Exclusive: Interview with Sensei and Author, Professor Julio Rivera

Introduction

Professor Julio Rivera is a martial artist and self-defence instructor with over thirty years of experience in various combat sports. He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, as well as being as a trainer in Krav Maga, kickboxing, and Mixed Martial Arts.  He is also an author of the book Brokedown Sensei: How I Fought Trauma and Bipolar Disorder From the Outside In, available on Amazon. Julio Rivera has another book in the works.  We bring you an insight into Julio Rivera’s life and philosophy of Internal Jiu-Jitsu.

Q&A

FightMatrix: Tell us about your childhood and upbringing.  At what age did you first become involved with martial arts, and how?

Julio Rivera: I grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn during the crack epidemic.  It was a tough place to live.  Lots of violence.  I was held up at gunpoint, witnessed a murder as a boy, had friends and family killed, and generally was on edge all the time. I fought a lot because I had to, but I didn’t enjoy it and I wasn’t very good at it, but I wouldn’t back down so I wouldn’t be viewed as a punk.

I started bodybuilding when I was 12 to feel more secure.  By 14 I was competing.  I did that for nine years, winning a bunch of shows, including the teenage nationals. By 23, I was thankfully burnt out with the lifestyle.  I had always wanted to do martial arts, but I was too big back then and focused on getting bigger.  When I quit the stage, I went all in with martial arts.  That was going on 26 years ago.

I thought what Steven Segal did was Jiu Jitsu, so I was looking for a school and found a Judo dojo that did Japanese Jiu Jitsu, boxing and Krav Maga.  I had some inkling that I might want to try pro wrestling, because I had a friend who was doing it, but I ended up not going that route.

Krystek Judo became my home. I began teaching there occasionally, and I eventually got my black belts in Judo and JJJ before moving on to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  I managed a couple of large schools in Manhattan before I opened my own MMA/BJJ/Judo/Self Defense school in 2009, Omni Martial Arts, which I had for nine years before selling after my divorce.

 

FM: You have extensive experience in various martial arts.  Which martial art is your personal favorite, and why?

JR: This answer has changed over the last couple of years.  I would have said Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and it probably still is, but I had a street situation a while back in Miami that convinced me of the power of Judo for self defense.  It’s a devastating art when done on the street.  Plus, everyone wears clothes you can grab.  I also like adding Krav Maga elements to all my arts for street application.  I taught Krav for a little while and started training it while I was still pursuing my Judo black belt.

 

FM: You’ve obtained a journalism degree from NYU.  What piqued your interest in the field of journalism?

JR: I’ve been writing since I was 12.  I won an essay contest on the Holocaust back then, and my teacher told me I had a talent for writing.  That year I won a medal at school as the top English student, and that made me think I might have something.  I continued to write poetry and short stories, mostly to get rid of the sadness I felt inside.  After college, I got gigs freelancing with big fitness magazines like Muscle and Fitness.

 

FM: Who is the most interesting person that you have had the chance to meet and why?

JR: The most interesting person I’ve met was Arnold Schwarzenegger.  I was doing backstage interviews for ESPN at his competition in Ohio, I think it was in 2000.  We were supposed to shoot a segment together but he said I looked too young.  He was super nice, but as commanding as he was, he still had a tinge of insecurity.  I found that fascinating.

 

FM: What led you to a career as a martial arts sensei?

JR: I fell into my career as a sensei.  My plan was to move to California and pursue screenwriting and acting.  My girlfriend at the time suggested I teach for a year to save money before going.  I got a job teaching that was supposed to be short term.  Instead, I ended up opening a business,  getting married and having a child in New York, so I never left.

 

FM: Can you talk about your book, Brokedown Sensei: How I Fought Trauma and Bipolar Disorder From The Outside In? With mental health awareness becoming more prevalent, there is still a stigma. Yet, it’s incredible that you opened up about your own struggles with mental illness. What encouraged you to write this book and advocate for mental health?

JR: Brokedown Sensei started off as me scribbling into a notebook for a couple of months.  I was writing a first draft that I didn’t want to be able to read.  It was just about letting out the emotions of my past trauma, my divorce, and the loss of my martial arts family.  While I intended the book to be inspirational, I was off my meds when I wrote it, and I was cycling pretty rapidly.  This means my mood shifts were dramatic, from depressed to hypomanic from day to day.  Everyone knows depression, but hypomania makes you feel God-like.

The book turned out to be a step by step chronicling of my day to day struggle and occasional delusions.  I felt very exposed once I put it out, but it was my truth back then.  And I think it’s important for people to see how the disorder can affect someone who seems externally strong and together.

 

FM: You have another book, Internal Jiu-Jitsu, coming out soon, could you tell us more about it?

JR: Internal Jiu Jitsu is what my first book was originally going to be.  I got the publishing deal based on three chapters that I had written.  It’s a pocket book in the vein of The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  Internal Jiu Jitsu is about battling both internal and external resistance using the principles of martial arts, namely, giving way when necessary rather than fighting everything head on.  The chapters are short, written like a series of essays, which is my style.  There are chapters on Jiu Jitsu and depression, Jiu Jitsu and anxiety, the importance of finding the right mentors and partners on the mat and in life, and martial arts and interpersonal relationships.  It’s a book I hope people turn to again and again, with lots of underlining and marking passages.

