Actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar credits his jujitsu training with helping him develop mental toughness and calmness under pressure that has benefited him both personally and professionally.
While Gosselaar told Kristian Harloff in a friendly chat he may not consciously apply jujitsu techniques in his daily life, he notes that the sport has taught him valuable lessons about staying composed in challenging situations: “Being calm under pressure and learning to just accept what’s happening to you in sometimes a really unfortunate situation…to be able to to find a a place where you can breathe and and uh think your way out of it without panicking.”
The actor views jujitsu as more than just a physical activity, describing it as an “obsession” that has become a major focus in his life. He structures his schedule around training sessions and even brings his gear when traveling for work: “If I wasn’t doing your podcast honestly right now I’d be at class…I structure my day…with the activity you know…when I go to Atlanta too I have I have a Gi out there…there’s been a a good two dozen times that I’ve gone to Atlanta and trained out there.”
For Gosselaar, the appeal of jujitsu lies in its technical complexity and humbling nature. He sees parallels between the sport and life itself: “I like things that are super technical. I like things that humble you…I think it’s um a great representation of life…sometimes you’re on top and sometimes you’re on the bottom. I mean that that’s basically Jiu-Jitsu right.”
The mental aspects of jujitsu seem to resonate deeply with Gosselaar. He often visualizes techniques when having trouble sleeping, demonstrating how the sport has become integrated into his thought processes: “If I can’t sleep because I’m think thinking of something I think of Jiu-Jitsu and I think of I just visualize myself…rolling.”
Gosselaar was a BJJ Blue Belt for 8 Years
Gosselaar recently revealed he spent 8 years as a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before deciding to fully focus on advancing through the belt ranks.
“I got to a point where I was just a blue belt for like eight years, and was a white belt for for uh you know a handful of years as well and I made a conscious decision put all your effort all all your time into your work your family all that stuff and then your activity is going to be Jiu-Jitsu,” Gosselaar explained.
The “Saved by the Bell” star described how he stopped other hobbies like golf and cycling to devote more time to BJJ. He now structures his days around jujitsu classes.
Gosselaar spoke passionately about his love for the technical aspects of jiu-jitsu and how it has humbled him as a practitioner. He said he finds the sport “fascinating” and has made good friends through training.
“I don’t know what it is you’re right it’s like a religion it really is like a weird thing,” Gosselaar said about his dedication to BJJ.
The actor first tried jiu-jitsu around 2008-2009 after being a UFC fan, but says it didn’t immediately hook him. He trained on and off for years before getting “really heavy into it” around 2016-2017, at which point he decided to pursue belt promotions more seriously.
A former capoeira instructor turned biohacking enthusiast, Gio spent his early years bouncing between São Paulo and Miami before settling in Austin. With a master’s in sports physiology and a penchant for experimenting with traditional Brazilian herbs, he’s become Rude Vulture’s go-to expert on movement optimization and plant-based performance enhancement. When not writing about the intersection of martial arts and ancestral living, he runs an underground fight gym where participants are required to follow strict circadian rhythm protocols.