Julius Kyung Soo Park
Julius Park's Crazy 88 story follows his coaching methods, a student's path into teaching and the work of keeping a school going through 2020.
Biography
Sources for this profile
BJJ Canvas, written interview by Kenneth Brown, who states he has trained at the gym himself. The page carries the day and month "May 03" but no year; the earliest capture in the Internet Archive is 21 May 2015, so the piece is from that date or earlier. Read in the archived copy of 2 July 2016, because the live page returns 403 to server-side fetching.(opens in a new tab)
The interviewer names him as the owner of Crazy 88 in Maryland.
Where in the source: Julius Park is the owner of Crazy 88 in Maryland
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The interviewer says he has himself spent many hours training at the gym, and that this is why the interview turns on gym leadership.
Where in the source: I’ve also personally spent many hours training at his gym, and I have a lot of respect for the focus and vision he brings to Jiu-jitsu instruction. That’s why this interview is focused on gym leadership.
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Asked what must be said to a student who has lost a match, he answers that the match should be assessed honestly, sometimes straight away and sometimes once the athlete is in a better frame of mind.
Where in the source: There should be an honest assessment of the match. Sometimes this occurs right after the match and other times when the athlete is in a better state of mind and more receptive.
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He says the coach owes the athlete feedback that goes past treating a win as good and a loss as bad.
Where in the source: The athlete can only get better with feedback and its up to the coach to provide feedback beyond WIN = GOOD and LOSS = BAD.
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He calls it dangerous for a coach to place the locus of control outside the athlete or to permit excuses, and says that even when the excuse is real, such as a bad call, the athlete should be looking at what is within reach.
Where in the source: I think its very dangerous for coaches to put the locus of control outside of the athlete or allow excuses. Sometimes the excuses are real, like the referee really could have made a bad call. But because you don’t have any control over that, you want your athletes focusing on what they can control, rather than what they can’t.
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The single thing he says a coach must never do is put the opponent on a pedestal.
Where in the source: The one thing you never do and that is NEVER put the opponent on a pedestal.
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He gives the remarks he hears from athletes as examples of that, and says an opponent should never be placed in a position fundamentally above your own athlete, since you may well have to fight them again.
Where in the source: I often hear athletes say stuff like “Oh, he’s been a Blue Belt for a long time” or “He won the World Championship” or even worse “He trains at XYZ”. You should never put the opponent on some sort of fundamentally superior position to your athlete. After all, you’ll eventually have to fight them again and hopefully win!
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Asked what should be repeated to build a culture, he names world class effort, recognition for those working hard towards their goals, and actions ahead of words.
Where in the source: World class effort. Give recognition to individuals who are working hard towards their goals. Actions > Words.
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He holds that the character of the student body counts for more in a school’s long-term development than technique or skill does.
Where in the source: Character of the student base will play a larger role in the long term development of the school than technique or skill.
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He says a school should set a high goal and hold people to it, and that he has seen schools deliberately pick goals that are easy to reach or impossible to measure.
Where in the source: Pick a lofty goal and hold people accountable to it. I’ve noticed this a lot recently where schools will purposely choose goals that are easily attainable or not quantifiable.
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His example of the gap is a school that says it wants to compete while everyone trains twice a week.
Where in the source: For example, if you say you want to have a competitive school, but everyone is only training 2x a week – there is obviously a disconnect between reality and the goal.
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On drilling he answers that the point of practice is to make people better, and that a session built around mental toughness looks nothing like one built around technique.
Where in the source: I would say that the purpose of practice is to make people better. Sometimes, the student needs to work on technique. Other times, strategy. Maybe the students need more conditioning. And sometimes the students even need to work on their mental toughness. A practice emphasizing mental toughness is much different than one focusing on technique.
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He therefore says the right method keeps changing with what the student body needs, which obliges the instructor to keep watching what happens on the mats.
Where in the source: So the best methodology is always changing based on what the student base needs. This requires the instructor to always keep an eye on whats occurring on the mats.
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He gives a white belt working on worm guard as an example: it beats the other white belts, but higher belts pass him easily because the more basic guards are missing.
