Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Castillo.
Hi Sergio, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu when I was 17 years old. I had no prior knowledge of what it was, nor any interest in martial arts but found myself stepping completely out of my comfort zone and participated in a free class. The instructor showed interest and encouragement, a couple of things that I wasn’t aware I lacked in my personal life at that time and made me feel like this was something that I could be good at. After that first class, I was hooked and found myself excelling at the martial art at various levels, competition-wise and instruction-wise. I have since found that my life has revolved around jiu jitsu in some form or another and that the lessons I have learned from it have greatly impacted the way I maneuver through the world around me. The most important things I have learned are the skills to quickly adapt to unforeseen circumstances and to keep calm and objective in stressful situations.
Recently in September of 2021, my lifelong training partners and I decided it was time to open our own jiu jitsu academy under the name of the BJJ school we started out of and came up under, Tri-Town Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We have the shared goal in mind to share the self-defense and grappling knowledge we have amassed over 17 years of training and share the joy we have found in training jiu jitsu.
After graduating college in 2011, I worked as a social worker before working as a police officer (first in Commerce City and then Denver), which I still do and have done for the past SEVEN years.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. The very thought of putting oneself out there to start a business and having the huge risk of failing has terrified me in the past and have never had the financial opportunities and privilege to do so. I came from a poor background and have seen my parents struggle to make ends meet doing their best to make sure my siblings and I felt secure and safe. That kind of experience led me to make sure to find a career that is financially secure so that I would be able to provide for my spouse and I. I’ve been blessed to be able to get to a point where I feel comfortable to step out and be able to do something that I have been passionate about for most of my life, which is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. My partners and I basically came to a point where we felt we have learned from our martial arts business journeys as instructors and have the financial opportunities to do our own thing!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes for adults and kids. The martial art is focused on grappling, controlling a subject’s movement and finalizing with a submission hold, but done in a safe environment. Many jiu jitsu schools advertise that they teach self-defense but I have a unique perspective as I have had to use this martial art in real life many times over and am familiar with what techniques are effective and realistic. I am most proud of our collective viewpoints and our logo. We are very laid back and don’t make our students sign binding contracts, don’t have any startup fees, or cancellation fees. We also offer three free initial classes to help with deciding whether or not this martial art and our teaching style is right for you.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
We hope that you join us and get to experience what we enjoy about this art! We are on Instagram @tritownbjj if you want to check us out.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tritownbjjacademy.com
- Instagram: @tritownbjj
