wanna teach for more. You know what I mean? Yeah. So definitely. yeah, definitely that. Have you taught? Not really. I know Josh has had me like lead warmups or something before, but I haven't really taught like a class now. Do you think you would do so in the future? That's up to Josh, honestly, because,'cause I was like, I wanna make a good impression if I am gonna do that, but I know I've gone to like different gyms and maybe an open mat and, a lower belt might ask me like how I did something and if they're able to learn from me, great. I don't think I'm a great teacher or anything, but I'll help out if they, that's the confidence part we're gonna try to get to. Yeah, for sure. I'm gonna teach that in you right now. There you go. See, you're gonna start teaching soon. yeah. oh. oh. Yep. Now this is heavy. Derek, what does jiu jitsu mean to you now? Um, jiu jitsu is basically, to me now is it's part of my lifestyle. I know some people take it real serious, oh, jiu jitsu's life and stuff. But it's I think it's more of a, something that, is like an accomplice to my life, because it helps me in more ways than one. And, I just can't think of my life not doing it anymore because it's taught me so much and, brought some type of balance to it. It's a good form of like stress relief therapy. There's so many benefits in life that you get from it. And it sounds cliche, but honestly, it's, it helps you in other ways of life. Even like subconsciously, like you're doing stuff that you learn in jiu jitsu without even really knowing it. If you really sit down and think about it, oh, I'm using something I learned. But, with the mental part of it, for example so I mean, it's. It is definitely become a big part of my life that way. Okay. Josh, what does, jiu jitsu mean to you? Jiu jitsu now, what it means to me is similar to, what Derek was saying. Definitely it's a humbling, sport. Jiu jitsu to me means, the world to me. It means the world to me. So for me, I feel like. I might not be like the very best at jiu jitsu, but I for sure love jiu jitsu more than anybody in this world. So that's what it means to me. That's pretty cool. Nice. Yeah. How about you, mark? I've always used it as a tool, just to be able to use it in certain times where I have to face certain situations. Being confident about what the outcome could be and knowing that you could handle certain things. I really like that about jiu jitsu. Yeah. How has jiu jitsu changed you outside of the gym? It is actually turned me into a better person, for sure. When you're a fresh white belt and you feel like you're not capable of doing certain things, and I see people talk about, oh, I'm not able to do this. It could be anything, not just jiu jitsu. And I've always be like, nah, man, you can do it, dude. Because a lot of people that come in here have zero skill, right? And we have a lot of people that came in here with zero skills, but they end up being killers, you know what I'm saying? Right. Like a startup assassin And I can name a couple people like Rith and like a couple of new guys, Yeah, they're really good and like technical, like I try to hold them down and I'm just like, whoa, dude. Yeah. Yeah. So what has it taught you outside the gym. Humility, you know? All right. Being kind to people knowing that Hey, man, I know you're not capable of this, But you'll be good at this. Correct. Or just practice, it's obtainable. Anything's obtainable now that you've done jiu jitsu. Pretty much. Nice. Yeah. True. Okay. How about you Derek? Sorry, what was the question again? There you go. You played to Josh now. I know. My bad. How has it changed you outside the gym? jiu jitsu? I think. Outside of the gym. it's helped me, in different situations, but mainly involving, high pressure. So if it's something like at work when I have like multiple deadlines or something like that, or I have to get a lot of things done or there's an emergency or, even if I'm just playing ball and the fight's about to break out. Jiu jitsu has really taught me to, keep calm. Like I'm a pretty chill guy in general, but in high pressure situations, just remaining calm, remembering like the steps that you need to, resolve the situation or diffuse it, whatever it is that you're coming across. But, definitely not panicking,'cause here you're so focused on, you're under pressure all the time. Yes. And, you're focused on surviving and just like escaping whatever it is, that you might be up against. And that same thing applies outside of the gym. Okay. Josh, how about you? What was the question? You did that on purpose? No, I'm like really serious. Oh shit. I thought you were just joking. How has it changed you outside the gym? Jiu jitsu's, given me like confidence and, the calmness,'cause like I said, growing up I was wild. No one could tell me anything, So for me, I think jiu jitsu gave me that, confidence and calmness, to control myself, right? Yeah, jiu jitsu teaches you to control people and submit them, but then sometimes you've gotta control yourself and submit yourself too, right? When I got heated, I didn't think, I just, I did and I thought about it after. So now I think that's what jiu jitsu has given me. Self-control. Yeah. Cool. All right. Let's see. I like that. Submit yourself. Submit yourself foul himself, calm down, can give yourself a choke. Okay, so do you have any advice for beginners or someone thinking about joining the gym? Yeah, just come in, you're here as a student, you're here to learn and you're here to make friends and build a community. And there isn't anything to shy away from.'Cause it's a group of people who