“I am now addicted to the art of BJJ and it has a lot to do with him. With less than a year of grappling experience, I ended up taking first place in my first grappling tournament.”
Roberto Torralbas is an elite Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, but he is moreover a terrific instructor and friend. While training with him at the Cornell University BJJ club, he motivated me to reach my highest potential as a beginner. He went through every move in detail and kept pushing me— sometimes to the point of frustration—in our rolling sessions. But all of his criticisms were constructive and deeply helpful.
I am a stand-up striker by nature and initial training, but Roberto fueled my desire to become the best BJJ fighter I can be. When I first started learning BJJ, I was discouraged by my inability to remember all the moves that I was being taught and also with my lack of grappling-oriented conditioning. As a 4th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate the experience was humbling to say the least. But Roberto’s encouragement and sharing of his vast knowledge helped me to overcome my frustrations. I am now addicted to the art of BJJ and it has a lot to do with him. With less than a year of grappling experience, I ended up taking first place in my first grappling tournament. For anyone interested in training hard and learning first-class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from a first-class gentleman, I would absolutely recommend Roberto. A big regret I have is not being able to train with him currently.
Kurt Kim Nason
College Senior
4th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate