Hey guys, my name is Emilio Hernandez.
I'm out of Spring Hill, TN.
I train at Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy.
I'm 22 years old.
I'm under my instructor's name is Ray Casillas.
I met him probably about eight years now.
I'd met him when I was 14.
Been training under him ever since I started doing jitsu like I said at 14 years old.
I started at a local gym in Columbia, which is probably 30 minutes from where I live now currently and started off there for a year and moved here in Spring Hill probably you know, a few months after that and have been training here ever since.
Perfect, that's.
Good.
All right.
I might cut you off like a.
Time or two, no problem.
Yeah, just I was like, I don't know if I keep going or not.
That's fine.
Let's do a short intro again, just like a shorter one this time, and just say like your name, town, and the gym that you train at.
OK.
So right here again.
So hey guys, my name is Emilia Hernandez, I train out of Spring Hill, TN at Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy.
Perfect.
That was great.
That was perfect.
Sounds really good.
I'm the.
Expert.
I'm like.
Yeah, and it was probably short just like that.
That's perfect.
Tell me who your head instructor is and how long you've been training under.
Him OK so my head instructor is ray Casillas I've been training under him for about 8 years now I started when I was 14 perfect that was great I.
Like that adding the 14 in.
There stop saying so before I know I'm the.
All right, look.
At it, we'll make money.
Got this, Got.
This tell me why you got into jiu jitsu for the first time like originally what made you do it and then what you know why it clicked with you, why you like it so much?
OK.
I started jiu jitsu back when I was 14 and at the time I started because I had been playing soccer for, you know, years before that, but I wanted to do something different.
I had a, you know, a few different like issues when I was younger, I guess more with the anger issues and I felt like I needed something else to exert my energy and I felt like jiu jitsu wanted was one of the biggest things that I needed to try out.
Perfect.
And what was it about it that made you keep coming back and really want to just kind of devote?
Your life to what I really liked about jujitsu, especially when I first started.
Of course, everyone answers jujitsu and they always feel like they're not progressed or anything like that.
What I did really like about it was I like the fact that there's always a learning aspect to it.
Like you're always going to learn something different, regardless if you learn the same position over and over again.
There's always something different, There's always something new, and that's what I liked about it.
Perfect that.
Was great just this camera just a little later.
Just perfect yeah, you're ready again.
Slide this back a.
Little bit there we go.
Doggy.
Yeah, there's a doggy place right next.
Oh, nice.
Can you hear me?
Tell me about how you got the nickname Scramble King?
Like what does that mean?
OK.
So OK.
Say my.
Nickname.
My name is or my nickname is Scramble King.
I received that nickname from a few friends that I've met over the years competing in Houston.
They're Brazilians so that, you know, they have broken English.
And when I first met them was in Houston and I met them again in Atlanta.
Well, they finally came up with the nickname of calling me Scramble King because they said I had very good scrambles during my matches or every match that they've seen.
So that's how I kind of got the name Scramble King and it's pretty much stuck ever since.
Perfect.
I like that.
Let's kind of summarize that, just kind of make it a little bit shorter and just just telling me like, you know, my name is is the Scramble King.
I was giving it from just kind of maybe about like your style at.
OK.
And.
That's just kind of a descriptor of like your style, just kind of something short like.
That All right, so my name is or my nickname, Scramble King.
Gosh Dang it.
My nickname, my nickname is Scramble King.
I got that from the way I compete.
I'm very big about scrambling out of positions and being very mobile when I'm rolling and a few guys came up with a nickname and it's pretty much stuck ever since.
Perfect.
Do you think that's like a pretty good description of your style?
Like what's your your style like when you compete?
I would like to say it is, I like to, of course start from standing and working to the takedown.
I do like to, you know, work from the standing position and then, you know, getting the dominant position on top.
But I would like to say a lot of my style does have to do with a lot of like moving, moving pretty quickly, but also just scrambling out of different positions.
Perfect.
That's great.
OK, great.
So let's talk about sticking with like the competing and stuff.