genuinely want to see, whoever comes in to succeed, and, I feel like if you're gonna come in and be a part of a team, just come in and enjoy, Yeah. There's a lot to gain from doing jiu jitsu. You're gaining long time friendships like what Derek said, you'll see people coming and up, but you'll always remember the names in this gym. Yeah. I definitely agree with Mark. I think with, other practitioners? The thing I hear the most, with people like regrets or whatever is that they wish they started earlier. Yeah, true. And I'm definitely one of those people. And my advice would be if you've been considering it or wanted to try it to just do it because like I said, many others is that we all wish we started earlier. And it's a lot of it's oh, I want to get in shape first. I want to do some other martial arts training, so I'm, I could just jump into it. Or you know, money or whatever it is like just do it because like we all said is we all wish we did it earlier. Josh, a new white belt? Give them advice. My advice is, just, yeah, it could be scary because it feels like your first day of school, and it's something new, So I understand where they're coming from, The nervousness and what do I do? You know what I mean? But for me, it's my advice is just to, not just a beginner, but also some people that have already been doing it, say, they're a blue belt or whatever. I feel like, be coachable. It's my advice, Yeah, sure. Yeah. Because a lot of times they come in, and then they think they know a lot. Yeah. And it's even if you do know a lot, it's just you have to learn to be humble and just be coachable. Yeah, you're here to be a student. Yeah. not to be a substitute teacher, you know what I mean? Yeah. So that's my advice. Yeah. Yeah. I think we should, um, give those people, the opportunity to teach. Right? Yeah, that'd be cool. Alright, let's see. Okay, let's go into some funny stuff. So any odd or weird experiences, funny things that happened to you on the mat? Oh yeah. You remember when, Henderson broke his toe and then you call him toe jam. Yeah, dude. Oh man. That got me dying. My girlfriend was on the side. She was laughing too, dude. You came into the save the day though. that was awesome. That was cool. Yeah. Popped it right back in and it just went, nobody wanted to do it. Yeah. I was so Luckee. You could do it. There you go. Do it. Oh yeah. that was fun. But the nickname was funny toe jam. Yeah. Toe jam He took it like a champ dude. Like it didn't Oh, he's awesome. Yeah. It didn't even look like it was broken. But it was broken. Yeah. That was funny. Yeah. All right. Anything else Josh? Anything funny to happen to you on the mat? I guess it's fun. Yeah. There was one time I was rolling Uhhuh and then I got stacked to where my legs was, like over my head. Yeah. And then I farted. It was funny because there was like these new girls that were there just trying to check it out. And I just laid a fat one, I laid a fat one and then I just, I still had a serious face like. You know what I mean? Nothing happened. Like what? You know what I'm saying? It happens though. You know what I mean? That, that, that top pressure shit. Yeah. Knees bellies. Get me going. Yeah. All right. How would you, Derek, anything funny happened to you? Any crazy? I can't think of a personal thing that happened to me right off the top, but I do remember slightly being involved where, I had, my friend Jeremy come try, a couple trial classes and you guys all know Big J? Yeah. he's a big dude, right? Yeah. big jolly guy. he's a lot of fun to be around and he came to try jiu jitsu for a couple months actually. And I remember, Josh likes to have us do the situational drills and stuff like that. And I remember, at the old location, I think we were doing like some type of guard pass drill. And I remember, it was like, oh yeah, you guys start on the bottom and then, the person on top try to pass or, try to get out of that. I think it was like half card or something like that. And Jeremy's a newer guy, being that he has a big size, he definitely had that weight advantage. So I remember. One time I think I was paired up with him and, he was trying to stack me like he was putting like his shoulder. And he's a big dude, so he is really heavy. So I remember he's putting his shoulder in my face, to do like a stack pass, right? And, he still had his hips a little too high, so I know when he tried to step over instead of doing a knee cut. And I remember, when he lifted his foot up, I kicked. I hooked his like ankle and swept him over that way. And, he has this, wardrobe malfunction quite a bit. So like when he falls over, sometimes his pants come down. So you just see like this big, like bare ass, come out when he's being swept. So I think I see that. Yeah, I think I see that. Yeah. So it was, it was, yeah, so it was, it just what we called the, Filipino when you pants em some brown out or something. Yeah. Yeah. So shout out, shout Jeremy for coming to try, but yeah, I remember that happening and a couple times in like judo class. I think that happens. Yeah. Plumbers cracks. Exactly. Anything else? Okay. let's see what else we can talk about. So did those girls ever come back? The ones that checked out the class? I know, right? Probably not. Yeah. You go these guys far too much. What is jiu jitsu? Yeah. All you guys are, all Filipino Yeah. Come from the same, area where you guys all grew up together. Yeah. That's pretty tight. So do you wanna do an impression, the Filipino Yeah. That this is an easy one. I'm pretty sure all the Filipinos know this one, they do, they point with their lips, you