Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Vogel.

Josh, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

I started doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2003 after seeing VHS copy of UFC 2 and being amazed by seeing how someone of Royce Gracie’s body type was able to beat people who had a much more traditional “tough guy fighter” look.

On my first class, I instantly fell in love and knew that this is exactly what I would he doing as a career for the rest of my life. 21 years later I have a thriving school with my wife, Angela, who is also a long time practitioner and Black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

It has definitely not been a smooth road, but I have been fortunate for there always to be a path forward.

I think the biggest struggles have been with trying to do things in a professional way in an industry that is rife with unprofessional and toxic behaviors. I don’t think Bjj is unique there, in that there are plenty of industries with similar problems, I’m just most familiar with Bjj.

One hurdle of that is when you “grow up” in an industry like that, there is a lot of critical self evaluation that has to happen if you want to try to do better. Meaning, I constantly work to make sure I don’t do the same stupid stuff that I came up seeing all the time.

Another hurdle is staying emotionally consistent as a business owner and teacher. Meaning that there have been many tragic and stressful events that have happened in and my wife’s lives over the years (deaths of loved ones, etc) and no matter what happens, you still have to put that pain somewhere inside, and teach a great class/provide your best service that you can. Our students and friends have been exceptional in being compassionate during those hard times, but you still have to do right by them and give them your best work even if your emotions are all over the place.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor who specializes in organizing and clarifying information and practice for students.

I think I’m most proud of the teaching staff at our school. This is not an accomplishment of mine, but my pride comes from Angie and I creating a culture, teaching and learning structure and our teaching staff growing within that structure to become excellent teachers with their own intelligent ideas about Bjj who have demonstrated that they are capable of developing skillful students.

What sets us apart from others I think is discipline and work ethic. Angie and I are obsessive about our own roles within our school, but there are plenty of people who get into the weeds of their craft but can’t sustain top effort for a long period of time, and don’t want to do the boring stuff. For example, I love studying footage of Jiu Jitsu events, but breaking down footage, studying trends, matching that to what my students need, designing curricula and class structures to export that in an entertaining and fruitful way to students is hard and sometimes monotonous work. Doing that non stop for years requires discipline. Doing that and also giving that same attention to stuff that isn’t interesting like mopping our mats and folding towels almost every single day for years is a different thing.

At the risk of sounding corny, I believe in doing all things, big and small, with the care of an expert craftsperson and resisting that small voice that tells you that a half effort is good enough. I think that’s what sets us apart.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

Oh wow, growing up I was quiet but friendly and maybe kind of awkward. I remember having tremendous anxiety about all kinds of stuff growing up, and getting picked on a lot for various things, but I also remember being generally well liked but not popular. I think I was not socially confident, but personally confident in the sense that I always believed that I could do things I wanted to do. Not good at a party, but if I wanted to do something I knew I could do it without a doubt.

I loved skateboarding and drawing and I invested lots of energy in those things, but lacked the discipline to do the boring work to go from good to great at those things. Personally confident, like I mentioned above, but also aware of my laziness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Jiujitsuphilly.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejiujitsucompany?igsh=MTJpMTBvYTlodW82cw==
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/thejiujitsucofightwear?igsh=MWFzbnlqM3lwcnBudQ==