Alcides Aleman, StrongFirst Certified SFG Level II Instructor, is a teacher, and renaissance man blending physical culture and literature in his practice. When the pandemic changed the lives of his students Alcides grabbed hold of the situation and dedicated himself to building resilience and success in and outside of the classroom for the students.

Alcides begins:

“No man may indeed become wise before he has had his share of winters in this world’s kingdom.”—Author: Unknown (Date: Impossible to Determine).

The moment I read that out of an incredibly old selection of British literature in graduate school, I knew it would hold weight when I occupied a position in which I could help people. I had not yet begun Jiu-Jitsu nor was I using StrongFirst principles to train my combat athletes. At the time, I didn’t take anything but literature seriously. I had no idea that the meaning of these words would surface as a result of a global pandemic or that a unification of literacy and strength would help a community of athletes retain resilience on the field and achieve success in the classroom.