There’s a new black belt in Philadelphia and you know him as Phil Migliarese. Beginning his journey in 1990, the then 12-year-old Migliarese was a mat rat, hungry to learn Jiu-Jitsu and Relson Gracie was eager to teach “he showed me moves until my brain started to hurt,” said Migliarese, “and without ever expecting reimbursement.” Migliarese started in BJJ to learn how to fight, admitting he used to get picked on in his youth. Trying karate and other martial arts first, he always felt that something was missing, but “Jiu-jitsu gave me a sense of confidence,” he said, “because it dealt with the reality of a real fight.”

Having trained under Relson Gracie from day one, a surreal Migliarese looks at receiving his black belt directly from his mentor this past weekend at the Gracie Worlds in Columbus, OH as an honor “because he has always believed in me as a student and has always treated me like a son.” Gracie is a champion and has the highest standards for his black belts, “I not only had to be able to prove myself in tournaments, but I also had to prove myself as a teacher and as a person,” said Migliarese, who also received a diploma from the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, which recognizes him as a black belt worldwide. But wearing a black belt to Migliarese means “that I have to work harder,” he said, as he reflected on something Helio Gracie once told him: when I made it to black belt I felt like it was only the beginning of my understanding of jiu-jitsu. Migliarese feels the same way, “Jiu-jitsu evolves with time,” and he knows if you stop studying, you will fall behind.

And it wasn’t an easy journey “he (Gracie) really made me work,” but as a result “I now have a successful school” where Migliarese has the ability to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to “a bunch of talented fighters.” Owning Balance Studios and Ashtanga Yoga in Philadelphia with younger brother Rick, students can expect high level instruction “I and my instructors maintain a high level of jiu-jitsu and believe that the student is the boss, not the instructor,” he said. The facility is a family atmosphere, where attention is paid to each and every one of their students so they understand “another thing that Relson has taught me.”

Balance Studios is located at 109-115 South 24th Street in the center city section of Philadelphia. You can find the brothers instructing 6 days per week in Gracie Self-Defense and Sport Jiu-Jitsu, Women’s Self-Defense, Ashtanga Yoga, and Kids classes. Private instruction is available by appointment with Phil and Rick too. Migliarese knows he has not taken this journey alone and would like to thank his brother Rick, and all of his other family and friends, on and off the mat. For more information on training with Migliarese, check out www.BalanceStudios.net
or call 215-636-9661.