Where in the source: For example, I have a White Belt student right now who is focusing on Worm Guard. It actually works pretty well on the other White Belts who are dumbfounded by this. But as soon as he faces non-White Belts, he gets passed easily because his De La Riva and Spider Guard aren’t there.
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He insists the emphasis belongs on fundamentals, and adds in a parenthesis that he means fundamentals, not simply everything taught before 1996.
Where in the source: There should always be an emphasis on Fundamentals (Fundamentals meaning Fundamentals… not Fundamentals meaning everything that was taught before 1996).
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Asked for five books, he lists Talent Is Overrated, Outliers, Mindset, The Inner Game of Tennis and Turning Pro, and notes that he found Outliers boring himself although others like it.
Where in the source: Talent Is Overrated, Outliers (I personally found this boring but other people really like it and its a great introduction to the idea of dedicated practice), Mindset, Turning Pro, and The Inner Game of Tennis
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He adds a recommendation of the first two chapters of The First 20 Hours.
Where in the source: I’d also recommend the first 2 chapters of The First 20 Hours
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He says the books help students see that the patterns and the frustrations they meet are ordinary across very different fields, and help them place their own goals and training.
Where in the source: The benefit of the books for the people who have read them is that it helps students realize that a lot of the patterns and frustrations that they face are commonplace across different fields. It also helps that put their goals and training into context.
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From the coaching side he adds that recommending books lets him see which students are willing to act on advice.
Where in the source: From a coaching perspective its good too b/c it allows the coach to identify students who are willing to listen to the coach’s advice.
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He closes by saying everyone should pursue excellence, that not everyone will be a world champion, but that anyone can reach the next stage of their own development.
Where in the source: I think that everyone should try to pursue excellence. Of course, not everyone is going to become a world champion but everyone can reach the next level of their own development – whether its becoming more fit, more technical, more perceptive, etc.
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He calls the active pursuit of self-improvement the most important part, and says it will keep a person going even though it takes time and is uncomfortable.
Where in the source: Its the active pursuit of self-improvement that is the most important. It will keep you motivated even though it will take time and be uncomfortable. Its worth it.
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BJJ Heroes, Julius Park(opens in a new tab)
BJJ Heroes places his first jiu-jitsu classes in Cornell’s unofficial club in 1998, with fellow student Will Kabat-Zinn, a blue belt from Boston Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Park subsequently sought structured training at Renzo Gracie’s academy.
Where in the source: Third biography paragraph
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BJJ Heroes says Renzo Gracie awarded Park his blue and purple belts. After returning to Maryland, Park joined Lloyd Irvin and received his brown belt and, in 2013, his black belt.
Where in the source: Fourth biography paragraph
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BJJ Heroes identifies Julius Park as Julius Kyung Soo Park, the founder of Crazy 88.
Where in the source: Full Name field and introductory paragraph
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BJJ Heroes records his birth in Seoul on 1 July 1980 and says his family moved to the United States when he was one.
Where in the source: Biography first paragraph
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According to BJJ Heroes, Park tried martial arts in childhood and returned to taekwondo in middle school. Early UFC tapes sparked his interest in jiu-jitsu, but the commute to Renzo Gracie initially proved impractical, so he wrestled in high school.
Where in the source: First and second biography paragraphs
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Moya Brand, a gear maker's blog, 8 June 2020. The text is written by Park himself, in the first person, and carries no interviewer.(opens in a new tab)
He writes that at the end of 2019 the academy renewed the lease on the premises it already had in Elkridge, Maryland, after serious talks about relocating, and that staying put proved a blessing, since a move would have added building and removal costs.
Where in the source: Crazy 88 Mixed Martial Arts and I, Julius Park, renewed our lease at our existing location in Elkridge, Maryland at the end of 2019. We were in serious negotiations to relocate, but we ended up staying in the same building. In hindsight, this was a huge blessing. If we moved, we would have been in serious financial trouble with the added construction and moving costs.
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Maryland closed gyms on 16 March 2020; he writes that they moved quickly to online classes in several martial arts, with steady attendance but only a fraction of the numbers in the room.
