Matthew Gillette

Black Belt
Instagram: @mattzillabjj

 I started training jiujitsu in 2011. A friend of mine who was a Marine and studied the MCMAP system introduced me to the basics of jujitsu and from that day I was hooked. 

It’s hard to really narrow down a favorite thing about bjj as there is so many great benefits. I would have to say it’s ability to make you live in the moment is probably second to none. I think as human beings were either in the future thinking about what we need to do or the past thinking about what we should of or could of done. When you’re rolling you have no choice but to only focus on the present moment someone is attacking you and you have to be present. That five minute live rolling session gives us a reprieve from all the tragedy or struggles going on in our life and for a brief moment we’re truly living in the moment. Then after training our minds are flooded with feel good endorphins and a calmness that helps us deal with all the stressors of life. 

I’ve accomplished a lot in jiujitsu and I’ve won most of the major ibjjf titles but my proudest accomplishment is getting to be my two sons Drake and Liams jiujitsu coach. 

Fun fact: I used to race motorcycles and before the age of 21 I broke 27 bones and had a knee surgery and 2 concussions.