July - 2016
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
34
Plateau and that nothing
was working for me,” Red-
ing said. “His reply slightly
shocked me. He looked
at me and said “good!”
Shocked, I asked what you
do you mean? His reply
was that every structure
has a good, solid foun-
dation. You cannot build
anything on top of an un-
stable foundation or base.
This is where you are, so
take advantage of it and
build your foundation.”
Taking Couto’s advice
Reding sought out new
ways to perfect his grap-
pling craft. From strength-
ening his takedown game
in Judo at East Side Dojo
to being an attendant at
various BJJ seminars Red-
ing’s uphill battle as a
black belt transformed
from a negative to a posi-
tive experience.
As Winston Churchill
would say “To improve is
to change, to be perfect is
to change often,” Reding
said. “You have to change
things up to stay motivat-
ed and keep things inter-
esting; otherwise you will
always have an excuse
that will eventually turn
into a reason of why you
quit training.”
The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu jour-
ney can undoubtedly have
a profound impact on a
participant’s life. Through
the highs and lows, it’s
safe to say Nick Reding
has truly embraced the jiu-
jitsu lifestyle molding him
into the man he is today.
His story is a constant re-
minder of the importance
of overcoming adversity
