David Berube Flourishing in BJJ Despite Down Syndrome

By Mike Calimbas (Writer / Photographer)

Down Syndrome Is A Part of One Athlete’s Life; So Is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

SAN ANTONIO, TX, July 24, 2013 – David Berube is like a lot of other Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. He’s very positive and has a highly motivated attitude towards training. Ever since that first day at San Antonio’s Dominion MMA (Marcello C. Monteirro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) back in November 2011 he fell in love with the sport and never looked back. From there it’s been a continuous journey of learning new techniques, tapping training partners out and getting tapped himself, and an ongoing test of his capacity to learn and adapt to grow within the sport and outside of it using the lessons derived from the art.

So basically, David Berube is a lot like the rest of us who train. The only difference with him is that he is an athlete who has overcome the challenges of Down syndrome to do it.

With a competitive spirit honed since he was a young elementary school student competing in the Special Olympics, David has always been an athlete. He’s collected quite an assortment of Special Olympic Medals for Track and Field medals and has played baseball in a special league for people with disabilities for the last 10 years. Now that he has graduated from high school, training in BJJ has satisfied his need to be competitive.

His instructor Reynaldo Rodriguez has this to say about his involvement with the young man ever since the beginning:

“David has a very positive and highly motivated attitude towards his training. When I asked him how long he wanted to train, his response was ‘forever and ever.’ He thoroughly enjoys this (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Martial Arts). Now he attends class two hours a day for four days a week and would more than he could.”

According to Reynaldo, David’s challenges as an athlete in BJJ with Down syndrome are actually to those that the rest of us BJJ students face, albeit in a much heightened sense. But David gets through it all. Down syndrome is commonly associated with a delay in cognitive ability and a unique set of physical challenges like low muscle tone but David has adapted well. David works very hard to concentrate and is very devoted to learning new skills. He works very hard at maintaining his focus. Through extensive visual stimulation and repetition David is able to learn.

In my opinion David’s progress is nothing short of miraculous. So many people have said that ‘These people can’t learn’ when talking about those who live with Down syndrome. David has learned several Jiu-Jitsu chokes and submission holds which he is very proficient at performing. All this has been accomplished in less than 18 months with no prior knowledge or training Jiu-Jitsu. In this short period of time David has competed in 3 tournaments – winning gold and bronze medals in two of them. And it’s not just the medals, which come secondary. One of David’s greatest strengths and joys lie in his social skills. David really enjoys interacting with people and his BJJ training has opened a whole new world for him to enjoy.

As a person living with Down syndrome, David’s education and daily life are sometimes an up-hill battle for him. That part is a reality for him but it’s something he has learned to cope with and grow stronger from – a testament to his will as an athlete with Down syndrome. He has a poster from school that says, “Don’t stand in my way and tell me I can’t do it, move out of my way and watch me do it.”

This pretty much sums up the athlete that is David Berube.