News & Events

A Suitable Send Off for a Great Instructor
January 6, 2010

On January 6, 2010, on behalf of the Pedro Sauer Association and LINXX Academy, James Gamble received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in the company of great close friends and a respectful gathering.

Gamble hit the mats at LINXX in 2002, picked up the jiu jitsu bug, and rolled eight years solid before acquiring his black belt. His passion for the martial art helped develop his technique and potency as a teammate, instructor, and coach. Passion was the word of the night when each powerhouse started to describe their new black belt colleague.

“A lot of times students thought James was being tough on them,” Nestor Bayot, lead BJJ instructor and personal friend of Gamble said. “He just cared about the students’ growth and took it personally. Passion is the best way to describe it.”

A moment of respect and testament to the brotherhood of the guys was when Gamble offered Purple belt Christopher Gonzalez his old brown belt. There has been a custom for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu disciples to offer their belts to lower ranking students and Gamble took this custom and combined it with a traditional procedure of a higher ranking officer to acknowledge the potential of another serviceman.

Gamble is also a commissioned warrant officer in the Navy. After ten years in service, Gamble was awarded the promotion in recognition of his hard work and dedication. After ten years in Virginia, he was transferred to Washington State to fulfill further duties for his position.

After ten years with LINXX Academy, the move will impact the jiu-jitsu program.

“With James, I felt like I was his student as well as his teacher.” Bayot reflected. The Academy will be missing a significant player but fondly wish Gamble the best of luck in Washington. We look forward to seeing him back on LINXX mats soon enough!