Nate Harris doesn’t see himself as a business owner rather first and foremost he sees himself as a jiu-jitsu coach.
“I love jiu-jitsu so much that I want to help it become as great as it possibly can,” Harris said.
This summer Harris along with fellow owner Brendon Baca set out to do just that as they introduced Albuquerque to 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu.
10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu stands out among others as it’s non-traditional system of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was developed by founder and American martial arts instructor Eddie Bravo. The system excludes many commonly found practices in Jiu-Jitsu such as the use of a gi.
While Bravo is known for the unorthodox creation of a system with no gi’s within the world of jiu-jitsu he is also well known for making his mark on the world of jiu-jitsu often in regards to competing at the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship , known as one of the world’s toughest submission wrestling tournament, as a brown belt. Bravo after returning to the United States was gifted a black belt upon his return and then opened the first 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu.
“Eddie will for sure go down in history as one of the greatest jiu-jitsu minds ever, one of the best innovators and for sure one of the best competitors obviously,” Harris said. “He’s done more for jiu-jitsu then so many people. I 100 percent know he will go down as one of the most influential jiu-jitsu guys in history.”
While a newer jiu-jitsu gym itself, Albuquerque’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu still hold close ties with it’s founder as the mats lining the floors of the business are actually the first mats ever used in Bravo’s first location. Both Baca and Harris noted the significance of this.
“These are the mats that 10th planet was born on,” Harris said. “Which to me, I’m kind of sentimental guy so I think is really cool.”
Challenging common practices of Brazilian jiu-jitsu while still respecting the traditions of jiu-jitsu is something 10th planet strives for, Baca said.
“10 Planet is 100 percent focused on growth and evolution,” Baca said.
10th planet embraces ideas of learning and innovation with coaches willing to learn from their students just as they do from them. The teamwork Harris and Baca use to run Albuquerque’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is largely tied to these concepts as Baca was originally one of Harris’s students in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu’s Santa Fe location. He has been learning from Harris just short of two years before the two made the decision to open an Albuquerque location together.
From their working off of each others strengths the team utilizes their experience to ensure the success of their students. Often the focus on working on their strength enables them to learn from students.
“Our whole thing is based on that feedback of being able to say hey you could have done this better and being open to that because that’s how we grow,” Baca said.
While Albuquerque’s 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is a recent addition to Harris’s life his journey to jiu-jitsu is one he said was often filled with happenstance rooted in his desire to become healthy rather then take steps towards a future career in jiu-jitsu. Despite this both Harris and Baca express enthusiasm in bringing 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu to Albuquerque.
“It was pure coincidence that I walked into that gym and started training under Tait (Fletcher) I just think it’s amazing because I happened to walk into that gym, with zero concept—–happening to go into that gym I got to join one of the most prestigious and best jiu-jitsu systems in the world,” Harris said.