Caleb’s Jiu-Jitsu Journey

Caleb Khan, the original Journeyman Grappler, became obsessed with grappling at the age of 13 in an 8th grade P.E. class during the required wrestling unit. Having done many other “traditional” sports and not liking them, Caleb took a chance and joined the wrestling team. What he found was more than a sport but also an identity, a passion, and an art.

After 4 seasons as an Albany High Cougar Caleb accumulated a record of XX-XX but more than that he graduated with a hunger for more grappling that had not been satiated. A friend of Caleb’s had been doing Jiu-Jitsu while at UC SC and after running into each other Caleb caught the highly contagious Jiu-Jitsu bug. Not long after did Caleb walk into Ralph Gracie Berkeley to restart his journey on the mat.

Classes were small and the gym had one black belt, owner David Clahan, and 3 brown belts (compared to the day this was written RGB now has xx bbs). After a few months, Eduardo Fraga took the reins of the program and propelled it into what it is today. Training was tough, the team was tight, and Caleb had found his new tribe once again.

Months turned into years and Caleb had decided to take a risk and move to Barra Da tijuca Brazil to train with the legendary Roberto Corriea, also known as Gordo. At the spry age of 20m Caleb took the money he had saved up and from selling his motorcycle and took off without knowing a word of Portuguese and without any contacts.

Training in Brazil was different. Classes were huge, white belts were few and far between, and training was actually low key, a lot of technique and sparring. Technique was revered and strength and athleticism scoffed upon. 6 months in Brazil yielded Caleb with lifelong friendships, a separated shoulder, a wealth of experience and adventures, and many hours on the mat getting smashed. After two losses in his first blue belt matches, Caleb returned to the US to compete in the Mundial at the Walter Pyramid. Winning 3 matches and then losing in the quarters.

Years went by and so did belts, blue became purple and soon after Caleb suffered his first major set back in training, an ACL tear. This was the first reality check and reminder that we’re just mortal. During his time off the mat Caleb looked into going to college and getting a degree. Community College was the first stop before eventually transferring to University of San Francisco (USF), but first, Brown belt. The belt can as a surprise, the first non-promotion-ceremony-awarded-belt came as a complete surprise (alongside Ken Carpenter receiving his purple belt). Brown was a huge reboot in Caleb’s Jiu-Jitsu passion, the last belt before black, the belt where every submission is legal.  

At USF Caleb was quickly introduced to the staff at Koret Rec center who caught word that there was a Brown belt amongst the student body. Soon after USF BJJ took flight and Caleb then had his first batch of young students a tribe of his own. Many of Caleb’s students are still training to this day. But with the responsibility of teaching, going to school, and working on the weekends, training and competing suffered. Caleb decided to focus on academics and get as much out of school as possible excelling in classes and within the Kinesiology department.

While at USF Caleb got involved with UCSF’s famed Gazzaley Lab, a neurology lab focusing on cognition. USF and UCSF began to collaborate on a study, Brain Body Trainer, and needed Kinesiology savvy people. Caleb and his professor, Dr. Thompson began developing the movements for the game, warm-ups, and cool downs. Eventually Dr. Thompson recruited more students to assist with training and pre and post testing of participants. Caleb would administer various physiological tasks to test participants and became a huge part of the physio arm of the study. Eventually at the 2016 ACSM annual meeting presenting his first poster presentation.

After graduating USF and coming to work at UCSF now as a staff research associate several months went by and murmurs of a promotion ceremony were arising. Black belts were to be awarded. It has been 3 years and some change and Eduardo was making sure that me, Jed, Alan, and Mogi were all going to be at the academy on Saturday 10.XX.2015. That was it, Caleb was the first one called out and was wrapped up with a brand new black belt by Ralph Gracie himself. 8 years in the making, almost to the day.

Training was still recreational while Caleb continued work at UCSF, working on the weekends as a bouncer, and some days as a landscaper. He dabbled in competition fighting Nathan Mendelson who won decidingly at the US Open. Little did Caleb know that in tandem Ben Kovacs was working on Guardian Gym under the radar. December 2015 Guardian is introduced to the world and Ben needed a Black Belt. Dave Clahan recommended Caleb to Ben and starting in January 2016, Caleb was Guardian new Jiu Jitsu Instructor.