Darby Wilson Jr. enjoys a challenge.
The Shaker High School student competes regionally on the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) circuit – a tour where Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athletes such as Wilson compete against other types of grapplers including wrestling and judo.
Not only does Wilson compete, but he also wins. At NAGA’s latest tournament Saturday at Albany’s Washington Avenue Armory, Wilson won both the gi (uniformed) and no gi titles in his age group – victories that will help his current national ranking of ninth in the 15-17 age division.
“I like the challenge,” said Wilson. “I like pushing myself to see what I can do.”
His father, Darby Wilson Sr., said becoming a Jiu Jitsu expert has benefits for Wilson beyond the mat.
“I wanted him to be able to defend himself in front of life’s hassles,” said Wilson Sr. “But, I still get nervous watching him (compete).”
Wilson chose Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as his sport after he started watching mixed martial arts matches on television several years ago.
“I got interested when I was a kid,” said Wilson, 17. “I watched MMA, and I fell in love with it instantly.”
Wilson enrolled at Atlas Jiu Jitsu in Colonie and became one of its youngest students. But he drew – and still draws – inspiration from watching the adult competitors as they trained.
“I want to be like the older guys there. They’re awesome,” said Wilson.
Wilson wasn’t just interested in training, though. He wanted a taste of the mixed martial arts matches he saw on TV. That’s when he started competing in NAGA tournaments. There, he could put his Jiu Jitsu skills against athletes coming from other disciplines where the only goal is to pin the opponent to the mat.
“When you’re out there, it’s like a game of chess,” said Wilson. “You almost have to focus on what they’re going to do and what you have to do to get out of it, or even reverse it to your advantage.”
Without many options for competing locally, Wilson hit the road with his dad.
“We’ve traveled to places like New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut so he could compete in these tournaments,” said Wilson Sr. “There were a few years where we didn’t do much traveling, but last year we traveled all over the place and we had a lot of fun.”
Who Wilson competes against isn’t always assured. Divisions at NAGA tournaments – especially at the youth level – are fluid because competitors are allowed to register the day of the event, and they can change divisions if they don’t make the required weight for the one they want.
“Sometimes you have a really big division, and sometimes you don’t have big divisions,” said Wilson Sr. “They really try to break it down by age and weight.”
There was one instance in 2013 when Wilson landed in the super heavyweight division and competed against someone much bigger than him.
“I went to a tournament in New Jersey and went up against this kid from Russia … and he was 20 pounds heavier than me and had a beard. I was like, ‘This is a kid?’” said Wilson. “I enjoyed the challenge. I mean, I lost the match, but I enjoyed the challenge.”
It’s not only the challenge of competing against unfamiliar competitors that Wilson must deal with. He also has an inner challenge.
“I would honestly say controlling your adrenaline (is the biggest challenge),” said Wilson. “The techniques and skills are easy, but controlling your adrenaline is tough. It’s very easy to get jittery out there and lose focus. Before I get on the mat, I’m usually pretty calm. But once I get out there, I can feel my heart going (faster).”
Wilson has met those challenges and won more often than not, but he’s not focused on taking his Jiu Jitsu skills to the mixed martial arts world.
“I’ve honestly never really thought about it, but that would be something I’d like to do someday,” said Wilson. “Right now I’m focused on getting a job (out of high school), but if it’s something I can pursue down the road, I’d be really into it.”
For now, Darby Wilson Jr. is focused on continuing his climb up the NAGA national rankings.
“I try to keep it humble, but it’s awesome (being nationally ranked). It really is,” he said.
