Meet David Garmo of Assembly Jiu Jitsu

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Garmo. They and their team shared their story with us below:

David started his Martial Arts journey in 1995 at 5 years of age. Being deathly afraid of the water during his first foray into swimming lessons, David’s mother, Sahira decided to take him across the street to “Michigan Martial Arts.” There, he was exposed to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by then Blue belt Lee Miles. After training for a few years, on and off, he started playing team sports in middle school and gave up on Martial Arts. In High School, David wrestled for Brother Rice High School, which reinvigorated his love for combat sports. 

Upon graduation, he started looking for another sport outlet and eventually found Brazilian jiu-jitsu again by way of MASH Gym. On October 11th, 2008, His second career as a grappler would start. David was awarded his Blue Belt in June of 2009 by Master Caique in addition to Big Don Richard. In March of 2011, he was promoted to Purple Belt at Warrior Way Martial Arts by Master Caique, Harvy Berman, Brandon McDaniel, Angelo Popofski, and Big Don Richard. Similarly in December of 2013, he was then awarded his Brown Belt by those same instructors. June of 2014 saw a big change for David. He moved to Detroit Jiu-Jitsu under Danny Agemy where he was then awarded his Black Belt in October of 2017. Subsequently, he received his 1st Degree Black Belt under Prof. Agemy, as well. Between Purple and Black belt, he gathered experience instructing both Adults and Children at Warrior Way and MASH Gym. As a Black Belt, David moved to Tokyo, where he taught Grappling at Carpe Diem BJJ in Tokyo. 

His time in Tokyo cemented him as one of the best international competitors in the World through his victories in IBJJF events as well as the famed QUINTET Fight Night, where he and his team came out victorious. With over 300 wins in just Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, David is the winningest competitor in Michigan as well as one of the youngest Black Belts. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think all roads have bumps, but overall, I don’t look at things that way. I’m here, I feel good, and I believe I’m having a positive impact on my community, so I’m happy. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Assembly Jiu Jitsu. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I own and operate Assembly Jiu Jitsu in Bloomfield Hills. We are a Brazilian Jiujitsu academy with the focus of building the highest-level grapplers in the nation. We currently compete local, regional, and international events while our professional athletes compete in the biggest and most prestigious events in the world! 

We set ourselves apart in a few different ways. We dedicate our lives to grappling and the pursuit of excellence. And we reach excellence! We also are always on the cutting edge of technique, training modalities, and design. 

I’m most proud that we have built a strong and amazing community around common goals. Our members, last and present, are nothing short of phenomenal humans. 

We offer classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced students 7 days per week!!! We are always looking to spread the arts to new people! 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite books to read are in the High Fantasy genre! I love Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan as well as almost everything by Brent Weeks and Brandon Sanderson. 

Contact Info:

• Website: Assembly-Detroit.com
• Instagram: @garmoflowajj