90/10 with Coach Kamrin
*Don’t forget to click the pictures for captions!*
“90/10 with Coach Kamrin”
The Valdosta Spotlight
Written and photographed by: Cassandra Vigliotti 2/1/2026
Coach Kamrin Naville fifth man in from the right and American Top Team Valdosta athletes 2026.
“IT’S TIIIIIIIME!”
If you have watched the UFC, you’ll know the famous crowd hyping battle-cry from their announcer “Bruce Buffer.” With the adrenaline pumping from the red corner to the blue corner, you’ll witness two fighters ready to bout it out, until that timer ends. Sweaty, nervous, and ready to go, you would never guess how much patience, discipline, and self-respect truly go into being a well-rounded fighter. From an outsider’s perspective, it’s senseless, it’s violent- and sure these men and women could be doing other things with their time- but it is the ‘why’ behind the MMA that brought them here. It is the ‘why’ that many onlookers may not even consider. To help make it more clear for us, we got to speak with a Valdosta Local-Coach Kamrin Naville, owner of American Top Team Valdosta to give us his ‘why’ and to shed light on the beauty and discipline that is the backbone of combat sports.
American Top Team Valdosta
Once a champion always a champion.
Coach Naville pictured with two championship belts along with his Gracie BJJ Black belt (around neck). The White belt (left) ISCF World Amateur Championship belt Cedar Rapids, IA 2007. The black belt (right) RFC Professional Championship belt of the State of Florida 2015.
American Top Team
In order to get the full picture, we need to meet the backbone of American Top Team Valdosta. Before he would buy his first car, Coach Naville bought his first gym (Valdosta Martial Arts Center) at the ripe age of 23 and knew that he would have his hands full. “When I bought my first gym, I didn’t have a car, I rode a bicycle. I worked… went to college and fought on the weekends… [and] rode [that] bike 30-40 miles a day between all of it,” (Naville, 2026). Now 14 years later, he is the owner and operator of American Top Team Valdosta. As any business owner knows, running a business is never a linear matter. Every business is different, with its own unique struggles and path ahead. But it is how you respond to those ‘hiccups’ or ‘bumps in the road’ that determine its’ success. In the past 14 years, Coach Kamrin has greeted each obstacle with grace and patience which has led to the success of his thriving and growing business today- American Top Team Valdosta. Who was once just a young kid from Miami that really liked to wrestle; has now become a seasoned and well respected Coach in all areas of mixed martial arts.
Coach Naville at American Top Team Valdosta, Jan. 30th 2026.
“My legacy lives with my kids”
— Naville, 2026
Carlson Gracie in 1955 photographed by Agência O Globo
“Let’s get down to the Nitty Gritty!” - Nacho Libre, 2006
Here’s the fun part, where we just talk about how fun it is to knock someone’s teeth out! … Just kidding! If you’re looking for that, then you’re reading the WRONG ARTICLE! This is the part where talk about Coach Naville’s specialty and my personal *favorite part*- Carlson Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As explained by Naville, Jiu Jitsu originated in Japan but was then brought to Brazil, where Carlson Gracie and his family “reformulated” and made modifications to it-modifications that have proved that “size doesn’t matter.” It focuses on tactical skill that diffuses your opponent’s movements and displays that you can have higher efficacy against your opponent, at slower speeds. Unlike other forms of mixed martial arts, (Judo for example) speed and weight are factors that fighters rely heavily on for leverage over their opponent. Fun fact: The UFC was started by Rorion Gracie- Cousin to Carlson Gracie, to showcase and prove that the Gracie family had developed the best fighting martial art in the world, that wasn’t dependent on size or speed. Coach Naville has dedicated numerous hours, energy, and brain-power into learning the craft of Gracie BJJ. With much deserved success, he was awarded a Black Belt in Gracie BJJ and has brought that belt back to ‘Titletown’- at the time, being the first in the Valdosta area to do so.
Coach Kamrin Naville, American Top Team Valdosta 2026.
