Even under the best of circumstances, being a student of jiu-jitsu is no walk in the park. There's no roadmap for success. 

From blue to black belt, Pablo Lavaselli wasn’t affiliated with any academy, choosing instead to forge his own path of training and learning jiu-jitsu. Where many might have failed, Lavasalli’s do-it-yourself approach proved successful. Now, a 28-year old high level competitive black belt, he's a testament that anything is possible if you dedicate yourself to excellence and make sacrifices. 

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lavaselli started training jiu-jitsu when he was 17. Alongside a crew of close friends, he embarked on his grappling journey. He'd earned his blue belt and was dedicated to training hard and improving. However, while at the academy, he couldn’t help but notice others who didn't share his level of passion. Instead, he saw them spending more time getting caught up in academy drama. "There was a lot of political stuff and negativity," he said. "That was not the focus that I wanted for training." 

Lavaselli and several of his friends decided this environment wasn't conducive to their aspirations, so they decided to strike out independently. He set up a puzzle mat in his house and he and his friends began training twice a day. They'd focus on drilling, specific training, and sparring. It was a small crew of training partners, but it grew as word spread. 

"My mom wasn't happy that there were random people in our house," he admitted.

 In fact, there were often as many as 20 people training, which required purchasing more mats to accommodate their homegrown academy. 

Lavaselli and his friends would visit other academies; some welcomed them with open arms, but others did not. Often there was tribalism, with professors dictating who their students could train with, and Lavaselli and his friends weren't always on that list. 

He supplemented his training by watching as many videos of competitions as he could get his hands on. "We studied all the matches. Worlds. Pans. It didn't matter," he said. At the time, jiu-jitsu matches weren't as accessible as today, so Lavaselli had to get creative. "There wasn't Flograppling back then, so we'd just record computer screens of competitions to study the matches." 

This do-it-yourself approach to their training garnered success. First, Lavaselli competed in regional tournaments throughout Argentina, racking up wins. Next, he traveled to Brazil to compete, expanding his network of like-minded competitors functioning at high levels. 

During this time, Lavaselli attended college classes at I.S.E.F.I. as he continued to train and teach jiu-jitsu. And he studied videos. Lots of videos. In fact, he said he learned English for one specific reason: "The Mendes Brothers' videos were in English." 

While there, he met Eduardo Duarte of Nova União who, while not his professor in the traditional sense,  awarded Lavaselli his purple and brown belts. Lavaselli went on to receive his black belt in the summer of 2019. 

Lavaselli's ambition to build a career in jiu-jitsu forced him to make a difficult decision. He found himself in the position of actively motivating his friends while struggling to take his jiu-jitsu skillset to the next level. Priorities changed, and Lavaselli found himself in the unwanted position of continuing his journey alone. "I was traveling alone to compete, and I needed to find someone to motivate and push me."

As challenging as leaving his friends and life behind, Lavaselli's ambition as a grappler urged him to find new training partners who were just as committed to excel as he. There was a short list of professors he believed could provide him with the guidance and desired experience. 

"I like how Professor Gui Mendes structures his class and continues to study the game," Lavaselli said.  Jiu-jitsu evolves and in order to achieve all that he wanted, Lavaselli said he needed someone in his corner who was a meticulous student of the game. He also said he was a big fan of the Mendes Brothers’ business acumen. "I think that is something neglected in jiu-jitsu."  

One month after IBJJF Worlds 2022, Lavaselli officially joined the Art of jiu-jitsu (AOJ) competitive team, where he reaped immediate results. "Pablo joined AOJ to improve his career and reach new highs as a competitor," Guilherme Mendes said. "As his coach, I see so much potential in his future." 

Lavaselli is registered to compete at Pan IBJJF jiu-jitsu Championship this year in the lightweight division, and Mendes anticipates his student will match up against Jamil Hill-Taylor in the bracket. "I'm looking forward to watching that match," Mendes said. 

Lavaselli took an unconventional approach to become the athlete he is today, but the results speak for themselves. Does he think everyone could successfully go it alone on their own jiu-jitsu journey?

The answer to that question prompts another question from this champion.  "Are you going to put forth the effort? If not, then the answer is no."