Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle is here

Hello world,

My name is Dartanian Bagby. I teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts in North Hollywood, CA. As a Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt, I am always interested in the latest in the MMA world. As a fighter, striking has always been part of my life - I started with boxing at age 2 with my father as my guide, then started judo at age 3. Practicing these two arts gave me my first glimpse into the complexity of combat. I never played baseball, soccer or any of the normal sports; it was all Martial Arts for me. As a teenager I became a blackbelt in Karate. I still trained in Judo and while my high school friends went to wrestling meets, I went to judo tournaments.

In my late teens, I discovered Jiu-Jitsu, which would change my life forever. Learning there was more to the ground game than holding your opponent down for 25 sec. to get the win (as in judo) was an amazing discovery for me. Before Jiu-Jitsu, I never thought much about the wrestling tech my friends would use during our constant battles in the living room or back yard. Sometimes they would take me down, sometimes I'd throw them. The throws were more exciting for me, so although I picked up tech from them, I never used it much. Jiu-Jitsu showed me a different picture. The closer proximity of takedowns started to make more sense to me as I learned the the transitions of groundwork in Jiu-Jitsu.

When I went to college I joined the wresting team, which was another eye opening experience. I learned to hate the sound of a coach's whistle, and never did so many sprints in my life (while throwing up). I learned what all wrestlers know; hard work is the name of the game. Go hard or go home in shame.

Now as an MMA/BJJ Instructor I enjoy the blending of the various skill's I've acquired over the years. As I explore the common themes in the different forms of combat, as well as the differences, I feel that my knowledge of each becomes greater. I love to share my knowledge with my students and I'm hoping to further share my insights with the rest of the Martial Arts Community through this blog. I hope Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle can help bring people closer to my world.

Thank you for reading,

Dartanian