Community and The Craft
“The Mat never lies,” - Naville, 2026
Where walking in your truth and trusting your abilities meets- is where you can find me. When interviewing Coach Naville we got to talk about life on and off the mat. Funny enough, the two relate heavily. For well rounded fighters and trainees- how you carry yourself on the mat translates into how one carries themself off the mat. At American Top Team Valdosta (ATT Valdosta), Coach Naville implements a heavy emphasis on self-respect and respect towards your peers. A factor that is ingrained in his coaching style- Naville stated: “[the gym is] your house and this is your job to protect it and the people in it.” A statement that I couldn’t agree more with! When asked what the atmosphere of ATT Valdosta was like, Coach Naville explained to us that it is a “family unit here” and that it is also“a melting pot of cultures and people of different backgrounds.” In other words, people who would have not crossed paths otherwise, are now working together to better their physical health in such an intimate way. Intimacy that requires trust in your partner and not only requires self-respect but also, respect for that partner. When Coach Naville is training, he is asking his students to dig a little deeper; beyond the tired, beyond your uncertainties, and beyond how hard it feels right now. Because what’s on the other side of all of those things is where you meet the real you.
Coach Kamrin Naville and American Top Team Valdosta athletes, 2026.
But doesn’t it hurt?!
To that I say, doesn’t everything? How I see it is, the cost of staying the same is far worse than the pain that comes with change. Mixed martial arts (MMA) and specifically Gracie BJJ is proof that pain can equal gain. Physical gains but mental and emotional gains as well. Any well rounded trainee will tell you that keeping calm under pressure isn’t just a loosely applied philosophy but a necessity in the world of MMA . When you have a sweaty guy going in for a rear naked choke behind you, keeping calm and thinking your way through it is the best thing you can do for yourself! Panicking is not going to save you, on the mat or in real life, but action will. Common misconceptions of combat sports in general are that “they’re all meathead jocks that are barbaric!” And yes, we have all seen how meaty Justin Gaethje’s noggin really is, but violent and barbaric is just simply not the case. Coach Naville worded it beautifully stating that at ATT Valdosta “I’m going to give your kid the confidence to say ‘No’.” MMA is about being taught how to physically DEFEND yourself and diffuse your opponent’s strikes. Everyone should have the confidence to say “no.” As Naville put it: “Real martial artists… would probably put their life on the line for a stranger.” A heavy responsibility to carry but also a perpetual protest of not being just a bystander to injustice- being able to say “no”. MMA is not just about physical strength in the face of opposition, it is about physical strength to deal with the daily occurrences of life too! The physical stamina it takes to grapple for 15 minutes straight against another person of equal or greater mass is strenuous! We are talking about a sport that calls for you to immense levels of endurance and yet anyone can do it- anyone that is willing to try.
American Top Team Valdosta athletes 2026
So, where do we begin?
As Coach Naville put it, “The hardest part is showing up.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. Right now ATT Valdosta offers a multitude of classes from kids to adults– starting out as young as 4 years old. Classes range from boxing to kickboxing, to Gracie BJJ all the way over to striking. If you’re interested they have a class for you!
Here’s a link to their website for more info:
VALDOSTA Jiu Jitsu and and Boxing Classes | AMERICAN TOP TEAM VALDOSTA - VALDOSTA, Georgia
Can’t forget the “90/10”
No, no, no, we are not talking about math here– well, maybe just a little. It is cliche and overstated to say that “Life has its challenges.” WE KNOW- and for some people that is the last thing they want to hear. What we don’t hear enough of, is that you are not your trauma you endured and that statement might bother some people too. Coach Kamrin summarizes this much better than I can with the “90/10 rule.” Learned from a close family friend years ago, Naville states that “whatever you are going through… right now is only 10 percent, the other 90 percent of your life is going to be how you react from this 10,” the 90/10 rule. Meaning, you have the power to change your fate, to choose your destiny; and even though you did not have a say in how you started in this world, you get the ultimate say in how you finish it– A philosophy I strongly stand by. Coach Kamrin did not have the easiest of starts, just like lots of people. But he has taken his fate into his own hands on and off the mat; and has chosen to make the best out of the cards he has been handed- and that is a beautiful thing.
American Top Team 2026.
From early beginnings at Valdosta High school’s wrestling team, to pro-fights as a young adult, to now getting to coach the next generation of fighters– Coach Naville has shown in multiple ways what it means to be an exceptional fighter. He does like to make note, that although his MMA career is such an important aspect of his life, his legacy is with his boys. “It {is} more important to play soccer with my son… My legacy lives with my kids.” Proving once again that your core values translate on and off the mat.
So, where do we really begin? Well right at the beginning of course! But as summarized perfectly, “the hardest part is showing up,” (Naville, 2026).
Coach Kamrin Naville, Owner and operator of American Top Team Valdosta, 2026.
