Veteran double amputee finds joy in jiu-jitsu

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5) — Laughter isn’t something you’d expect to hear in a jiu-jitsu gym.

“If you’re not giggling, if you don’t have a smile on your face, something’s wrong with you,” Julian Torres said to FOX 5.

Torres laughs especially loud, celebrating his second year on the mats.

“It’s not so much how good I am at jiu-jitsu, it’s how good jiu-jitsu is for me,” he said.

The 36-year-old didn’t always have this much joy. In 2010, the Marine lost both of his legs after stepping on a bomb in Afghanistan, leaving him a double amputee.

“The blast pretty much took both legs right at the scene. It was real touch and go for a while but I’m here,” Torres said.

After earning a purple heart, the Northern California native rehabbed at Camp Pendleton. The nonprofit organization Semper Fi and America’s Fund helped his family financially during their time of need.

“I got hurt July 15, 2010. July 18, I was stateside and I met them July 19. I didn’t even know them before I got hurt. These people, these women in particular, were a godsend for sure,” Torres said.

Last year, the Fallbrook resident earned second place in a San Diego-based jiu-jitsu tournament, completely immersing himself in the sport.

“Regardless of your body shape or body size, there’s a place for you on the mats, and you should come. Particularly to Gracie Barrea, Oceanside,” he said.

Torres has mastered the double leg takedown and he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2015.

“Rooftop of Africa, man. The magnitude of something like Kilimanjaro is constantly there in the foreground, and I always have that anchor to pull on,” he said.

Torres plans to keep climbing and is scheduled to participate in Compnet National Tournament on Nov. 30.

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