When you're like in here and you have a competition coming up and you're like really in like training mode to get prepared for competition.
Like, tell me what's going through your head and like what your focus is when you're getting on the mats and like preparing to compete.
So when I get ready to compete or when I have something coming up, whether it's major, it's not, you know, I always try to focus at and look at them.
They exactly do the same.
That way, you know, there's no nerves.
You know, I always try to tell myself, I've been here before, it's just another day.
It's just another tournament.
When I'm in here at the gym training, you know, I still, I don't necessarily train any harder or like try to hurt my teammates.
It's more of the I'm trying to make sure that my techniques pretty on point.
So I'm drilling a lot of different positions, drilling a lot of different scenarios, and I'm making sure that I put myself in bad positions with my training partners.
So I'll start in bad positions.
That way I can work out of them rather than being on dominant and playing my A game.
So I'm always trying to work that my outside game and working my defense with my partners.
Perfect love it when you're like you know, you've flown across the country, you've stayed in a hotel, you like got up early, you're warmed up, you're going in to compete like lots of people are watching that you're about to compete.
What's going through your head as as you're about to compete and then as you're competing, what's your focus like?
What's going on in your?
Game most times when I do travel for these tournaments and get ready to compete, you know sometimes I am by myself, sometimes I do have a few teammates with me, but I think the biggest thing that goes through my head the whole time is kind of just going back through the you know time that I've taken to actually get ready for the tournament kind of think about what I want to work on and what I really want to attack.
But honestly, at the same time, I am, you know, trying to keep an open mind when it comes down to the competing because everything is going to change.
Everybody's different.
So I always have to be ready for what comes next.
Or if someone does stop a certain position, what am I going to go for after?
So most times I'm literally just in my head picturing exactly, you know, what I'm very good at and what I want to accomplish or what I want to make sure that I'm attacking perfect.
So tell me a little bit about like motivation, because I assume it's not all just the fact of like getting your hand raised and winning the tournament, but like what?
What motivates you like to compete, to train, to get better, to like keep bettering yourself in the sport?
Like just talk about your motivation.
When it comes down to everything and we're like, when it comes down to competing or motivating me to come in every day, guys like it does come back to the fact that I do enjoy the whole learning aspect.
Like there's always something new.
There's always something different to learn from a from the same position.
But I think what motivates me the most is, you know, I like to, of course, everybody likes to win.
However, I'm trying to prove a statement or I'm trying to improve myself on a daily basis, like if I want to improve myself and, you know, become a better person by competing or by training.
And it has helped me over the years, whether I'm going through, you know, stress, you know, stress with college or stress with work or, you know, just everyday stress that anybody can have, it does help me.
And that's what kind of motivates me because it puts me in a better mindset and a better mood after training each day.
Perfect.
So let's talk a little bit about the gym.
First off, just kind of tell me about the culture and the the family atmosphere and all your brothers in here basically.
And just tell me about, you know, the culture of the gym and your relationship with the people in here.
When I started training at Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy 8, you know, probably about eight years ago now, it's a What I came to learn very quickly was that family atmosphere aspect about it.
You know, Ray's very big about the whole our gym becoming a family rather than just becoming a gym where someone comes out and trains.
All right, he's, you know, when I first came into the store, everybody treated me like they knew me for multiple years.
They all, you know, welcomed me with open arms.
And, you know, over the years, I kind of, you know, felt a part of the, you know, I felt part of the group.
I, you know, I felt like I was a part of the family and slowly kind of started working my way into the gym atmosphere.
You know, I was traveling a lot with my instructor, Ray Casillas, and then he had asked me to start helping him teach.
And that's kind of where I started here at, you know, here teaching some of the kids classes and kind of working my way up.
And now I feel like, you know, I work the front desk, but I connect with each family member and we all, you know, I I've tried to follow in his in raise footsteps of this is a family atmosphere.
We need to treat everybody like, you know, they're part of the family, make them feel comfortable, make them feel welcome.
And that's what I really loved and fell in love with.
Tennessee percentage into Academy.
Perfect, I love that.
