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Hello! My name is Khalid Elassaad. I'm a 29-year-old Lebanese-American living in Seattle, WA.

Hello! Nice to meet you!

This is what my life is like these days / TL;DR:

• 🥋 Blue Belt Jiujiteiro @ FrameworkBJJ
• ♟️ Chess Player
• 👨‍🏫 Teacher
• 🛼 Roller-Blader
• ⛰️ Nature Enthusiast

🥋 Blue Belt Jiujiteiro @ FrameworkBJJ

I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu @ FrameworkBJJ. I'm a blue belt and I absolutely love it. It's really fun to learn how to defend yourself and control others. It's empowering, humbling, and thrilling. It helps me think rationally when stressed, find inner peace during conflict, feel confident in myself, and feel secure in my ability to assert my physical boundaries against others.

Jiu-jitsu is basically deadly hugging.

♟️ Chess Player

I originally got into jiu-jitsu because of chess! I love chess, and I was looking for a physical hobby that would fulfill the same level of mental engagement and stimulation. Analysis, tactics, strategy, risk and reward, baits and gambits, tricks and traps, the works... jiu-jitsu's got it all!

I've never beaten Ben at chess, but he let's me win at jiu-jitsu sometimes.

It's incredible how many parallels there are between Chess and Jiu-Jitsu.

• Positional Advantage:
  • Chess: if you control the center, you control the board.
  • Jiu-Jitsu: if you control inside position, you control your opponent.
• Priority #1:
  • Chess: King Safety. Avoid checkmate at all costs. If saving the Queen means the King dies, you must let her go.
  • Jiu-Jitsu: Stay Alive. Defending against submissions is more important than escaping an inferior position. You can't escape if you aren't alive.
• Forks & Dilemmas:
  • Chess: A strong tactic is the fork. Attack 2 pieces with one of your own. If the opponent can only defend one threat, the other is yours to exploit.
  • Jiu-Jitsu: If you want to attack an arm, threaten a choke first. When your opponent uses their hands to defend, they'll expose the insides of their arms, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

👨‍🏫 Teacher

As I've gained more experience in both chess and jiu-jitsu, I've started to spend time teaching beginners, helping them grapple with the introductory concepts.

I'm learning that I really value teaching and I feel extremely fulfilled when I help others further their understanding. Packaging ideas thoughtfully for effective communication is a deeply engaging and rewarding endeavor. That's been nice to learn about myself!

🧠 > ➡️📦 > 🗣️ > 👂 > 📦➡️ > 🧠

🛼 Roller-Blader

I also love rollerblading! Like jiu-jitsu, it's an opportunity to move in new ways, to find flow and rhythm in the mechanics of a different ruleset. It's creative and relaxing and great exercise. It's become a moving meditation for me. Rollerblading is amazing for the body and mind.

My brother Matt and I were inspired to start skating by Slomo. Maybe he'll inspire you, too!

⛰️ Nature Enthusiast

Once a year, I go on long backpacking adventures (3-4 days, 30-40 miles) with my friends from university. I really look forward to these trips. Quality time with friends spent moving and living through nature. No screens, no city noise, nothing to do but breathe, walk, talk, laugh, and live. I can't wait for the next one!

⛰️ ~ Wish You Were Here!~ 🏔️

Days spent in nature are the best of my life, without a doubt. There's not much more to say there - you just have to do it!

Thanks for reading!