Where in the source: Maryland shut down gyms on March 16, 2020. We were able to pivot quickly to online classes for different martial arts styles. The attendance has been consistent, but only a fraction of what we would normally get in our live classes.
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He gives the Tiny Ninjas class for three to five year olds as the example of what is hard to run over a screen.
Where in the source: For example, our Tiny Ninjas (3-5 years old) online class is tough to run virtually.
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Despite a high number of frozen memberships he writes that they kept paying the full-time staff, that most members chose to freeze rather than cancel, and that the shutdown period would be handed back at no extra charge.
Where in the source: Despite the high number of membership freezes, we were fortunate enough to continue paying our full-time employees. Our clients have actually been really awesome; most are choosing to just freeze their memberships rather than outright cancel and the majority are continuing to support us throughout this challenging time (we’ll be providing the shutdown time back at no additional charge).
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He writes that the lockdown itself worried him less than the recovery from it, and that the members were divided on the virus and on their own safety.
Where in the source: My main concern is not the lockdown, which I feel will be ending in the next few weeks; my main concern is the recovery from the lockdown. It seems that our students are very divided on how they feel about the virus and their own safety. The decision to return to “normal life” is one they will have to make on their own terms.
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On competition he writes that athletes who were in a position to medal at the year’s major tournaments lost the chance, but that the team got to the European Open before the shutdown.
Where in the source: On the competition side, it has been frustrating. We had a few athletes who were in very good positions to win/medal at the major tournaments this year; sadly, it appears that they won’t have a chance to achieve this in 2020. Still, we were lucky enough to do the European Open, so we at least got some high-level competition in before the shutdown.
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He expects to come back faster than a jiu-jitsu-only school, because the academy also has a sizeable fitness, Muay Thai and boxing base, which he says can run under distancing rules far better than jiu-jitsu can.
Where in the source: We’ll also probably recover faster than an only Jiu-Jitsu school, especially that we have a sizable fitness, Muay Thai, and boxing base. These classes can operate under ridiculous “social distancing” measures far better than Jiu-Jitsu can.
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He sums up his own lessons as the value of savings, of goodwill built with employees and members, and of making use of whatever situation arises.
Where in the source: I think the takeaways from this (for myself) are the importance of savings, building good-will among your employees and clients, and also taking advantage of any type of situation.
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PRWeb, press release issued by Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu itself, 27 July 2013. A party statement, not journalism, but dated and attributable.(opens in a new tab)
A 2013 release says the new Frederick programme opened on 16 July, as an offshoot of the Elkridge academy, which had started in 2005 in Howard County, Maryland.
Where in the source: A new Frederick Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program began operations July 16th, offering the best martial arts instruction in the area for adults. The new facility is an offshoot of Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - Elkridge, which was founded in 2005 in Howard County, Maryland.
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The same release calls him the school’s owner and a black belt who had been studying jiu-jitsu for fifteen years.
Where in the source: says Julius Park, the school's owner, a black belt who has been studying jiu jitsu for fifteen years
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He is quoted saying that anyone can come to the school and get where they want to go, whether that means mastering the sport and earning a black belt, getting fit and losing weight, or winning a world title.
Where in the source: Our school is a place where anyone can train and reach their goals, no matter whether they want to master the sport and earn their black belt, lose weight and get in shape or become a World champion
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PRWeb, press release issued by Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu itself, 28 July 2013. A party statement, not journalism, but dated and attributable.(opens in a new tab)
In July 2013 the academy listed an address in Elkridge, Maryland.
Where in the source: Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 7024 Troy Hill Drive Suite L Elkridge, MD 21075 USA
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In July 2013 the academy listed an address in Owings Mills, Maryland.
Where in the source: Crazy 88 BJJ - Owings Mills 5 Easter Court Suite E Owings Mills, MD 21117
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In July 2013 the academy listed an address in Frederick, Maryland.
Where in the source: Crazy 88 BJJ - Frederick 1845 Brookfield Ct, Frederick, MD, 21701 Frederick, MD 21701
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PRWeb, press release issued by Team Lloyd Irvin, 12 June 2014. A party statement, but from a different party than the academy, and dated.(opens in a new tab)
A 2014 release from another party describes Crazy 88 Academy in Elkridge, Maryland as a Team Lloyd Irvin affiliate run by Park.
