About Nic
I've been on a jiu-jitsu mat for 27 years. Not as a hobby. Not as a fitness routine. As a practitioner, a student, and a coach — it is the central thread of my adult life.
The credential that matters
I'm a 4th-degree black belt. I received my black belt from Roger Gracie.
If you don't follow competitive jiu-jitsu: Roger Gracie is widely considered the greatest competitive Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner of the modern era. In a sport full of extraordinary athletes, Roger stands apart — not for his size, but for the precision of his technique. He dominated world-class competition for over a decade by executing fundamental positions more exactly than anyone else on the planet.
I was the first person he promoted to black belt.
That lineage is not a marketing line. It is a direct transmission of one of the most technically rigorous approaches to jiu-jitsu in existence — built through thousands of hours of training, drilling, and correction. It is what I bring to every session.
27 years
I've been on the mat longer than most of my students have been thinking about training.
That means I've seen every way a beginner can struggle — and every way those struggles resolve. I know what trips people up in the first week, the first month, the first year. I know what the shortcuts look like and why they cost you later. I've coached adult beginners who went on to earn black belts. I know what that path looks like — not in theory, but student by student.
What else I do
I co-founded The Subconscious Jiu-Jitsu Association and have taught jiu-jitsu in over 20 countries. Private clients, seminars, retreats. The common thread: serious instruction for people who want to understand what they're learning, not just collect belt stripes.
I also teach breathwork — trained under Max Whittle, founder of the Enactivate® method. Private and small-group sessions focused on nervous system regulation, stress reduction, and mind-body reconnection. Most people don't realise how directly their breathing affects everything else.
And I coach men. Not just on training — on the whole picture: focus, purpose, health, how it all connects. I wrote a book about it: Aligned: The Modern Man's Guide to Health, Wealth & Freedom.
Why private lessons for adult beginners
It's the work I find most satisfying.
There is a specific shift that happens when a complete beginner — someone who arrived nervous, unsure they could do this — suddenly sees the map. Suddenly understands the structure beneath the chaos. Suddenly feels capable.
That shift happens fast with the right instruction. I've watched it happen hundreds of times. And it doesn't stay on the mat. The people I've coached over the years carry themselves differently. They handle pressure differently. Something fundamental changes.
Many of my private students have become long-term friends. That's not incidental to the work. It's part of what makes it worth doing.
What to expect if you reach out
You'll hear from me directly. We'll have a short conversation — about what you're looking for, your situation, whether this makes sense. If it's a fit, we'll go from there.
I work with a limited number of private students at a time. Not a tactic. Just the only way to do this properly.