Camil lives in Bucharest, Romania, together with his wife. He owns an it outsourcing business that he started after graduating university, splitting his time between business, jujitsu and family. He started Brazilian Ju-Jitsu in almost 7 years ago in order to lose weight. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu and black belt in traditional Ju-Jitsu.

Some of the titles that he has:

JJIF:

1x World Combat Games Champion – Newaza (all belts)

2 x World Champion – Newaza  (all belts)

And other titles.

UAEJJF/ Abu Dhabi Pro: 

1x World Champion (purple)
1x Bronze at World Pro Championship (purple)
1x Bronze at World Pro Championship (Absolute Division, purple)

IBJJF:

5 x European Champion
(white,blue,purple,brown)
1 x European No Gi champion
A lot of gold titles in Rome, Munich, London Opens

1.              What is your biggest accomplishment in Ju-Jitsu?

From competition point of view it has to be the World Combat Games Newaza title. It was a real honor for me to fight top level athletes in such a big event. It felt really good to be on the Russian podium together with the Romanian national flag after a final with France. From a personal level I feel that Ju-Jitsu made me a better person. As I see it, in life you are likely to encounter emotions that are similar with the ones you have to deal a lot in Ju-Jitsu. When you step on the tatami in a hard competition and the fear of failure kicks in, or when you are well out of your comfort zone getting your ass kicked by a stronger fighter and you have to search deep, find the best version of yourself and turn everything around. Even the daily routine that it’s a sacrifice of your energy, time and wellbeing in order to have success takes the same discipline that you need to reach your professional or personal goals. After a time we get comfortable with this feelings and when we meet them in life we know how to handle them. From far, I think this is my biggest priceless accomplishment.

2.       What one or two things do you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?

Because I have a job, I don’t have so much time to train as other athletes have, so I have to optimize my training. I train conditioning 3 times per week and that helps me to feel prepared when I step on the tatami. As for technique, I train the same things over and over again, and ways to impose my best game. This means that I search that small detail that allows me to have a response for every given situation possible. It is boring but very effective. I don’t repeat the technique so much, instead I do sparring and I only do the things that I want to improve, even if all the guys in the gym know this. This way it makes it harder.  

3. What would be your ultimate achievement?

I will open a gym that has to look perfectJ (something like Mendes brothers gym in San Diego) and have fun with my students and friends. I hope I will be able to change lifes like Ju-Jitsu changed mine.

4.       How do you set your goals?

The best time to set goals is after I lose, I fell a lot of motivation to reach them. When that does not happen, I try to think what I should improve and it will impact the most. For example this year 2015, I want to change my diet.

5.       What is your diet like?

This is a sensible subject for me, because I love food, in special bad food. I changed all my diet after I started Ju-Jitsu and I would say i have a good diet for a normal person. But it is not the kind of diet that an athlete should have, I still eat a lot of bread and bad carbs, I don’t prepare my meals in advance and get distracted because of that, so this year it is all about that.

6.       Have you experianced a breakthrough, and if so, what led to it? 

Nope, none so far… you just have to set goals, work hard for them and not get distracted. Just before you reach them set new ones.

7.       What was the best advice that you were ever given?  

It has to be the one that my coach Tudor always gives to new students, that is to “have fun in your Ju-Jitsu journey “. He started with a class of 2 people (him and his cousin) having fun and learning Ju-Jitsu from youtube. You would not give him too many chances for a journey right? In this process he quitted his job (a wellpaid one) and now he is a black belt and the owner of Absoluto Team where more than 250 people train in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, kick boxing, MMA and wrestling. Absoluto has affiliates even in Kuweit. I think having fun in the process is the only way for not to get burned with too many sacrifices, for ex. I never travel alone to tournaments, even if it’s all paid and it’s a big one. I just refused to travel to Pan Ams in Los Angeles a month ago because of that. If you win and you cannot celebrate with anybody is hard, if you lose it’s even harder. That’s not fun so I don’t do it J.

8.       Do you have a saying or motto that you live your life by?

It is not a saying but if I want to do something I will always try to be the best at it, it’s a state of mind and it gives you a lot of motivation and benefits. Also a lot of problems with friends and familyJ.

9.       Do you have some special ritual before competition?

I talk a lot to other competitors that I will fight messing with their rituals J

10.   Anything else you'd liked to share?

I just want to thank you to my beautiful wife Andreea and my family ( from home and from Absoluto ) for the support. Also a big thanks to Tudor, to Dana from Romanian Martial Arts Federation and to my sponsor tatamifightwear.com