Our San Clemente Jiu Jitsu School is proud to have a lot of military members as part of our familiy. Anton ‘DC’ de La Cruz is one of them. Actually he is one of our oldest students and  most special. “DC is absolutly one of the most inspiring people that I know. He is so knowledgeble and good in what he does that is impressive. But what really makes me proud to have him and his family at our San Clemente BJJ school is his principles. He goes and comes from wars for our freedom. And I can’t thank him enough for his courage’ says Sensei BJJ black belt Paulo.

To honor DC and so many military, the title of Student of the Month goes to him. Learn more about DC:

Name: Jose Anton “DC” De La Cruz

Date of birth: May 1,1969

Where are you current living at?

Oceanside California

How long have you been leaving there?

January 1995

You now retired from USMC, How long had you served there?

Just recently retired from the Marine Corps after 23 1/2yrs and now working as a Government Contractor teaching Tactics and Marksmanship to include evaluation prior to going overseas.

How many members of your family train BJJ with us in San Clemente?

Members of my family that train with Guillobel BJJ is my Gorgeous wife Tess that puts up with me, beautiful, smart, and full of attitude daughter Vanessa, and son Anton (aka Tony/Anthony) which his past few years of training with Paulo has been the sleeping Warrior waiting for his days to show his skills and is full of surprises every time we roll.

When Did you guys started?

I started to train with Paulo Guillobel August 2005 after returning from Iraq my second time and at that time there were only a hand full of us all white belts and the Academy was shared with another Martial Arts Instructor Kanji Kenpo so the mats had to be laid out every day before class and put away after class. That was part of the warm up and cool down. Shortly after my daughter Vanessa started and then my son Anthony shortly. My wife Tess started wanting to get a workout in and Ginastica Natural was part of our warm up so that was fun but a good workout. She started to roll with my daughter Vanessa since there was no other person her size. At that time it was only Vanessa and Anthony for kids. So the rest is history and we are all still there.

Do you remember why did you decide to sign up yourself and your family for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

I was introduced to Paulo by one of my SanSoo Kung Fu Instructors Sean Scott which spoke highly of him and also with Gilberto Faria owner of JiuJitsu Pro-Gear would tell me I should not miss the opportunity to stop by and train with him. Luckily for me Paulo had just opened up in San Clemente. I have done alot of standup fighting and my lack of ground fighting was something I had to fill in with some sort of Martial Art. So what better art then Brazilian JiuJitsu!!!

My goals of filling in my void of ground fighting and being able to compete were fulfilled, but with the tempo of being in the Marine Corps limited my time on the mat throughout the years.

The thoughts of my wife and kids being able to have confidence and being able to fight on the ground gives me more of a secure feeling that they have ground self-defense. As we all know that most fights end up on the ground. When under pressure and fatigue you will revert to the skills which you have as it will be natural.

If anything were to happen most likely it will be when we are not there for our kids or loved ones so the only things we can do is prepare them and make sure they get the training. Not just training but quality training. Which goes into the following question.

Why Guillobel Brazilian Ji-Jitsu San Clemente Academy?

I choose to be at the Guillobel BJJ Academy not only because of the voids in my combative skills but prior to meeting Paulo I had gone around visiting other Academies and Dojos within Oceanside and Vista. Although they were closer to our home they didn’t have that feeling of respect, unity, team, brotherhood/sisterhood, pretty much as Family.

So not only the great skills and background that Paulo had which had us hooked, it was how humble he was and the bond of family he has shared with us as he does with all other members of the Academy which we call “Guillobel BJJ Family Members”. The Academy has been our second home along with Paulo and Cata being our Family.

How is like having your wife, son and daugther training BJJ along with you?

Having my wife and kids train with me is speechless. Sharing an evening with them on the mat is great and more so when I get to either watch them or roll with them. As I mentioned earlier that as a parent you can only prepare them for things to come in life.

Are you getting the benefits you were looking for?

I have gotten all the benefits that I was looking for and more.

Do you think BJJ helps your overall self-defense?

Glad to have trained my ground skills all these years. Although it hadn’t been consistent it helped out during my deployment overseas and being in a few hand to hand situations. Having the skills and confidence you find me still here with my family and friends still alive.

You have one of the nicest family I ever train, can you share with us how can you keep your family so united?

Really it’s been my Gorgeous wife Tess that has been the glue of our family. She has been the one that has kept us all together. With my constant deployments throughout the years it has been rough and a rollercoaster. You never know if you are coming home and obviously if it will be the last time you see each other.

Spending special moments such as going to a movie, the beach, sitting at home watching tv together, attending special events in the community, supporting teammates/family members at tournaments, or being on the mat together as a family. Sometimes as kids they might not understand until after the fact and realize that we are not only there for each other but for others also.

What are your goals for this year?

My goals for this year and years to come is continue to improve my skills and hopefully my work schedule and healing of injuries will allow me to compete once again. LOOKING FOR SOME GOLD!!!!!

What do you think about Guillobel Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

My thoughts on Guillobel BJJ, are that if you are within the area and looking for a place not only to train but call a second home and family you need to stop by throw on a Gi and have some mat time with the Guillobel Family. The egos are left at the door and everyone is always respected. It’s a place to learn new skills or improve the skills you already have for your ground game.

Many people don’t seem to realize the extension of our Family which every now and then get a few visits or invitations from. They are beyond great people of BJJ and personally to me such as Royler Gracie, Saulo Ribero, Xande Ribero, Leticia Ribero and her warrior team, Penny Thomas, Beatriz Mesquita, Fabricio “Morango” Comoes, “Tinguinha”, Pedro Soriano, “Megaton” to include his warrior wife and daughter, Michael Liera Jr., Professor Romano from “Ginastica Natural” and his son Raphael Romano, Andre Lucic, Oceanside BJJ(Nathan Soli & Brendan Guccione), Erick Buthsombat (representing the family in Hong Kong), Rafael Bomfim, Russell Cantorna (Erick, Rafael, & Russ thanks for the mentorship and being patient with me.) the list goes on and I know that I missed someone big and will pay for it next time they stop by and catch me on the mat. The point is that Guillobel Family is strong and will continue to grow and get stronger. If you don’t think that you need to be a part of this family than what you seek is very little in your path to success in Brazilian JiuJitsu. From the youngest little warrior on the mat to the oldest, (No it’s not me at least I don’t think). We will always take care of each other and support each other, guiding our way to success in this ground game.

Final Thoughts:

It’s been 6 years and our Guillobel Family has grown, I know that it will continue to grow in many ways. I will be there for many more years to watch it grow unless the big man upstairs decides to hit me with an early expiration date from this life. Other than that……See You On The Mat My Brothers and Sisters!!!!!

P.S.: Guillobel San Clemente Jiu Jitsu offer 10% OFF for all the military and their families. To learn more contact Catarina at 949 366-2107