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Cody Baker

@chonoyoudidnt

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"I'm an old man trying to harness the power of gravity"

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Chapter Two: Endurance

I was 15 when I started this process. We trained on old wrestling mats at the local rec center, one day a week. It was MMA focused with no system in place for ranking. I started out of necessity. I was a scared kid who was being bullied. I trained hard, with hatred in my heart. I became proficient and built a reputation. And then, after more scraps than I care to remember, I walked away from MMA and Jiu Jitsu for almost 18 years.

When I returned four years ago, on the first day back, I fell in love with it all over again. But I had also changed. I was no longer the angry young man ready to throw down. I was 40. I didn't need to fight anyone. But the desire to test myself was still there. So I started to compete. And let me tell you, that changed my perception of who I was pretty drastically. But as I gained experience on the competition mats, ego began to slowly creep out the door and acceptance and perseverance took its place.

And nowhere did that become more apparent than during my time as a blue belt.

I absolutely loved being a blue belt. But was difficult. Frustrating. Humbling. And incredibly rewarding. It was a necessary grind. At times, it beat me up more mentally than physically. There were days when I felt like I could take on anyone, followed immediately by days when I questioned whether I'd learned anything at all.

A little over a year ago, I joined LOGOS, and that perspective deepened even further. It's an incredibly tough room, filled with people who challenge one another daily. The kind of room where you're constantly reminded of how much you still have to learn. That everything you know may only get you through the next round.

This weekend, almost 30 years after I first started this journey, I was honored to become a LOGOS purple belt. It's a rank I look forward to growing into. And it may have taken me longer than most to get here, but it happened exactly the way it was supposed to.

Thank you Michael, Beth, Norm, Tri, Ed, and Jeff for your guidance. You all have the biggest hearts any student could ever ask for.

We keep going by @chonoyoudidnt

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7 days ago

I remember my first IBJJF competition well. Denver Open, 2024. My blue belt debut.

Up until then, I’d done pretty well competing locally at white belt. Those tournaments were usually round robin, so even if I lost a match, I could keep going. I could compete in both Gi and No-Gi, sometimes putting my total matches into the double digits in a single day. Those were hard days. They taught me how to dig deep.

IBJJF was different. Single elimination. Lose, and your day can be over. I remember I was incredibly nervous leading up to that first tournament. I checked the registration constantly. I researched everyone in my bracket. I tried to learn anything I could about the people I might face.

And then I stepped onto the mat, and none of it mattered.

I was taken down almost immediately. I fought from there, managed to stay alive for most of the match, and with about 30 seconds left, I was submitted. Game over 😂

I remember sitting in the bleachers, reflecting on that loss afterward and having one very clear thought: I wanted to be the one standing on top of that podium. So I set a goal to do just that. It took me a year to accomplish that goal. Then I raised the bar. And then I raised it again.

My experience has taught me competition is chaos. It’s nerves. Unknown opponents. Unknown techniques. Last-minute dieting. Adrenaline. Moving at full speed, off balance, through a minefield of consequences. It’s exposing your weaknesses for everyone to see. It's humility. You have to remain calm in these moments of chaos to weather the storm.

Training is different. Training is my foundation. It’s order. Consistency. Showing up when I'm tired. It's getting better when nobody is watching. Studying. Drilling. Conceptualizing. Failing at something over and over until one day it starts to make sense.

I’ve come to love that part more than anything. The work itself. The grind. Both the time on the mat and in my head. The auxiliary workouts in the gym and on the trails.

The medals are great. But they’re really just markers along the way for the energy and intention I've put in. The part I’m most proud of is everything that happened between them.

Let's keep going by @chonoyoudidnt

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a month ago

Chapter One: The Sprout
I had the privilege of heading out to Las Vegas to compete in the IBJJF Masters World Championships this weekend. As far it goes for ole dogs like me, it's the Everest of Jiu Jitsu Gi competitions. And this year was truly special to me for many reasons.

