Nick ‘Chewy’ Albin promoted his ‘little brother’ to black belt

The speech and Black Belt promotion starts at 3:20

This video came from our promotions last night and was by far one of the most powerful and meaningful moments I’ve ever had as a coach.

Promoting not only a crop of tough people to Purple and Brown Belt. But also promoting my “little brother” Chad Hardy to Black Belt.

I’ve known Chad since he was 11 years old. I’ve had the pleasure of removing his original White Belt and have had the pleasure of tying on the belts he’s received after. I’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know him incredibly well over the last 10+ years. We even lived together for a while.

As a coach there is no more satisfying a feeling then to see the fruits of your labor realized in front of you. I’ve watched Chad grow as a person. From a young kid to a surprisingly mature young man.

He’s battled and won more competition than I can count. As a competitor he’s always been amazing to watch and an inspiration to the people inside the gym.

And as an instructor and a fixture in our gym he’s turned into someone that is all about building up those around him. Something equally impressive and admirable.

This will certainly not be one of my more popular videos but it is a glimpse into our gym ( Derby City MMA ) and what we are all about.

We all love competition. But at the end of the day we are in this because we feel apart of a team and want to grow with each other.

And for those of you who follow me. I know I ramble on in my videos a lot. As I do in person. But you can at least be sure that anything I say in the videos is what I believe. Regardless if you disagree with my philosophy in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. I assure you it’s 100% genuine.

– Chewy