Athlete Spotlight | Nathan Haddad

Hey Nathan, First off, welcome to the PJJ family. Super excited about you signing on! Let's start off by having you tell us who you are, where you are from and where you train?

My name is Nathan Haddad, I’m 29 years old, and I train out of Core Combat Sports in Louisville KY

You started training at a young age as well as teaching. How has teaching at such a young age shaped your Jiu Jitsu?

I started training at 6 years old. Around 12 or 13 I only wanted to train with the adults, so my coach made me come and “teach” the kids with him. Looking back it was surely just a way to keep me training with the kids, but I never stopped teaching from there. Teaching for me has been insanely helpful. Teaching forces me to constantly study the sport, even positions or techniques that aren’t necessarily a part of my game. I feel like because of this, year over year, I am constantly adding attacks to my arsenal. I still coach full time kids and adults, around 20 classes per week.

Is there one moment or event that you point to as when you decided you wanted to make a career in Jiu Jitsu?

When I started, I didn’t even know Jiu-Jitsu could be a career. But from a young age, my coach Soneca always told me I could be great. I really wasn’t the most talented kid on the mats, but I always trained. He entered me in a local blue belt tournament when I was 14. After winning my division and placing 2nd in the absolute, I realized I was getting a lot better. After that, I started competing as much as I could, and simultaneously Jiu-Jitsu started to become an actual avenue to take seriously. I graduated college in 2019, and decided It would be something I would try to go all-in on by teaching and competing. 

The ADCC World Championships just passed but, before we get to that. Could you tell us a bit about the moment you qualified by winning the West Coast Trials and the whole trials experience? What did it feel like when you got the win and knew you had achieved a place at the finals?

Winning Trials for me was truly one of the best days of my life. I remember watching past trials winners and being so impressed with how good their Jiu-Jitsu was. After not making it to day 2 on my first trials, I wasn’t sure I could ever close that gap. Staring down the barrel of those enormous brackets full of killers, it definitely tests you mentally and physically. When I won, it felt like the 23 years of training had finally paid off.

What was it like finally get on the mats at the ADCC world Final in Poland?

Only the best grapplers on the planet get to go to ADCC. It is literally the 1%. It was a lifelong dream to step on those mats, and it is hard to describe the feeling of getting a win on that stage. Getting to travel the world for Jiu Jitsu with my wife and family was a really special thing. It is something I will remember for the rest of my life. 

After such a big moment in your Jiu Jitsu journey, have you thought about what's next for you in terms of competitions or goals?

Like always, I have things I need to improve in my game and then get back out there. After competing at ADCC I feel hungrier than ever. I got a taste of it, and I truly believe I can win it all. In the meantime, I’ll be training hard and ready for whatever challenge is next. My number one goal is always just to improve my game year over year. If I do that, the rest will come.

Okay have to ask, what is your favorite cheat meal?

It’s hard to beat a Five Guys bacon cheeseburger. I usually eat very clean and track my food pretty religiously. So when it’s time for a cheat meal, I go super hard. Cheeseburgers and Ice cream are a perfect choice for me.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions! Please feel free to add anything else you would like below.

I am super excited to be working with Progress. Thank you to everyone who supports me and my dream.