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Small Man Jiu Jitsu

@smallmanjiujitsu

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🎙️ Sharing the people and stories behind Hawaiʻi Jiu-Jitsu
🥋 Community • Family • Resilience
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Congrats to Carter on his win this weekend🔥
Fight 2 Win 323, Hawaii 2026 by @smallmanjiujitsu

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2 months ago

I’m blessed to be able to keep competing and never take it for granted. Not going to lie, it wasn’t the result we wanted but we’ll keep training and pushing for 2026. Huge thanks to my coaches @mi_ahh and @tech.leeks. Thank-you to all my teammates at @kansept_academy, all my friends at @trxtr1 @roger_nitta for helping me prepare for the comp. Thank-you to @elysiancontours for getting my body right. Thanks-you to @daybydayjiujitsu for getting me my gi before the comp. Thank-you to all of #teamsmallman for supporting us through this journey. Thank-you to my wife who puts up with us through this crazy thing called jiu jitsu and the biggest thanks to my biggest critic, main training partner and my partner in crime @rudytwodasky. Masters 2026 is only 364 days away 🤙🏾 taken in Las Vegas Convention Center by @smallmanjiujitsu

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a year ago

**WHY WE STAY 🤙**

I never planned on doing jiu-jitsu.

I was lifting weights, taking fitness classes, and someone invited me to try BJJ. More than ten years later, I'm still training.

And the biggest reason? The people.

The friendships, the conversations, and the relationships I've built with people I probably would never have met otherwise.

Over the past few months, I've had the opportunity to interview so many people with different stories. I've learned a lot from them, and I wanted to start sharing some of those lessons along with my own experiences.

So I'm starting something new.

**Little Wisdoms with the Small Man.**

A place to talk story about jiu-jitsu, family, faith, relationships, work, and whatever else life has taught us along the way.

Recently, my son told me something that stuck with me:

"Go influence people."

I'm hoping these conversations can do a little of that.

Episode 1: **Why We Stay**

🎥 Watch on the Small Man Jiu Jitsu YouTube channel.

Here's a question for you:

**Why did you start jiu-jitsu, and what keeps you coming back?**

I'd love to hear your story.

#SmallManJiuJitsu #LittleWisdoms #BrazilianJiuJitsu #BJJCommunity #JiuJitsuLife #HawaiiBJJ #BeyondTheMats by @smallmanjiujitsu

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5 hours ago

Looking for some sick gear. Hit up my bro @hieuy_dweezy he got the 🔥🔥🔥 by @smallmanjiujitsu

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6 days ago

Aloha Mai kakou! I had the opportunity to connect and talk story with @smallmanjiujitsu and covered a variety of subjects listed below and great time of fellowship! Click the link below or in my bio to check it out
https://youtu.be/k971PltHpyA?si=Pt1kQ-nkh7e-lZ9W

Ancient Hawaiian warrior art meets modern Jiu-Jitsu. ⚔️

In the newest episode, @LeviBaclayon breaks down Lua — weapons, wrestling, joint locks, built for real combat — and how it connects to BJJ.

We talk: technique vs strength, vs. heavyweights, getting knee-barred by a 13-year-old, coaching kids, protecting family, and faith off the mats.

Mahalo to Levi for closing with a beautiful pule in Hawaiian and English. Full episode link in bio.

Bullet topics for show notes:
What is Lua? Traditional Hawaiian martial arts
BJJ and practical self-defense for real life
Technique vs. strength & flowing under pressure
Competing up in weight
Coaching children & building confidence
When self-defense becomes personal
Faith, forgiveness, self-control & fighting only when necessary by @smallmanjiujitsu

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8 days ago

Kaeo Lizama started jiu-jitsu at seven years old wearing a homemade gi made from what looked like a bathrobe.

More than 20 years later, his father, Kalani Lizama, tied a black belt around his waist.

For Kaeo, that belt represents more than rank. It represents a lifetime spent growing up on the mats, training beside his dad and carrying the Powerhouse Jiu-Jitsu legacy into the next generation.

Watch Kaeo’s full story on the Small Man Jiu Jitsu Podcast.

