Nick wins a match at the Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center. (Photo provided by Nick Ramishvili.)

Nicholas Ramishvili is a freshman who trains and competes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Brooklyn. It is a grappling-based martial art, which consists of ground fighting, leverage and submission holds.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Can you describe what you do outside of school and what’s your favorite part about what you do?

I train and wrestle. I like submission grappling. I enjoy being able to control people as I am the person who gets to put others in submission.

What does submission grappling let you do?

Submission grappling allows you to choke people out. You’ll learn how to break arms and paralyze people for self defense.

How long have you been doing this and why did you start doing the sport?

I’ve been doing this for five years because I got attacked one time, and I didn’t want it to happen again. So I decided to take action, and it became a passion.

What is it like as a student balancing this activity with school?

It’s not that hard. I use that to know how to manage my time.

Did you have any times where it felt stressful and overwhelming? 

There are times where it feels stressful, but you have to keep going and push through.

How do you push through? Are there any mechanisms that help you keep going?

I think of people who don’t have the opportunities I have. There are kids and teens who would do anything for my opportunity, so I have to appreciate and take advantage of what I have and just keep pushing.

Have you competed in any tournaments?

I’ve done plenty of tournaments. I’ve lost some and won some, and they’ve taught me how to stay resilient, how to stay calm under pressure and how to accept losses. But they’ve also taught me how to win and how to be respectful.

What’s your goal? Why do you do this?

The sport I do isn’t really popular. There’s no big tournaments or competitions that are high paying, so it’s not something I can make money off of. I want to make it a career, but I can’t. I mainly do it for fun.