Athlete Spotlight | Tom Barry

 Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you get started in BJJ? 

I had played rugby all of my life, but fell out of love with it so I stopped playing. Within 2 weeks of finishing, my sister's partner asked if I fancied coming to a Jiu Jitsu class with him. I had said for a long time that I would do MMA after finishing rugby so I thought it would be a good way to get into it.

What was the moment when you knew you would want to train, teach, and compete for a career?

After 3 months of training I jumped into competition, and came out of it with a badly damaged arm from being in a belly down armbar and not tapping to the guy in my first match. The second match a 17 year old had be belly down bending me like a banana backwards on my back trying to strangle me, this was so humbling. Before I started jits I thought I was nails so I quickly found out how human I was. After that tournament was the closest I  have ever been to quitting just from too much pride. I remember thinking I could just leave this here now and pretend it never happened and go back to pretending I’m hard as fuck. The pig inside of me would not let me walk away so I leaned into it a bit harder. Slowly but surely I noticed myself making better life decisions because I wanted to be fit and healthy for Jiu Jitsu, as I had a tendency to go off the rails from time to time. Jiu Jitsu became a tool for me to improve my life choices.

What’s been the highlight so far of your BJJ journey?

 As for the highlight of career so far I would say it would be going to camps where all the high level guys meet up and train together. My highest achievement is getting 4th at ADCC trials 2023, but feel I have so much more to offer than that result.No Gi Euros is coming in a couple weeks. 

How was training for the Euros? Does anything change for you in the weeks leading up to a big comp like the Euros?

 My training has been spot on for the lead up to euros, just coming off the back of a hard camp for ADCC trials so I am feeling sharp and ready for war 💪 the intensity of the training rises on the lead up but other than that everything stays the same.

What do you like best about the BJJ lifestyle and being involved in Jiu Jitsu as both a profession and a passion?

My favourite thing about the BJJ lifestyle is how sharp it keeps my brain. I have been humbled by the sport so many times that it has forced me to keep an open mind and give every technique respect, this mindset has trickled into other parts of my life. I also love seeing how much people devote themselves to this sport. To everyone outside of jits we look absolutely bonkers but it is what it is.

Thanks so much for the taking the time to share a bit about yourself Tom and your BJJ journey so far!