SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
July - 2016
33
cated to his growth, Red-
ing’s passion for BJJ was
quickly exposed. Making
countless sacrifices, there
were no barriers stopping
his aspirations for learn-
ing the art of jiu-jitsu.
“My Brother and I would
travel to Indiana and bring
Jack down to Texas get-
ting as much knowledge
and training in while we
were with him,” Reding
told The MMA Corner.
“During the downtimes
we were forced to drill and
train on our own time and
material. We would also
travel around the world
competing in many differ-
ent tournaments in Portu-
gal, Japan, Brazil, and of
course here in the U.S.”
Everything worth consid-
ering in life comes with
its share of sacrifices and
hurdles. Although a pas-
sionate student, Nick’s
grappling journey also
came with its share of
hardships. Personal bur-
dens on and off the mat
seemed to be a conflicting
task for the Texas native,
leaving him with irrational
solution to the problem,
walking away from Bra-
zilian Jiu-jitsu. However,
his illogical contemplation
soon dissolved. It was in
that moment that Reding
understood the role Bra-
zilian Jiu-jitsu was playing
in his life.
Nick’s training soon took
on a defining purpose. A
therapeutic drug or an-
other internal treasure
uncovered its influence
served as a great sup-
port system. Its inspiration
would enable Reding in
continuing his BJJ journey,
but in addition aided with
solving the problems poi-
soning in his personal life.
Through this new revela-
tion all became clear, Bra-
zilian Jiu-jitsu was mean-
ingful to Nick Reding.
“There is a definite hard
reminder looking back at
all the struggles and times
I did not want to con-
tinue, and quit jiu-jitsu,
”Reding said. These times
were extremely difficult to
overcome. ”
“Eventually I ended up us-
ing jiu-jitsu as my escape
and cure for my everyday
struggles, and using my
Jiu-Jitsu as my therapy. I
knew that no matter what
happened today, good or
bad, at some point I will be
training and I will have that
time on the mat to com-
pletely forget about every-
thing else in my life off the
mat,” Reding added.
Hard work always has a
way of paying off. Four-
teen years of blood,
sweat, and tears finally
culminated on January
14, 2012 as Nick and his
brother Mark, would re-
ceive the high honors be-
ing promoted to the rank
of BJJ Black Bel, courtesy
of Yousef Alirezaei, Ken-
ny McClure, and James
Brown at Star Jiu-jitsu in
Carrolton, Texas. Most
practitioners concluded
their journey after being
promoted to this presti-
gious rank. Reding’s jour-
ney on the other hand
had just begun.
A reoccurring case of Déjà
vu ,Reding once again
found himself facing more
challenges as a BJJ Black
belt. Determined to over-
come these hurdles, the
ambitious grappler had
no intentions of calling
it quits this time around.
Converting his way of
thinking with the assis-
tance of his instructor,
Professor Octavio Couto
,the missing link was ex-
posed allowing Nick to el-
evate to a new level in his
BJJ evolution.
“Awhile back I had a con-
versation with my profes-
sor, Octavio Couto. I told
him that I had hit another