Where in the source: Crazy 88 Academy, a Team Lloyd Irvin affiliate, is ran by Master Julius Park.
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The same release says he was one of three instructors who promoted three students to black belt on 4 June 2014.
Where in the source: Master Lloyd Irvin, head instructor at Lloyd Irvin’s Martial Arts Academy in Camp Springs, MD, along with Master Donald Achnick and Master Julius Park promoted the three standout students to Black Belt on June 4, 2014.
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Crazy 88 Mixed Martial Arts, a first-person post on the academy's own blog explaining how the school got its name, undated.(opens in a new tab)
He writes that he first thought of a plain name with the location in it, but that more experienced school owners told him it was a bad idea: he might move, and the name would be hard to stand out with.
Where in the source: Originally, I was thinking of a straightforward name… “Howard County Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” or “Baltimore Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu”. However, more-experienced school owners said putting a location into the name was stupid. “What if you move?” they asked, which was a very good point! Secondly, they said it was hard to standout with such a bland name.
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He also rejected naming the school after himself, because a school is not only the head instructor but all the students and coaches in it, and adds drily that he later realised nobody knows what BJJ means.
Where in the source: But I didn’t want to name it “Julius Park BJJ” because I felt that a school is not just made up of the head instructor but of all the students and coaches that make it up. (Later, I realized that no one knows what “ BJJ ” is.)
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He named the school after characters in a film he liked, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, and writes that although they have often considered something more professional, the recognition the name has built makes the swap an uneasy one.
Where in the source: So I decided to name the school after characters in a movie that I really liked… Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Over the years, we’ve always toyed with changing the name to something “more professional” but we’ve built a solid awareness of the quality of our program as Crazy 88 so it would be an uneasy tradeoff.
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Crazy 88 Mixed Martial Arts, the academy's own about page, as it stood on 20 September 2026. Self-published marketing copy.(opens in a new tab)
The academy’s own account puts the opening in 2005, with a handful of students, and says that his coaching went back to 1999, to the club he ran at Cornell while still a blue belt under Renzo Gracie. It gives his reason for opening the gym as wanting more mat time and more partners.
Where in the source: Crazy 88 opened in 2005, when Julius Park began teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to a handful of students. He had been coaching since 1999, when he ran the jiu-jitsu club at Cornell as a blue belt under Renzo Gracie, and he opened the academy for a straightforward reason: he wanted to train more often, with more partners.
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The same page dates his own black belt to 2013, and names Lloyd Irvin as the one who gave it.
Where in the source: He earned his black belt from Lloyd Irvin in 2013.
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Today the academy gives three addresses — Elkridge, Owings Mills and Severna Park, in Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties — and offers Muay Thai, boxing, MMA, classes for children and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Where in the source: We teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, MMA, and kids martial arts at three locations: Elkridge in Howard County, Owings Mills in Baltimore County, and Severna Park in Anne Arundel County.
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Ryan Sullivan, Mixed martial arts gyms fight to survive COVID-19, Baltimore Watchdog, 27 October 2020(opens in a new tab)
In October 2020, Park told the Baltimore Watchdog that attendance dwindled in Zoom classes and that home exercise could not replace the contact people sought in MMA.
Where in the source: Park quotations after the passage about virtual learning and before membership support
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Park said Crazy 88 hired professional cleaners for nightly deep cleaning and shortened hour-long classes to 45 minutes to clean before and after each session.
Where in the source: Park quotation after reopening safety paragraph
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In the same report, Park said many students still wanted to pay during the shutdown, describing a committed student community.
Where in the source: Park statement between membership-dues discussion and reopening precautions
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Moya Brand, Vanessa Griffin - Crazy 88 (Team LI) - Newest Black Belt in Town!, 9 September 2020(opens in a new tab)
Moya Brand’s September 2020 profile describes Park inviting Vanessa Griffin into adult classes after noticing her at Crazy 88. It reports that he promoted her to black belt in June 2020 and that she led advanced children’s classes and assisted the fundamentals programme.
Where in the source: First four paragraphs, from promotion to teaching duties
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