And then as far as like, you know, Sam and like the other guys that are like, you know, your main training partners, like what's that bond like in the relationship?
You guys goof off and you know it's not super stiff like just talk.
About that a little bit.
So when it or when it comes down to, you know, my training partners or especially if like there's a few group of guys that are really trying to train with that they they give me a big push.
They always, you know, they make, they motivate me to push harder and to learn because there's they always come up with something different.
So, you know, we'll always joke around, we'll mess around.
But we all deep down inside, no matter how hard of a role we have, especially when we're getting ready for tournaments, like we'll never hate each other after the round.
Like that's the biggest thing that I do love about it.
Like I can roll hard with my, you know, my buddy Sam or buddy Ryan and it comes down to it.
And we're literally, you know, pushing the pace or like grinding.
We're literally trying to, you know, beat the crap out of each other.
However, at the end of the day, we can go back and literally go, you know, get some we're going to eat together.
We're going to be joking after all, but during the match will be intense.
But we're always pushing each other.
And I think that's what makes us, you know, what makes our bond or very like our friendship, you know, strong is because we can push each other and get and know that we need to push each other when it comes down to rolling with each other.
So.
That's terrible.
I said so.
Dang it.
No, it's.
Fine.
OK, so tell me a little bit about cool.
I guess first tell me where we're located.
Like where are we right now and and why?
Some people might not might be surprised to hear that, you know, you train in Spring Hill, TN and you compete.
So should I say like we're like South of every like most of the major cities or just just.
Say like like we're in Spring Hill, TN, just like outside kind of.
45 minutes outside of Nashville.
Minutes outside of Nashville, TN and you know, people are surprised when I tell them like you know where I'm from?
Because people don't realize that there's good training out.
Here I'm based out of Spring Hill, TN or the the Academy I trained out of is out of Spring Hill, TN.
We're actually 45 minutes South of Nashville mainly.
Nashville is known for the music, of course, but honestly, a lot of people do get shocked for the fact that I will tell people that I'm from Spring Hill, TN when it when I go to compete.
Perfect.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's just rephrase that last part again.
So like, tell me the reaction you get from people when you tell them where you're from, you know, when you OK.
So I'm based out of Spring Hill, TN which is 45 minutes South of Nashville.
Nashville is very known for their music and I do get a very shocked reaction or very confused reaction when I do mention that I am from Spring Hill, TN Perfect.
And why is that?
Like what is people's, I guess, perception of training out in the middle of nowhere in Tennessee?
I feel that most people, when I do mention that from Tennessee, the first thing that they respond with is they didn't realize that Tennessee had jiu jitsu.
And most times I do of course say, yeah, there's jiu jitsu in Tennessee, but I feel like a lot of people don't really, I think that there's jiu jitsu out here, I guess because it's mainly more of like a Music City area.
But honestly, you know, most of the jiu jitsu that we see is from major, major cities.
And, and a lot of people would say Nashville is not a major city yet.
Like, you know, like places in California or New York and stuff like that.
OK, perfect.
But tell me about the the quality of people that you that are out here, like Justin Ortiz, like just the quality of people that you get to train with out here.
When it comes down to it, there are a lot of great people that I do get to train down, you know, down here with there's a lot of multiple world champions.
I do also get to train with Dustin Ortiz, UFC fighter and along with Bellator MMA fighter Michael Chandler.
So there is a lot of great athletes out here, a lot of great, you know, people who have, you know, made it out in the world or you know, they're pretty big name guys.
But and they're located in Tennessee.
You know, we have a lot of people in the Knoxville area as well who have trained under Bellator and in the UFC as well.
But there are a lot of great people and a lot of great athletes.
Perfect.
Tell me a little bit.
Of that one's choppy, but no, it's OK.
I'll cut it all up anyways.
So you mentioned that there's like world champions out here, I guess.
Tell me like your goal and like becoming world champion and all that, and what does it take to get there?
So tell me your goal and tell me like what it requires in order to achieve that.
Overall, my goal in jiu jitsu especially is to become a world champion or a black belt world champion.
