People follow Travis Tooke because he’s lived everything he teaches. His books, his school, and his events all point in the same direction, toward a version of yourself that’s harder to rattle, clearer in purpose, and better equipped for whatever comes next. That’s a message people are hungry for, and he’s one of the few voices in martial arts delivering it at this level.

Jiu-Jitsu and Life: The Book That Tells the Truth

His first book, Jiu-Jitsu and Life: Lessons Learned On and Off the Mat, published in 2020, took that trust and put it into print. It’s the kind of book that finds its way into gym bags and gets recommended between training partners because it tells the truth. Travis writes about his business failures, his expensive mistakes, the mentors who were worth it and the ones who weren’t, and the raw determination it took to build something real from nothing.

Readers don’t just finish it inspired. They finish it with a clearer picture of what it actually takes to pursue something you care about. That’s a rare thing for a book to accomplish, and it’s why his readership reaches well beyond the jiu-jitsu community.

The Warrior Crucible: From Personal Challenge to Public Event

His second book, The Warrior Crucible: Your Path Toward Black Belt Excellence, published by Rev Publish, extends that conversation in a powerful direction. Drawing on his experience completing the grueling Kokoro 58 with the SealFit organization, Travis created the Warrior Crucible event in 2015, a military-style endurance challenge originally built for his own students.

Word spread fast enough that he opened it to the public, and now people travel specifically to experience it in 8, 16, and 24 hour formats. The book captures everything behind that event, the physical preparation, the mental framework, the emotional resilience, and the motivational foundation that separates people who talk about growth from those who actually pursue it.

20+ yrs
Dedicated to mastering and teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
2
Books published, reaching readers well beyond the jiu-jitsu community
2015
Year the Warrior Crucible endurance event was created
8/16/24 hr
Formats in which participants can experience the Warrior Crucible

A Foreword From a World Champion

Bellator Middleweight World Champion and IBJJF Black Belt World Champion Rafael Lovato Jr. wrote the foreword, noting that he’s watched Travis go all in repeatedly over two decades to become both a top-tier martial artist and the builder of a premier academy. That kind of endorsement says something.

“He’s watched Travis go all in repeatedly over two decades to become both a top-tier martial artist and the builder of a premier academy.”
Rafael Lovato Jr.  |  Bellator Middleweight & IBJJF Black Belt World Champion

So does the dedication. Travis wrote this book for his son, and the message he leaves him isn’t about comfort or ease. It’s about earning a life of purpose.

About Travis Tooke

For over 20 years, Travis Tooke has dedicated himself to mastering and teaching the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is a passionate martial artist committed to serving his students and his community. He is the author of Jiu-Jitsu and Life: Lessons Learned On and Off the Mat. As the head instructor and CEO of Team Tooke Mixed Martial Arts, Professor Tooke has created a program that molds students into athletic martial artists and confident leaders.