Welcome back to The Iron Sights Podcast! In this episode, I sat down with JP and our guest Raul Castillo. I traveled down to Half Moon Bay California to check out Raul’s gym, and get some personalized coaching in the art of applicational self-defense. Castillo has a reputation in the bay area for being one of the highest level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors and coaches for aspiring fighters and competitors. His passion shifted from competing as a professional cage fighter into building a structured program for kids and adolescents to learn discipline and become leaders in their community. Raul started training in martial arts at the age of 4 in Karate, and received his Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu when he was 22 after training for only 5 years. Castillo is a decorated competitor and former Strikeforce veteran. Since retiring from the cage, he has trained numerous cage fighters, Jiu-Jitsu world champions and was recently awarded role model of the year in San Mateo country through the chamber of commerce for his positive impact on the youth in his community. In this episode, we dive into his story, upbringing and mission to provide the location and support to young athletes and entrepreneurs who have dreams bigger than the community they grow up in. Timestamps:00:00 Opening The Show00:53 Training In Half Moon Bay01:18 Raul Castillo’s Background02:48 Training Jiu-Jitsu In The City04:18 The Early Days of Karate10:19 What It Takes Being The Best 11:34 Learning Hard Work From Your Parents14:26 Testing Yourself Through Fighting15:33 UFC #118:31 Raul’s First Big Tournament22:41 Training with UFC Fighters25:42 The Day Raul Castillo Got His Black Belt27:38 The Transition Out of Fighting34:30 The Reality of Operating A Dojo44:35 Growing Up In Today’s Society46:01 Protect Your Dream53:30 The Best Weapon and The Best Defense56:32 Protocols & Preparation1:02:13 Cops Training Jiu-Jitsu1:04:37 Finding The Right Gym To Learn MMA