About Me
Date of Birth: 05/06/1985
Height: 6′2″
Weight Class: 207.5/Heavyweight/Pesado
Team: Tim Burrill Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Providence, RI)
My Instructors: Tim Burrill, Daymon Smith, Mat Santos, shout out to Dan Faggella a great influenceand training partner.
Current Residence: Providence, RI
Hometown: Providence, RI
College: University of Rhode Island
Contact: radhames.familia@gmail.com
The Beginning
I joined the United States Army in May 2004. During my time in the military came a self-defense programs that every soldier had to learn before being deployed which was adopted from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu manual.Like most students who start taking brazilian jiu-jitsu/self-defense, I was a play dummy in which other much more advanced students would try techniques on, students who were much smaller then me. I couldnt help but be pulled in by the the fact that i was losing grappling matches to much smaller people.
The change and The Dream
After losing so much and basically surviving being a play dummy, i eventually took it upon myself to watch countless youtube videos, and order instructionals so that I could be the one who would the “hammer instead of the nail”. I watched a lot of Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza and even ordered his dvd. Watching Jacare win so much, it made me realize I wanted to become more involved in bjj, and actually wanted to become a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt World Champion. I couldnt really explain the feeling, I was just so into grappling that I would seek out any source of information, often times there wouldnt be a bjj instructor in the town in which i was stationed.
The Gi
Eventually i ffound a judo club when i was stationed at Fort Sill, OK. Thanks to this judo club, i was able to finally train in the Gi everyday, which is where jacare had his most success. By this time I had been practicing Army Combatives for a while and was an instructor for a company of soldiers. My ground fighting was pretty good, and so I did very well in Judo, even in competition against bigger Judo Black belts
End of Service, Meeting Tim Burrill
In October 2008, I was honarably discharged from the United States Army, and went back home to Providence, RI. Finally I could pursue my dreams of becoming a world champion in brazilian jiu-jitsu! Honestly I had been so into the jiu-jitsu scene by the time i got out i figured I would move somewhere in the united states, where a big bjj team was located. I eventually ended up giving local bjj schools a try. First on the list was Tim Burrill BJJ located in Providence, RI. I went to Tim’s bjj in August 2008 and I havent looked back since!
Updated July 24th 2010.
On June 24th 2010, I was awarded my Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Tim Burrill. My continued dilligence in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu allowed me to do that in as little as 21 months under Tim. A great feet and honor. Currently I am trying to share my knowledge of BJJ to whoever is interested in learning BJJ in Rhode Island or Massachusetts or even the greater New England area.. Not only am I offering bjj but also Self-Defense, anyone who wants to learn BJJ for the soul purpose of weight loss, I will offer that as well. One quote I love, “your challenge in life is to find your gift and give it away”.
As of right now I am working on a seperate website that will introduce my packages and how to further contact me. For now if you find me, email me at radhames.familia@gmail.com with the headline “Private Lessons” Thank you!
CUDDLE FUDDLE customized by Paulo Canabarro
