Paris Stanford
WHAT PARIS SAYS ABOUT HIS GROUP CLASSES
One of the reasons I love teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that I get to share something so special to me on a personal level with so many different people. People get a chance to challenge and find themselves in different ways. Some come in looking for self-defense, while others come in to try to lose weight or start a path of competition. Regardless of what they are looking for, I get to help them on that journey. In my group classes, we usually warm up with some movement drills to both warm the body up, and provide some sort of functional movement that can be applied to BJJ. We then drill fundamental techniques before we go on to learn new techniques. Usually, we will drill a series of techniques that correlate with one another, and each class ends with live rolling. The great thing about BJJ is people at different skill levels can drill the same move, and get different points out of it, which allows for the entire class to work the same techniques, even if they are at different stages in their BJJ journey.
WHAT PARIS SAYS ABOUT HIS ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING
When I take on a new one-on-one student, I first like to sit down with them and discuss their goals. Are they looking to focus on an upcoming competition or improving a specific move (or a number of other goals)? Then I like to tailor their goals with their level of experience to ensure I’m maximizing their time with me. Working one-on-one with students allows me to focus on that student’s specific skill set, which, in turn, helps him/her achieve their goals a lot faster than they would in a large group.
LIFE OUTSIDE OF THE GYM
When I’m not at the gym I like to spend a lot of time with my friends and family, especially if that means getting outdoors and into nature. I don’t watch much television, but I do enjoy surfing the Internet for interesting videos, blogs, or websites where I can educate myself on various subjects—ancient history and psychology are two of my favorites to explore. And although I don’t watch much TV, I do enjoy the occasional video game and sci-fi movie.
BIO AND CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Paris is the head Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach at Fight Ready, and is a black belt under Carlos Farias. Paris’ love for athletics and MMA developed while attending high school in Italy, where he played football, soccer, and wrestled—and, eventually, became a European wrestling champion as well as MVP. After high school, Paris earned a degree in Media Arts and Digital Film Production, but his competitive drive continued, which is what led him to begin training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Paris has won numerous local tournaments such as NAGA, AZ State Championships, and the Southwest Classic, as well as national tournaments including the coveted IBJJF Nationals, where he took first place. Paris’ sights are now set on continuing his promising MMA career, where he currently holds an unblemished 3-0 record—two of those wins also earned him “submission of the night” accolades.