Becoming a Masters World Championship bronze medalist is many things. For starters, it's a fairly rare accomplishment. For me it was a sort of culmination of the focus and energy I've put into this art over the past couple years. It's also a wonderful finishing touch on a big competitive season for me. Lastly, I believe it's also a clear signal that I'm inching closer to reaching my goal of becoming a World Champion in this sport someday.

I also didn't realize it going into this season (or this weekend) but it would be my last gi tournament as a Masters 3 athlete. Next year I'll be the youngster in M4's. I've met so many great people throughout the year and I'm truly grateful for the friendships. Walking around the venue this year I was constantly catching up with someone. This sport and its community never cease to amaze me with the genuine, good hearted people who surround it. Thank you to every single competitor that showed up for these events this year. I don't get to do this without you.

@logosbjjdenver had such a great team dynamic out there. All of us running around to cheer each other on. One match after another. After a year of being at the gym my teammates and coaches have truly become my second family and the love and support this crew brings for each other is unmatched. I always tell people Jiu Jitsu is a team sport. I can't play Jiu Jitsu alone. So to all my teammates, this is an expression of our collective energy and I deeply thank you all for that.

To my Professors and coaches @lierajr @_elizabethliera @abyssjiujitsu @trijitsu @mindpeeltv @mynamejehf ... I'm not crying, I just bit my tongue 😜 I appreciate you all so damn much. You guys pour yourselves into everything you do both inside and outside the gym and your love for this game is infectious. You guide and instruct with style and grace. Thank you for creating something so special in Colorado. by @chonoyoudidnt

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a month ago

by @chonoyoudidnt

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a month ago

Put my name in the hat for competition number 5 this year at American Nationals. I had a goal to do both gi and no gi in a single event. I hadn't competed in no gi in over a year and only had a handful of no gi training days since that comp. I went into day 2 of Nationals with zero expectations and the intent of having fun.

First match = Knocking some heavy rust off. I felt really awkward and didn't know what to do with my hands.

After that I started to loosen up and enjoy myself and it showed. I began to settle into the grove and remember how free flowing no gi is.

I ended up securing 2 National Championship Golds (Gi division and no gi Open Weight). That moves me up to the #2 ranking in Medium Heavyweight and 29th overall in my Masters 3 Blue belt.

Thank you to my Professors, coaches, and teammates at @logosbjjdenver . While we tend to see the individual performances in Jiu Jitsu, what we often overlook is that those performances are a cumulative effort. I can't go play Jiu Jitsu by myself. This is truly a reflection of the group I'm surrounded by.

ONWARD by @chonoyoudidnt

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4 months ago

The only way forward is to soak in as much as you can and let your subconscious process it all. Not the result I envisioned, nor the performance I had trained for. I've stumbled over my own feet these last few competitions. So the focus is finding my footing again. First time on the podium at a Major and no injuries, which I'm grateful for. I continue to let go and just trust the subconscious is doing the work. taken in Walter Pyramid LBSU by @chonoyoudidnt

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5 months ago

This week marks the completion of my first year on the mats at @logosbjjdenver.
365 days of being more obsessed with the concepts and movements of this art.
52 weeks of being the middle aged nail in a room chalked full of younger, hungrier hammers. Being shown the many gaps in my game and areas that need improvement.
12 months of guidance under the best group of Practitioners, Coaches, and Professors anyone could hope for.
3-4 early mornings a week of slow and steady progression. Sometimes it's 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
All of that and absolutely 0 regrets...

