During the Jiu-Jitsu Project Week, students will engage in hands-on training in the grappling arts. Classes will be led by experienced instructors, Craig Wiley, Miguel Cruz, Frank Valenti, and others from White Mountain BJJ. All instructors are skilled black belts with extensive competition experience, ensuring students receive top-notch guidance. Over the week, students will explore the fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and American Freestyle wrestling. The students will learn take down techniques, grappling, and submission holds, all in a safe and supportive environment. The program will be structured to accommodate all skill levels, allowing students to develop at their own pace while building physical fitness, discipline, and critical thinking skills. In addition to the physical training, the project will emphasize the mental benefits of Jiu-Jitsu. Students will learn how to stay calm under pressure, develop problem-solving abilities, and enhance their focus and resilience. By navigating the challenges of the sport, they will cultivate patience, emotional control, and perseverance, skills that are transferable to both their academic work and personal lives. At the end of the week, students will walk away with not only a deeper understanding of their grappling arts but also a greater sense of mental clarity and self-confidence.
Day 1
On my first day of Critical Thinking Through Grappling Sports, I walked into the Jiu-Jitsu studio and immediately noticed the clean mats, open space, and focused but welcoming atmosphere. Everyone seemed ready to learn, and the environment felt both disciplined and supportive. The most interesting part of the day was watching how technique and strategy mattered more than strength during grappling. I learned that grappling is not just about physical power, but also about balance, positioning, and thinking ahead. I also learned something about myself—I realized that I enjoy challenges that push me out of my comfort zone. The most challenging part of the day was trying to remember the different movements and techniques while practicing with a partner. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and I’m looking forward to improving my skills and learning more throughout the week. -JJ Suldenski '26
At first, when I found out I was going to be in the Critical Thinking through Grappling Sports project, I was excited! After experiencing day one, my expectations have been met and surpassed, all in a couple of hours. Our group drove a few minutes off campus to a training dojo for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where we learned fundamentals of grappling martial arts, and a few more advanced techniques, for example, a proper arm bar. I enjoyed many aspects of our first day in the dojo, but what stood out to me most was most definitely learning how to take somebody out from underneath. Despite all the fun, there were of course challenges, these challenges were pushing certain untrained muscles of mine to the limits while grappling against other students. I look forward to learning many more take down techniques over the course of this week. -Phan Rauschenbach '29
Day 2
Today was the second day of Critical Thinking through Grappling Sports. We went through lots of different ways to choke your opponent in a wrestling match. For example, the guillotine is used as a choking method with your arms to choke out your opponent. The most interesting part of the day was ankle tag which is played on the mat only and you can have to tag someone's ankle for them to be out. To get back in since we played a redemption game, you would have to wait for the person who got you out to get out. At the end of the day, we did 5-minute matches, which was the hardest part of the day because it required the most effort. Overall, it was a great day and I am happy to learn more about grappling. -Michael Ronan '27
My day learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through Critical Thinking Through Grappling Sports was really fun and different from a normal school day. We practiced grappling techniques and learned how to control an opponent on the ground using leverage and positioning. One of the most interesting parts was realizing that technique matters more than strength, even though I definitely got thrown around a few times while practicing with partners. At some points we also practiced choke holds, and getting caught in one showed me how important it is to stay calm and think about how to escape. I learned that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a lot about strategy, patience, and thinking ahead instead of just reacting. The most challenging part was remembering the steps to the techniques while someone was actively trying to control me or submit me. Overall, even though I got tossed around and tapped out a few times, it is a really cool experience and I’m excited to keep learning more moves this week. -Phil Groeling '29
Day 3
Without question, the most challenging part of the day is the last couple hours. However, it is also the most fun part of the day. Despite eating lunch and already being beat from the morning, you have to get up and prepare yourself to go hard. The last couple hours of the day consist of some more technique work and then rolling, which is when we do a series of 4-5 minute rounds against each other. In this time, we take our new skills we learned throughout the day and compete against each other, testing our abilities and pushing our bodies and minds further than the session prior. The competition, grit, and perseverance are what make the last session both the most challenging and the most fun part of the day. -Cam Danchak '26
Today in Critical Thinking Through Grappling Sports, we had a slower review day going over and mastering the moves we have learned so far. I found this very helpful to help retain the information we have learned in past days and try to get better at them so we can use them and move on to harder techniques. One thing I learned about myself is that I need to take the time to learn things instead of going right into it. I found it beneficial taking the process slow, something I can apply to other areas in my life. I really enjoy when we learn new stuff since I'm so eager to learn and try to be a sponge by taking in as much information as I can. Overall I have learned a lot, but still need to practice. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the week! -Gavin Burley '27
Day 4
We first got to the gym and had 30 minutes to warm ourselves up and just stretch out anything that was hurting. Then we did a group warm up together. After that we worked on some of the things we did in prior days like side control and some arm taps we could use. Shortly after, Coach Frank showed up and he taught us a lot of side control techniques. Then we had lunch and after lunch, Coach Russell arrived and taught us some judo. He taught us a lot of take downs. The most interesting part has been the arm bars and ways to make people tap. I learned to get out of tiny sticky situations that I didn’t know how to get out of before. I learned that I may have decent cardio, but just good cardio doesn't mean everything in Jiu-Jitsu. The most challenging part of the day was being the Oki (the practice partner) for Phil when he was doing the take downs on me. The thing I enjoyed the most was putting a Phil in an arm bar and getting him to tap out! -Ollie Qoung '27
This week, I learned that proper posture is crucial in grappling sports. I noticed this when someone smaller than me was able to throw me with surprising ease, while I could hardly lift an opponent who was even smaller than I was. The most difficult part of the week for me was getting tired so quickly. Since I have very little athletic background, the physical intensity was challenging. Grappling sports, especially Jiu-Jitsu, require strong abdominal and hip muscles, so my lack of strength in those areas greatly affected my performance during long and intense sessions. I also found it difficult to remember all the techniques because we learned about ten positions each day. However, the sport is still based on a few key principles. The first is to use both our own and our opponent’s joints, posture, and body weight to gain an advantage. The second is to use a stronger part of the body against a weaker part of the opponent’s body. For instance, a leg is naturally stronger than a shoulder, regardless of size. -Rodtang '26