Melody Lopez
May 18, 2024
“I'm writing this the day after I've come back after months of inconsistency. I'm sore all over, and I really missed that feeling and my training partners. This is going to come out as a love letter to the bjj community because I really do owe them a lot, and I can't express my gratitude enough. When I say Agoge Combatives and BJJ were a game changer for me, I mean that quite literally. I showed up in 2020 at one of the low points in my life when I decided to give jiu-jitsu a try at the recommendation of a friend. My life hasn't been the same since that 5:30am BJJ class, it flipped the script. I never knew I could feel as confident as I have in this martial art, and that's not because I'm great at it but because I realized that I'm free to be a lifelong student and struggle, that's part of the process. I also have some of the best relationships as a result of being in this community. You'll meet some of the most interesting, gracious, and lovable people on the mats because, as my friend Donavon always says, "You can't hide from yourself out there, and therefore you can't hide yourself from others, they see you like very few people ever will". The friends I've made on the mats and the ones I'm blessed to do life with are the ones who've seen me at my worst and most vulnerable, and they're still there for me. We've also shared a lot of side-spliting laughter, which you feel deeper when you're sore from training, I highly recommend post-training sushi with your group of friends! I could go on, but I'll make this short. I can never thank God enough for Jiu-jitsu and everything I've been given as a result of training with the folks at Agoge. So come check it out for yourself. If you stick around, I guarantee you'll have a similar story, don't rob yourself of great things, and a wonderful community. P.S. Early Bird class is the best!”
