Daily Inspiration: Meet Erik Cruz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Cruz.

Hi Erik, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
We opened 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Pasadena on Oct.17th 2017 in a 1500 sq. ft. unit, but expanded to our current location in 2022 to a 4200 sq. ft. facility. We teach the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu (a grappling art focused on controlling your opponent and systematically applying joint or choke pressure to subdue them), more specifically we teach a No-Gi style that does not require the traditional uniform associated with most Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools.
We teach students as young as 4 years old with a full schedule of classes available for kids and adults ranging from 6:30am to 8pm. I am a 3rd degree black belt in the 10th Planet system under Eddie Bravo. My wife, Lila Smadja-Cruz(1st degree black belt under Eddie) runs the Nano-Tech and Kids programs along with George Jauregui(1st degree black belt), they also teach Fundamentals classes and help with onboarding new students.
We survived the Covid pandemic by posting online videos and relying on our community to help support us through those tough months and we were tested again when the wildfires tore through our neighborhood in early January. Without the support of our amazing students(many of whom have become family over the last 8 years) we wouldn’t have been able to stay open and remain a beacon of hope for our ravaged community. We look forward to welcoming new students into our space and sharing the art of Jiu-Jitsu with them 🙂

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The Covid shutdown hit us especially hard since we require physical contact to conduct our business, we made online content to compensate temporarily, but it was a very uncertain time for us.
When the Eaton fire destroyed most of Altadena we were in the middle of the burn zone, our building survived by some miracle, but the amount of families impacted has been devastating to our community. We served as a donation center for our members, friends and family for some time after, doing whatever we could to help alleviate some of the pressures piled on by this natural disaster.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
3rd degree black belt in the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system.

Screen Actors Guild member since 1997

IMDB: Erik Daniel Cruz

Youtube/compella1
(Rapper and Lead Vocalist for Smoke Serpent) “Compella”

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Accessibility of our city, from beaches to mountains to the Entertainment industry to the Jiu-Jitsu scene, So-Cal has a wide variety of opportunities to pursue.

Least liked is the homeless epidemic, coinciding with a nation wide mental health crisis creating unnecessary urban blight in a very wealthy city.

Pricing:

• $250/Month Adults , Unlimited Classes
• $190/Month Kids, Unlimited Classes
• $1300 Pre-Paid 6 Month/Adults
• $1000 Pre-Paid 6 Month/Kids
• $125/Month Nano Techs(4-7 yrs old)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.10thplanetpasadena.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10thplanetpasadena
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/10thplanetpasadena
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvoBROGo2rx9vBzchk-zOdA

Image Credits
Erik Cruz