“Defeat is the secret ingredient to success.” That quote is what gave our very own Matthew Fuller the drive to place first at the NAGA North American Grappling Association World’s Tournament, the largest of the NAGA events, held in Morristown, NJ.
Training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since he was four years old, Matthew has participated in seven NAGA tournaments. However, this was his first time at World’s.
When asked what he did differently this time to get there, he said he trained harder. He felt ready and prepared more than ever. Going into the tournament, Fuller says he wasn’t nervous at all. He commended his coaches as he said, “I knew I had a good shot at winning. I had two things no one else there had -- Mike Demko and Dan Farrell.” He continued, "They train their kids like no one else. The training is so extensive. Our part is to want it bad and to put the effort in to get it.”
Fuller’s advice for kids competing next year is to give it their all, train hard, and to not let their defeats get them down. He knows that through defeat, he has learned where to improve in order to wind up on top.
Now knowing what it takes to achieve gold, Matthew plans to dedicate his time to training harder than ever before, and using his newfound experience to hold his title again next year.
Now knowing what it takes to achieve gold, Matthew plans to dedicate his time to training harder than ever before, and using his newfound experience to hold his title again next year.
