Jiu Jitsu Lab Featured on Science of Skill

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The Science of Skill is written by Dan Faggella, a prolific Jiu Jitsu competitor and trainer. I’ve been aware of Dan since his video analysis appropriately-titled “Rafael Mendes – Why He Wins” hit the online Jiu Jitsu landscape. As a graduate student in something called Applied Positive Psychology Dan brings a unique voice to the analysis of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is why you’ll find The Science of Skill in the list of links to the right.

A few days ago Dan contacted me with some questions about a series of profiles of the “Jiu Jitsu Nerds” that were driving the  current online discourse. It was an honour to be included, and I really appreciate Faggella’s enthusiasm for the art of Jiu Jitsu those that seek to understand it better through online media. The other bloggers that have been featured so far are Seymour from the Meekratsu blog, Can from the SlideyFoot blog and Jake from The Ground Never Misses blog. I’m a big fan of the work of all three gentlemen and it’s pretty cool to be featured along side them. In case anyone is interested, the full interview is below.

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Dan: Please state your name, age, and bjj rank

David: My name is David Levy-Booth, I’m a twenty-nine-year-old (damn, that looks really old when you put it in writing) purple belt under Adam Ryan. We’re in the Carlson Gracie lineage through Mestre Marcus Soares in Vancouver.

What is your primary motivation for blogging?

My motivation to start The Jiu Jitsu Lab was to write articles that I would actually want to read myself. I thought there was an underrepresented niche in the online Jiu Jitsu landscape - longer, well-researched analyses of Jiu Jitsu principles and techniques. I’m not quite there yet, although I think I’m getting closer.

What do you most hope others will get out of reading your blog?

I hope that anyone who reads The Jiu Jitsu Lab learns something. That would be immensely satisfying. Specifically, lot of the focus is on the cutting edge of the competition scene and I hope that the blog is able help people better understand and contextualize the evolution of the art. Secondly, I hope anyone who checks out the blog is entertained a bit with the writing and the effort I put into the visuals.

What are your higher, long-term goals for the site, if any? 

My only goal for the Jiu Jitsu Lab was to never have to write a gear review. And so far, success! But honestly, I had zero long-term goals for the blog, and I still have a hard time believing that so many people actually read it. It’s crazy. I guess my long-term goal now is to respect the trust and intelligence of these people by not putting out crap.

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