Kent Fernandez has never liked training jiu-jitsu. To this day, he has a hard time making it to class, always trying to come up with reasons to stay home. But he knows jiu-jitsu makes him a better person mentally and physically. So he shows up, continues to learn and teach, and the rewards of consistency appear in many forms. Today he’s a black belt with the title “Professor” before his name. It sounds simple enough—just keep coming to class—but no one’s journey to the highest-ranking belt in jiu-jitsu is easy, and that’s what makes it so valuable.

Facing a “fight or flight” situation

It was 1999 and Kent was just 18 years old when he found jiu-jitsu, or rather when jiu-jitsu found him. He was a freshman at the University of Hawaii at Manoa living in the dorms and there was this heavily intoxicated guy dead set on fighting him for reasons unknown. “He called me out, called me a bunch of names and I ran away,” he says.

“I didn’t like that feeling of being scared.”

In that moment, he knew he had zero tools to defend himself if the guy decided to attack. Thankfully, nothing came of it, but the altercation left a lasting impression. He needed to find someone who could teach him how to hold his own. If something like this ever happened again, he’d be ready.

Jiu-Jitsu for self-defense

Kent had never heard of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Back then, the discipline was still largely underground. He saw an ad for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu that said “If you think you can fight, come down!” and was intrigued. Walking into a gym is a humbling experience, but over time he began to feel a shift. “I went with BJJ because it was something practical that I could see me actually using if I needed to defend myself,” he says.

“I started to train more and my confidence went up.”

After college, he joined the Honolulu Police Department and saw how training jiu-jitsu gave him an edge: “I realized the value in having something where I could restrain someone safely and keep myself safe. You get put in a lot of scary situations where all you have is yourself. You can have all the tools in the world, but if you don’t have that confidence and the ability to know you can control a situation, that’s dangerous.”

The journey to black belt

 When Coach Rylan, who had been his friend since intermediate school, decided to open up a academy, Kent was one of his first official students at Gracie Technics. He kept coming to class and felt the effects of his training radiate into all other areas of life.

“I have that battle every single week where I don’t feel like coming. But after I do, I feel great. And I see a lot of parallels in my jiu-jitsu journey and my life journey.”

He was lucky to grasp the concept of what jiu-jitsu was doing for him from the start, and that helped carry him through harder days: “It keeps me honest and humble. It’s always a challenge, and it never gets easier as you go up in rank.” Nearly two decades after starting to train jiu-jitsu, Kent received his black belt on November 11, 2016, from Master Pedro Sauer and was the third black belt to be promoted under Professor Rylan Lizares.

The advantages of BJJ in HPD

Now as a lieutenant watch commander for HPD’s west side districts, Kent uses jiu-jitsu to diffuse situations regularly.

“I think 99 percent of the job is mental but when it has to be physical, I do use jiu-jitsu.”

“The distance management skills help mitigate the damage… my posture, my stance, my balance—it’s all designed to control the situation to prevent injury. One of the first lessons we learn in Jiu-Jitsu is to manage the distance. There are so many times that I haven’t had to throw a punch because I’m able to control and take people down safely.”

BJJ has also proven to be a real asset in his relationships with coworkers. “Jiu-jitsu has helped me always feel in control and keeps the ego in check, plus there’s a big jiu-jitsu community at HPD, and you have that connection. You know if something goes down, that person has your back. There’s that mutual level of respect.”

Q & A with Professor Kent

Advice for lower belts hitting walls or plateaus?

Get used to it! You’re still going to hit walls as a black belt. Some days are good, some days are bad, but the perseverance is what matters. The thing with jiu-jitsu is you’ll eventually get your black belt, it’s just a matter of showing up.

I think looking at black as the end goal is also a common mistake, because it’s not the end goal; it’s the tip of the iceberg. Your skill level got so proficient, but what about teaching, what about being in a real situation? Just get out of that mindset that you’re going to master it, because even as a black belt, you still feel like a white belt a lot of times.

How has your game changed as a black belt?

The higher up you go, the more basic your game becomes—it’s so cyclical. Then you pick more stuff up from the people who are learning the basics. Another black belt might not let me do anything and I’ll just play defense the whole time. I actually learn more about how to submit and whittle down my game rolling with white and blue belts, since I can move and transition and see what works and what doesn’t work. I don’t need to learn berimbolos or lapel guards that are real complicated.

Most common mistake lower belts make?

Quitting! About seven or eight years ago, I was struggling with a lot of things. I took a six- month break and it was the worst thing to do because it left me focused on my problems. It’s hard to not focus on what’s in front of you when someone’s trying to tap you out. It gets you out of your head for a few minutes, and then there’s all the physical endorphins. Diversifying yourself helps you be mentally more stable.

Favorite BJJ move?

The only time I’m really having fun is when I catch an arm bar on somebody. The more I do it, the more dynamic I see it become and the more options I see.

Why train at Gracie Technics?

Rylan’s my friend and I trust him. That’s what makes it palatable. As you grow up and get older, you start going on different paths, but we’ll have these moments on the side where we’ll sit and talk story and catch up.

It’s crazy to see the gym where it’s at today. I remember sitting in class with Rylan in the early days, just me and him and maybe one other guy, wondering if anyone else would show up. A lot of credit has to go to Matt, the backbone of the gym. I’m 50 lbs. heavier and he still busts me up. There are a lot of people behind the scenes at GT that are committed and put their time in over here. Everyone is working towards a common goal.

What’s the number one thing jiu-jitsu has done to impact your life?

I’m not a religious person, but for me It’s been something like a religious experience. It lets you know there’s something greater out there connecting us all, letting us know how powerful we really are and at the same time keeping us grounded.