Phil Lee

I took my first BJJ class at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York, NY in 2004. I could only afford to sign up for 3 months at the time. I probably attended fewer than 20 classes during those 3 months (all in the gi) and didn't start training again until 2008 at the NYU BJJ club while attending law school, where I earned a blue belt (almost entirely no gi). After graduating in 2012, I took another break until 2016 when I started training at Balance Studios in Philadelphia, PA. I have been training there since (both gi and no gi), with a few long breaks for injuries and COVID. In October of 2026, I earned my black belt under Phil and Riccardo Migliarese. As for my philosophy on teaching, I am starting to realize that it is almost always more important to tell and show students things that are helpful than it is to be 100% accurate and complete. It's possible that telling students something that is not even true can be helpful, and that's ok. That being said, I still like having as accurate and complete an understanding of jiu jitsu as possible because that is enjoyable in and of itself. That's the balancing act of learning and teaching. I assume that having a deeper understanding of jiu jitsu can only help you become a better practitioner and teacher in the long run. But maybe not. My philosophy on jiu jitsu in general is that it should be fun. Maybe not all of the time. But probably most of the time. On one level, it's because if you keep showing up you'll get better. And if it's fun, you're more likely to keep showing up. But on another level, I believe that a lot of the innovation in our sport is fueled by hobbyists (and pros) figuring stuff out because it's fun and because they want to do cool moves on their friends. It can be worth doing things that are not the "optimal" technique or strategy - because it's fun. And you never know when someone will accidentally figure out the new optimal technique or strategy while having fun.