know what I mean? That's true. Yeah, that's true. You know what I mean? It is or they'll say stuff like, Was it turn off? like, how do you, did they say that turn on the light or something? I forgot it was close. The close the light. The lights close. The light. Oh, they say close the lights. Yeah. Yeah. I like the momsir one. Yeah. Yeah. The what? Momsir Momsir, and then every Filipino has an uncle boy. You know what I'm saying? Like every family Filipino party you go to, there's always an uncle boy somewhere. Man, good food, uncle boy. Really good food. Oh, we all got gout. You all got Gout.not me, Good job, bro. I got gout. All right. Let's see what else. Yeah, you're not Filipino if you don't point with your lips or pick things up at your feet. Oh, man. If you had an opportunity to talk to your younger self, what would you tell him? I would've been like. Don't date that girl, bro. I would've done that. My life would've been way different. Oh man. Go ahead Derek. Definitely apply yourself more.'cause there's a lot of things that, when I got into college that I didn't know about coming from high school and I'm like, if you would've prepared better and done this, you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble. Yeah. When that, so I know not everyone takes the college route, but when I did and there's, there were definitely things I could have done differently. Yeah. How about you Josh? I think I would've told myself to like really? Focus on the school more. Because, with all the fighting and stuff, like I think that it took away from a lot of my studies, Yeah. Yeah. So definitely, I would've said that after I like slapped myself. Yeah. Yeah. That's funny. Okay. Is there anything else you wanna say about Triune? Yeah, I wanna shout out Dan or Judo Dan. Yeah. he comes in every Friday. I learned a lot from him. He's always said, you only need one move and just practice one move and you can do a lot. And I'm like, oh yeah, I took that very closely. And, I just wanna shout out to the whole Triune team as well. Josh Wayne. coach. Stan. Phil. And of course you're Luckee, thank you for having us here. We truly appreciate you giving us this, time and giving us a voice to tell our story. Awesome. That's cool. Yeah. How about you, Josh? Thank you to everyone that comes to Triune that is, willing to learn from me and, and thank you for being coachable. Cool. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I echo what they said. thanks for being a, where I got my start and being like a home ever since and just so you guys know, it's I always take Triune with me. All the gyms I visit, around the country. And people always ask oh, where are you from? It is oh, I train at Triune. And of course we're such a small school, a lot of people haven't heard of us. But then, I have to put them on game because they're like, oh, where's that? It's like San Jose. And it's they always assume it's Caio's or AKA or one of the bigger gyms, but it's no, we're a small, independent, nonprofit gym and I hold it down, so Yeah. Yeah. How to represent. Yeah. Yep. I hear you. Is there anything else that you guys would like to talk about? Um, anything that we didn't cover or that you'd like to say? Wasn't there a question about like, um, I know in the email there said something about quotes. Oh yeah. I have a quote. I got a quote that I want to say. Mine's sink or swim, right? Sink or swim. Yeah. What does that mean to you? It means that, of course, you're not gonna want to sink, right? You're gonna want swim. I remember my cousin telling me this'cause she was in the military and she's not that type of girl. Like where she's like a girly girl. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And she joined the military. To go to college. And she just told me straight up, like before she got, sent out, to bootcamp and everything, and I didn't see her for a long time. I just asked her like, aren't you scared? And she was like, no, do you sink or swim? And I just carried that everywhere. Good example. Yeah, that's a good quote. Now Derek's looking up his quote. I didn't have one apparently, so I'm like, what do I say? I'm still trying to think what's the question though? If you have a motivational quote that you live by or message. So if I have a motivational quote, you wanna go first? I don't Oh, okay. He doesn't have one. Yeah, It's something that, I heard a long time ago, that, stuck with me till this day and it's, get better every day for the rest of my life. Nice. I have another one. Go ahead. I have, I like this one a lot, every way. Every day. We are getting better. That's the kids quote. The kids quote. But you didn't even do it right. I know, right? My bad. That one getting better. We're gonna get, Adrian in here to say it. Little Adrian. Little Adrian. Yeah. How about you? Nah, I don't really got any. No. Yeah, you're like, nah, I need to be more inspirational. The reason why I like that, I'm very inspired, like for me, that saying that I heard it goes like if people are going to comp, like for me, you'll take an L in life or in sport, but you got two options. You can quit or you can get better. True. So that's that quote when I heard that, like that stuck with me. Yeah. Get better every day for the rest of my life. Cool. There you go. All right guys. I want to thank you guys for being on the podcast. I really appreciate it. It's been fun getting to know you guys on a deeper level and you guys are great friends and great practitioners and excellent role models, so keep it up and thank you for being on the podcast and thank you. Yeah, thanks for having us.