I should rephrase, it's been one of the ultimate goals I've had since I started training, especially once I got to blue belt.
One of our or one of my teammates here, he was a purple belt world champion and honestly, I thought that was the coolest thing ever to become a world champion and something that's not really considered to be an American sport.
And honestly, like I have, you know, I train, you know, almost seven times a day now.
I do try to rest every now and then but however I am making sure I put in multiple hours and I feel like between purple and brown is whenever I started making my stride and that's when I wanted to make this goal, you know, come true rather than keeping it a dream.
Perfect.
And what does it require like to be to reach that goal?
Like what?
What does someone have to do like the time and effort that like what is required of someone to to become world?
Champion to become a world champion from what I've seen or you know, I've seen multiple, you know, some of my coaches become world champions or you know, multiple Pan Am champions.
But it's the actual work ethic one.
But honestly, it's the time that you put in, you know, the more time that you put it on the mats and the more time you actually put into your drilling, it's actually that's what's going to, you know, that's what's going to take.
You know, we see all these other athletes in the world who are putting multiple hours or putting multiple days in, you know, they're getting the, you know, different, you know, three different training sessions within one day.
You know, they're putting in that effort or they're putting in the extra work ethic that most people don't want to or think it's too hard.
So honestly, to become a world champion, from what I've seen is you got to make sure that every time you come in, all, everything that you're doing is with a, with a purpose and not just moving within the motions.
Perfect.
That was great.
I like everything.
I just want to restate the first thing you said like kind of more concise of what your goal is and you said to become a black.
World champion.
So just one more time like what is, you know your goal in jiu jitsu?
My overall goal in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is to become a black belt world champion, especially under the International Brazilian Federation.
Perfect.
And tell me what?
What do you want people to know?
Like you're here, you have a platform like we've introduced you.
Like what do you want people to know about you, who you are?
Like when they see you at a tournament, they've never heard of you.
Like what?
What do you want people to know about or meet?
You.
Oh, that one's hard.
I got to think about that one.
Hold on.
Overall, what I would like, you know, for me, I guess whenever I compare jiu jitsu or when I travel to these things, I guess whenever I do get introduced to new people, I do get to meet, you know, different people in the world.
I guess what I really want them to realize is, you know, that there's more than jiu Jitsu than just kind of like the, you know, competition aspect or, you know, just a training aspect there, you know, the friendships and the bonds that you make with different people over out throughout the world.
So I would like to say that I'm a very like, you know, humble, kind person and you know, and but I'm very I like to be outgoing.
So I do like to meet all these new people whenever I travel and compete, you know, but I would also like for people to know that, you know, there is more than jiu jitsu within these bigger cities, you know, these smaller cities like, you know, Tennessee or smaller states like Tennessee and Atlanta.
There's a lot of great athletes and you know, I want to prove to the world that, you know, there's more to jiu jitsu than just than what we see right now.
I don't I thought it was terrible.
That was bad getting this gracious.
I'm like.
I don't know.
Like I'm brown, I'm Mexican.
Is there anything else you've thought?
Of, but I haven't mentioned anything else you want to throw in.
There I, I don't know, I don't, I don't, I can't think of anything.
I guess maybe a little I can throw in like I guess how teaching has helped overall.
I think, I think you mentioned it, but I don't think we got to it.
Yeah, I I had that.
Right here.
So I think that was a bit like how teaching has, yes.
Perfect.
So tell me about the difference in like just coming in and training versus like teaching and, and why you like to spend time teaching and kind of what you get out of sharing your knowledge and teaching people jiu jitsu coaching.
When it comes down to teaching and just training, there is a big difference.
You know, I didn't start realizing that.
So probably about blue belt beginning purple belt when I started teaching all the kids classes and then I would teach some of the adult classes on occasion depending on an instructor couldn't make it.
But what I did realize was when it comes down to teaching, you have to be very precise with the movement.
So you have to be very on point with the positioning.
But honestly it helped me really with my jiu jitsu because it sharpened up my techniques.