 

FM: Can you explain the concept of ‘Internal Jiu-Jitsu’ and how it applies to everyday life situations?

JR: Many people believe that the best way to battle force is with more force, but this only leads to a messy brawl.  Judging the true power of the attack we face takes mindfulness and awareness.  Are we being baited by our opponent, which can be a person or situation?  Is there a trap we will fall into if we attack too aggressively?  Should we simply look for a new angle to gain a better perspective?

Should you push back sharply enough to get your opponent to over commit?

Obstacles are too often seen as barriers.  Instead, a martial artist sees an obstacle as a challenge to be conquered through cunning, instead of just brute force.  There is a place for physical strength and power, but thinking like a chess player makes the battle far less bloody.

FM: You’re a former World Masters Jiu-Jitsu champion. That takes years of continuously practicing the martial arts. What resonated in your mind when you won the 2012 championship? How does that rank in your accomplishments in life?

JR: That was a huge moment for me because I had battled back from terrible knee injuries that kept me from competing for most of my career.  It was the first year that the Masters were being held, and when my coach asked me to represent, I was psyched.  My Judo sensei had won a world masters title, and I couldn’t believe I’d have the chance to do the same.

Our entire team did amazing that weekend.  We traveled together to California, ate together, roomed together and won together.  My coach won his division and my friends all made the podium.  It was the greatest day in our team’s history at that point.

More importantly, it was the first time I wasn’t nervous at all and actually smiled during the whole experience.  Until then, competition terrified me, but I was so confident going into the Masters, that I had no fear.  Two weeks before I was depressed and wanted to quit, but I got a pep talk from my ex wife and ended up having my best training session ever.  From that day, I knew I’d win because I realized I didn’t care if I lost.  No one would think less of me, just like I never thought less of anyone for losing.  That changed everything for me.

 

FM: What do you feel is your greatest life accomplishment?

JR: That’s easy.  My daughter is the greatest thing I will ever be a part of.  She’s my 9 year old best friend.  My warrior princess.

 

FM: How do you remain focused on a wide array of endeavors?

JR: I’ve narrowed my focus to writing and private training.  I don’t do group classes anymore at the moment, and I no longer work with kids.  I decided to narrow my teaching to hardcore street self-defense, because so many styles seem to forget about the self-defense aspect of martial arts.  They are too locked into rule sets that make things unrealistic.  Like the whole Idea that Judo is ineffective because guys fighting in cages don’t wear clothes is obviously silly in a street situation.  Likewise, playing guard off your back while getting punched in the face is way different.  As the father of a little girl, and a citizen of a city that’s full of scared people, my passion for practical self-empowerment has grown.

To that effect, I also do the occasional corporate event where I talk about the importance of empathy, awareness, compassion and constant vigilance in feeling and being safe.   While I may show the groups some basic moves, I largely talk about de-escalation, and the need to to understand what is behind other people’s actions and your own, whether that be past trauma or just having a bad day.

 

FM: Do you have any pets? If so, what type of pet or pets do you have?

JR: I had a cat named Max that I loved before the divorce.  He’s gone now, but my daughter has two brother cats that look just like Max, so I feel like I’m their grandpa.

 

FM: In terms of self-defense, what do you feel is the most important thing that an average person has the ability to learn and retain?

JR: Self-defense is as dirty as necessary.  I teach my daughter martial arts technique, but also teach her how to gauge eyes, head butt, pull hair and knee or kick to the groin.  If you can’t flip your switch and get violent, you don’t have much chance in a physical altercation.

But if you are constantly aware, and have your ego in check, there’s rarely any reason to fight.

FM: What do you want your legacy to be?

JR: I want to have treated people right, with respect and kindness.  I’ve changed a lot over the years, having conquered a very bad temper that was the result of trauma I experienced as a boy.  I want people to know from my work that you can be tough on the outside while still being sensitive and self-aware, and that you can always change, if you put in the work.  It’s not easy, but there’s nothing else that matters more than conquering yourself.

 

FM: Is there anything else you would like to tell your fans?

JR: My hope is that my readers feel that they are not alone through my work.  We all experience and think about the same things, as unique as we all are.  During this time of so much division over silly differences, further self exploration will reveal that we are far more similar than we are different.  As the stigma around mental health continues to dissolve, more of the world’s eternally wound up tension will ease, and we’ll accept that physical and mental well being go hand in hand.

Conclusion

Julio Rivera is a humble gentleman and has proven that he is an inspiration and advocate for mental health awareness. His writing is impressive, as he went to school to become a journalist – the field he chose due to being a writer at such a young age. Julio is well-rounded in martial arts and has used that mindset to focus on his own mental health struggles. In turn, this has taught him how to cope with his illnesses. He has a book called Internal Jiu-Jitsu coming out next year. It is essentially focused on being able to utilize the mindfulness of martial arts, as well as learning and implementing strategies to fight your battles.

Currently, Mr. Rivera trains individuals for self-defense and enjoys writing. His pride and joy is his nine year old daughter, whom Julio is teaching self-defense techniques to. My impression is that he has utilized effective skills via martial arts, and is helping others to overcome challenges in life. This has been achieved through his own life experiences.