Matthew Neiditch
Brown Belt | Instructor
Matthew Neiditch
How long have you been training?
Since the beginning of 2017
Why did you begin training?
I played soccer from the time I was very young and until my late thirties. When I stopped playing, I fell out of shape. I looked into jiu jitsu because I wanted to set a good example for my kids and improve my health. I was introduced to jiu jitsu primarily from UFC and several podcasts. I had trained Taekwondo and I most enjoyed sparring, but we sparred infrequently and the contact was necessarily light. Sparring is, however, intrinsic to training jiu jitsu, and it’s practiced in a real-world situation at full intensity. My son and I ultimately started jiu jitsu the same month for both fitness and self defense. He has now trained for half of his life, and we share a love for the martial art and sport of jiu jitsu.
What encourages you the most about your practice?
When a new technique becomes part of my game.
What challenges you the most?
Techniques that require a lot of flexibility and developing a game that works for me.
How have you evolved as a result of it?
Working with teammates to determine what works on the mats keeps me motivated.
What is something that you learned about BJJ that was unexpected?
I didn’t expect it to be so much fun and intellectually challenging.