I had a focus on things that I do and I had to show others and what to do.
So I was having to make sure that I made certain points or made key points and made sure that they focus on these things where it's things that upper belts do, but they don't realize that we're doing.
So we're having to break it down in more detail where as in training, I come in and, you know, I just, you know, grab a partner and start, you know, getting after it.
We just kind of, you know, we'll roll hard and but we're, you know, we're still working on technique, but we're not really, you know, thinking about it.
We're kind of trying to flow through and go with the movements.
Perfect.
I love that.
Do you enjoy teaching?
Like what?
How do you feel?
About it, I do enjoy teaching.
I've been doing it for probably about 6 plus years now.
It has been one of the best things that I could have done or started doing.
It was teaching.
You know, at first I got very nervous and you know, I've got a lot of great compliments of how I teach and even to this day I still get nervous when I teach certain things.
I've done 3 seminars overall and each time it's a very great experience.
But what I do love about teaching is, you know, seeing that, you know, your students or seeing the students and your teammates progress and actually being able to use the techniques that you've shared or it has changed their game in some type of way.
So it's always great to see, you know, the progression of your teammates when you're teaching.
Perfect.
I love it.
I think that's pretty much everything I had specific to you.
I have one more thing I want to.
I want you to.
Mention you're OK, OK, tell me your thoughts on, I guess the importance and kind of culture of jiu jitsu and what like the way of life and why it's such a great thing, you know, for people to get involved in because I've seen so many people who like it helps people get in shape, but also, you know.
Like yeah, get.
Humble you get disciplined, like just in general, in kind of broad terms, why people you know to do jiu jitsu and just what your thoughts on it?
If I was going to give any advice or if I was going to give my own put or input about, you know, why people should, you know, train jiu jitsu.
Honestly, personally, for me, it did help, of course, with the, you know, the anger issues I had as a kid and, you know, I dealt with a few different depression stuff.
And honestly, it helped me kind of get in a better state of mind.
But it also created this outside family that I can always count on or, you know, that we're always there to cheer you up.
And you made these bonds and friendships that, you know, they're always going to be there to support you regardless of what's going on in the world.
And honestly, one of the biggest things that I did find was, you know, we leave our problems at the door whenever you come into the gym, All right?
You know, the gym is somewhere to be safe and somewhere to kind of, you know, get away from everything else.
And honestly, I've seen a lot of people, you know, that jiu jitsu has been very helpful for them, whether it's, you know, they want to lose weight or honesty, it's saved their life in most cases.
You know, I've known a lot of former military guys that I, that personally this has jiu jitsu has helped them, you know, you know, move on and kind of, you know, build off of themselves and become better people.
And honestly, for some students, that's really great to see is a confidence level.
I see in some of the younger athletes as well.
Some of the students that come in here are very quiet.
They're, you know, they're very nervous and, you know, give them a few months and I've seen them grow from being the very nervous kid in the class to the one who's talking the most and who's very interested in answering questions.
And, you know, we get a lot of great compliments from parents who talk about how their grades have improved.
You know, so I would say that jiu jitsu can save you in different ways depending on what you're really looking to get out of it.
For me, I was looking for an atmosphere that was very comforting and supportive and it helped my mindset and get away from everything.
And for others, it might help you, you know, you build the confidence and just overall yourself because this is going to test your limits and you know, in jiu jitsu and probably, you know, help you out with your life decisions in the world, you know, outside of here.
But I would say that it is very helpful when it's one of those things that, you know, give it a try, kind of see how you feel about it.
And you know, I hope that it becomes one of those things that helps you like it did me.
Perfect.
All right, last thing, just to wrap up, we're just going to do the intro one more time.
So you're just going to say your name, the town that you train in, like the name of the.
Gym My name is Amila Hernandez, I train out of Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy here in Spring Hill, TN.
Perfect.
One more time and we'll try not to do the at the beginning, but other than that, yeah, name the name of the gym and the town that you train in and whenever you're.
Ready.
My name is Emilia Hernandez, I train out of Tennessee Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy based out of Spring Hill, TN.