I have the utmost respect and gratitude for the time, energy, and knowledge you've shared with me @lierajr @_elizabethliera @abyssjiujitsu @trijitsu

And to countless friends I get to share these mats with and the visitors to this beautiful facility, big thanks to you for making this year a very special one. The challenge, growth, camaraderie, acceptance, and energy is so greatly appreciated. I can't wait to see what this next year holds for us all 🫶

📸@localdallasman by @chonoyoudidnt

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5 months ago

Yesterday was special. LŌGŌS HQ 2.0 opened its doors and from the second I walked in, I was in awe. The space was just alive with energy and excitement. I had a smile on my face for at least a solid 3 hours. I've been to many great gyms around the country. I always try and go to different spaces in cities I've trained in before. And I had to keep pinching myself yesterday because somehow I ended up here, in the most beautiful place I can imagine practicing.

What the Liera family has done with this new location is inspiring. Hard work, dedication and vision don't even begin to crack the surface of what it took to get here. But they've made it. And they've turned this old building at 285 S Santa Fe Dr into a monument of Jiu Jitsu.

I am so blessed to get to train here, in such an intentional space with so many truly amazing humans. It's an honor and I will make sure to acknowledge that every time I walk in these doors.

My sincerest gratitude to the Liera's and the entire team at LŌGŌS 🫶

WE KEEP GOING by @chonoyoudidnt

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8 months ago

by @chonoyoudidnt

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10 months ago

4 years alcohol-free today.
I consider myself fortunate in making this choice of my own free will. No rock bottom. No dramatic moment. Just a simple realization that the faucet had been running long enough—and it was time for a positive change.

I was never the “just one drink” type. One usually led to several, and I’d often be the last one standing at the end of the night. I could go shot for shot with the best of them, and too often did. Looking back, there were probably some insecurities and mild depression tied to that pattern… even if I didn’t see it at the time.

The biggest surprise was how socially ingrained alcohol is. People genuinely found it strange when I wasn’t drinking (and honestly, many still do). So much of adult life is built around having a drink in your hand—sometimes because we don’t know how else to lower our social shields.

But since that last sip four years ago?
Everything is better.
My mood. My sleep. My clarity. My gratitude.
I wake up feeling more grounded and more present than I ever did before.

I don’t judge anyone who drinks, and I’m totally comfortable around it. I just don’t miss it—and I don’t feel like I’m missing out. And that is powerful.

This isn’t a judgment post. You do you by all means. It's just a marker in time for myself that I'm recognizing.

And if you’ve ever thought about making a similar change, I'd encourage you to challenge yourself and take that next step. I’m always open to sharing what helped me. by @chonoyoudidnt

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a year ago

I wrapped up my first mule deer hunt this week without punching a tag, but the experience was far from empty. There’s peace in moving quietly through the woods, the moisture of each breath on a chilly mountain morning portraying the winds direction, the crunch of frost under each carefully curated footstep, the anticipation of what might appear beyond the next ridge. It’s as tranquil as it is maddening.

Just two weeks ago, on a quick 18-hour scouting trip, we glassed six bucks and forty-four does. This week, the same zone was silent. Every ridge, draw, and creek bottom looked perfect. Yet the deer had decided it was time for their own excursion, elsewhere.

Over five days, we logged nearly 50 miles on foot and 120 in the truck, climbing and dropping countless vertical feet. Not a glimpse of a buck, elk, or moose. The mountains had gone still, and so had its inhabitants.

Shortfall offers its own kind of clarity. I’ve learned to sit with it, to analyze and extract what it offers. There’s no disappointment here, only additional stoke to the fire. Nature's perfection was this hunt's reward. The next hunt has already begun, forged from the lessons hidden in the silence of this one. by @chonoyoudidnt

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a year ago

I had the great pleasure of learning from another one of BJJ's finest last night. Such subtle details and techniques that I'm already putting into practice. Thank you @kaynanduarte for making it out to Colorado and being such a genuine human. I highly recommend doing one of his seminars if you have the opportunity. And a huge shout out to @logosbjjdenver for making this happen! I'm constantly in awe of the talent that surrounds me on a daily basis. Always humbled and truly grateful to be a part of this amazing community 👊 by @chonoyoudidnt

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a year ago