Meet manuel flores | Daimyo Jiujitsu owner and head instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with manuel flores and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi manuel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We wanted to create something that had never been done before in Jiujitsu. We wanted an academy that would be able to deliver on the promise of creating world champions in Tucson with out having to leave Arizona and we also wanted to welcome entire families to train and feel welcomed and supported, all under one roof. In my academy I have mothers, fathers, kids and teens training alongside competitors that are ranked #1 in the world The culture we created allows for this to happen without sacrificing the quality of training for the world champion or making it unwelcoming to the regular practitioner. We do this by working closely with our students to help them develop their mindsets along with their bodies so they can face all challenges in life through the philosophies of JIujitsu

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our academy is one of the biggest academies in Arizona. We have several #1 ranked students in IBJJF and we have several world champions from white to black belt. I believe what sets us apart is our love for our students and an honest interest in their development on and off the mats. What got us here is making the right decisions at the right time and as a good friend once told me, you’re never too busy to do the right thing. We have never made a decision based on money, we have always understood that if we did right by our students and our community the rest would take care of itself.
The most important lesson I have learned is to never wait to make that decision you know has to be done. One student that is just not the right fit for the academy is costing you 10 more students. It doesn’t mean they are bad people, they just don’t fit with your culture.
What I would like the world to know is that Jiujitsu is for everybody. Be smart, take care of your body and your mind and you can do this for the rest of your life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Tucson is an incredible place to visit and I’m always showing people what a magical place this is. I have a friend from Lousiana that comes and visits for two weeks straight. This is what we did:
Fist we had to get him a hair cut, so I took him to the best barber in town, Daniel at El Dorado barbershop. Daniel is an amazing barber and the atmosphere is amazing, it has this old punk rock feel to it and you know you can get a gentlemen’s hair cut done the right way there.
After that we went to eat some really good sea food at La Cruda. Their sea food selections is amazing and the oysters are the best in the city. I recommend a dish called pescado divorciado.
For drinks you can’t go wrong by visiting to amazing places downtown Tucson. The Batch and the Owls club. Their old fashions are the best and the staff is incredible.
For dinner I would take people to El Charro steakhouse downtown, you might want to get a reservation ahead of time but its the best place to have a great steak.
You can’t go wrong with some hiking also and Tucson has the best trails with incredible view. I recommend Sombrero peak and the trail by the JW Marriot

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I believe you are the result of the people you surround yourself with. I could not have pushed through so many challenges in life with out the vision, love and support of my wife, Brenda. My two sons were always my inspiration to work hard and try to be a good man, knowing they were watching me and learning from my actions. Our Jiujitsu association, Paragon Arizona, would not be where it is with out the support and vision of my long time friend and training partner Phillip Aguilar. Our academies would not be the special place they are with out every single one of our students that believe in our vision and they work so hard every day to be a better versions of themselves, they give me the energy and motivation to stay hungry for more. We have created an amazing group of leaders in our academies that help us cover classes, our assistant instructors are incredible and I could not be more blessed to see our students have them as role models.
If I had to thank a book it would the the Alchemist, for helping me understand how to live my live’s purpose

Website: Daimyoacademy.com

Instagram: Daimyobjj

Twitter: Manuelfloresbjj

Facebook: Daimyo Brazilian JIujitsu