#KaeoLizama #KalaniLizama #PowerhouseJiuJitsu #KauaiJiuJitsu #HawaiiJiuJitsu #BJJBlackBelt #BrazilianJiuJitsu #SmallManJiuJitsu by @smallmanjiujitsu

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15 days ago

We're looking for more stories to share. 🎙️
Small Man Jiu Jitsu is about documenting the people who make our jiu-jitsu community what it is. You don’t need to be a black belt, champion, gym owner, or someone with a huge following. You just need a story.
Maybe jiu-jitsu changed your life. Maybe you’re a parent, coach, competitor, hobbyist, first responder, military member, or someone who simply found a second family on the mats.
The interviews are 100% online and are just a conversation.
Know someone whose story should be heard? Tag them below or send this post to them.
Interested in being on the podcast? DM for more info.

https://youtu.be/uC8ARGj4dCc

🥋 Share your story.
🤙 Represent our community.
🎙️ Inspire someone else.
#SmallManJiuJitsu #HawaiiJiuJitsu #BJJHawaii #JiuJitsu #BJJ #JiuJitsuCommunity #HawaiiBJJ #JiuJitsuLife by @smallmanjiujitsu

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16 days ago

After 28 years in Taekwondo, Miguel Pagan was willing to become a white belt again.

At 52, he walked into his first jiu-jitsu class knowing how to punch, kick and throw, but unsure what to do once the fight reached the ground. He felt lost during that first roll, then came back the next day.

Eight years later, Miguel is a brown belt and runs Legacy Taekwon-do & Jiu-Jitsu in Florida, where he teaches children and adults to understand both striking and grappling.

This episode is about staying humble enough to keep learning, regardless of how much experience you already have.

🎙 Miguel Pagan
🥋 Legacy Taekwon-do & Jiu-Jitsu
▶️ Full episode on the Small Man Jiu Jitsu Podcast

#SmallManJiuJitsu #JiuJitsu #BrazilianJiuJitsu #Taekwondo #MartialArts #BJJOver50 #StartAgain by @smallmanjiujitsu

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22 days ago

What if the greatest benefit of jiu-jitsu is not physical?

For Grant Miyashiro, the connection between jiu-jitsu, paddling, family and his work with Loochoo Nation is community.

Training gives people somewhere to belong. It builds relationships between people who might never have met otherwise, and it reminds us to think about someone beyond ourselves.

As Grant puts it, community makes us healthier people.

Watch the full conversation on the Small Man Jiu Jitsu Podcast.

#SmallManJiuJitsuPodcast #GrantMiyashiro #LoochooNation #RomaJiuJitsu #HawaiiJiuJitsu #BJJCommunity #JiuJitsu #HawaiiIsland #Uchinanchu #OkinawanCulture by @smallmanjiujitsu

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22 days ago

Pastor Wade Inn reminds us that strength does not mean handling everything alone.

Jiu-jitsu gives us teammates, coaches and a community. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is notice when someone is struggling and let them know they have people who care.

Check on somebody today.

Full episode available now.

#SmallManJiuJitsu #HawaiiJiuJitsu #BJJCommunity #PastorWadeInn #MentalHealthAwareness by @smallmanjiujitsu

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22 days ago

Jason Calabrese’s coach could no longer compete safely after suffering a stroke.

When Jason returned to Washington and taught a class at his original academy, his coach watched him teach, watched him roll, and made an unexpected decision.

He gave Jason his own competition black belt and asked him to continue what he had started.

For Jason, the belt represents more than rank. It carries the trust of a coach who watched him grow from an 18-year-old kid into a man.

Now Jason plans to honor that responsibility by returning to competition and making his black-belt debut.

Watch the full conversation with Jason Calabrese on the Small Man Jiu Jitsu Podcast.

#SmallManJiuJitsu #HawaiiBJJ #CalabreseCombatAcademy #BJJBlackBelt #JiuJitsu by @smallmanjiujitsu

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22 days ago

Robert Yray planned to run the Honolulu Marathon.

The problem? His group ran to the wrong starting line first.

With no Biki bikes available, they had only one option: run back to the actual start. By the end of the day, Robert had covered roughly 30 miles.

“I guess I’m running an ultra today.”

Hear the full story on the Small Man Podcast.

Featuring @robert.yray

#SmallManPodcast #RobertYray #HonoluluMarathon #HawaiiRunning #EverestBaseCamp #UnitedBJJ #HawaiiJiuJitsu by @smallmanjiujitsu

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22 days ago