Mikey Musumeci recently spoke out against the idea that young athletes must abandon their education in order to become elite Jiu-Jitsu competitors.

During an episode of the Overdogs BJJ podcast, Musumeci revealed that he has encountered coaches who encourage students to leave school in pursuit of competitive success:

I’ve been around a lot of instructors, a lot of people in Jiu-Jitsu that literally have told people to quit school, telling kids to stop going to school.
If your dream is to be a black belt world champion, you have to sacrifice and give everything.

However, he made it clear that he strongly disagrees with that approach:

I want on this episode to really explain that to parents with kids that this is so false. That you have to stop your kids from going to school to be a world champion.
With the right hard work, the right work ethic, you could do anything.

Two-time black belt world champion Jalen Fonacier then shared a personal experience involving his coach, Rubens Charles.

While preparing for major competitions, Fonacier said Cobrinha suggested temporarily stepping away from academics to focus entirely on training:

Cobrinha actually asked me to step away a little bit from school and focus on training.
I think it was last year.

We had a whole plan to go out to Brazil and train there for Worlds.
He asked me: “Maybe we take a little time away from school, focus on training?”

Despite the suggestion, Fonacier remained committed to balancing both pursuits:

Of course for me, I told him, like: “No, Cobrinha, this is what I’ve done all my life. This is what I want to do. I want to show people that it’s possible.”

According to Fonacier, his success eventually helped change his coach’s perspective:

He grew up in a much different culture.
He’s never seen someone do school and win a World title other than Mikey.

After we talked, we realized that it is possible. And we’re so proud to be able to show the kids now that it is possible.

Later in the discussion, Musumeci emphasized that education is important not only for personal growth but also as protection against the unpredictable nature of athletic careers:

What happens if your kid breaks their knee? What happens if they’re in a car crash, God forbid?

There are so many variables in our bodies remaining healthy. So if you remove education from your kid now, what are they going to do when they can’t train, they can’t teach?
Now what are they going to do?

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