MARTIAL ARTS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS

Logo 3, RMBJJ Academy Delray Beach FL

RMBJJ Academy was established in 2004

We’ve been in business in Delray Beach, FL since 2009 and are the longest-operating BJJ school in the area.

Who we Are And why You Should Train Here

Since we’ve opened, we’ve been dedicated to changing the lives of people one person at a time, through martial arts, education and coaching. We strive to provide a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for all students and family members in . We take pride in creating an environment for individuals to achieve, develop and succeed in their personal goals.

We strongly believe that martial arts can be for everyone, regardless of age, gender or experience levels. Throughout all of our programs, students will not only learn the necessary skill sets to protect themselves, we stand behind our realistic and practical approach, confident it will enable every member to achieve greatness and live their best life..

Get To Know Our World Class Instructor

Professor Rodrigo Mendes 183790, RMBJJ Academy Delray Beach FL

Professor Rodrigo Mendes

Professor Mendes started practicing BJJ in the early 1990’s in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. He received his black belt in 2004 from Andre “Dedeco” Almeida and is currently a 4th degree black belt and certified instructor under the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation) and USBJJF (United States Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation).

Professor Mendes has been teaching BJJ since he was a blue belt in the mid-nineties and is a decorated competitor on the Local, National, and International BJJ scene.

He is also a certified IBJJF/USBJJF referee and has refereed for competitions nationally & internationally since 2004.

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Carson Gracie > Fernando “Pinduka” Guimarães > Leonardo Castelo Branco > Alexandre “Grandão” Dantas > Rodrigo Mendes

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Coach Steve George

JUNIOR CHAMPS HEAD INSTRUCTOR

Purple Belt

Coach Steve started practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2017 under Professor Rodrigo Mendes. His
communication skills and background as a former Middle/High School science teacher, U.S.
Army trainer, and Karate instructor enabled him to quickly become an essential member of the
RMBJJ teaching team.
Coach Steve focuses on the continued development of our Junior Champs program.

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Coach John Robertson

LITTLE CHAMPS HEAD INSTRUCTOR

Purple Belt

John Robertson started practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts in Great Falls,
Montana during a 6-year stint in the United States Airforce as a military police officer. When
John would visit home in Delray Beach, Florida, Professor Mendes welcomed him in to train at
his academy while on military leave. After John decided to leave the Airforce to pursue higher
education at Florida Atlantic University, he became a full-time student under Professor Mendes
who awarded him a blue and purple belt.
John has competed and is still an active competitor in many BJJ promotions around the U.S.
such as IBJJF, ADCC, and AJP to name a few. He also has fought in mixed martial arts and
amateur boxing in Montana and Florida.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice at FAU in December 2019 and is
currently completing his Master’s in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in teaching.
He currently teaches the Little Champs class and Fridays Junior Champs class at Professor
Mendes’ Academy.

Coach Ashley 1015x1024, RMBJJ Academy Delray Beach FL

Coach Ashley Mendes

TINY CHAMPS HEAD INSTRUCTOR

Purple Belt

Coach Ashley started her Jiu Jitsu journey in 2010 and came to train at RMBJJ Academy in
2011. Professor Mendes and Ashley were married in 2012. The family that trains together, stays
together!
With a background as a former high school chemistry teacher for nearly a decade, Ashley
decided to start the 3-5 year old kids class at the beginning of 2019 when her son Zeke started
to train. She has a passion for breaking down the fundamentals of jiu jitsu to the level of a
preschooler, as well as teaching them good manners & discipline along the way, all while having
fun!
Ashley has competed at the Local, State, and National level as well as Internationally. She looks
forward to getting back on the competition scene once her youngest starts attending school.

Big Coach Jason, RMBJJ Academy Delray Beach FL

Coach Jason Gauger

TINY & LIL CHAMPS ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR

Blue Belt

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Coach Renod Gonzalez

FUNDAMENTALS INSTRUCTOR

Brown Belt

Placeholder, RMBJJ Academy Delray Beach FL

Professor Bradley Burgess

MORNING CLASS INSTRUCTOR

Black Belt

What to Expect in Your First Class at RMBJJ

Want to simply watch? Feel free to come in during one of our classes to watch the class, meet the professors, and ask some questions before ever getting on the mats.

Ready for your free trial class? Choose between our Adults or Kids classes and fill out the form on your screen to register for your free trial class now! The following is what you can expect in your first class at RMBJJ:

What to wear: You don’t need a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gi for your first class if you don’t already own one (don’t worry, you will get one when you sign up with us!). Wear comfortable exercise clothing such as a T-shirt and board shorts. Do not wear anything with extra pockets, belt loops, baggy shorts, or short shorts. Do not wear any jewelry. Flip flops or sandals are recommended so that you can easily slip them off before getting on the mats.

Hygiene: Make sure your finger and toe nails are well-groomed. If you have long hair, you will want to tie it back during class.

Your first class: You should show up a couple minutes early to introduce yourself to the professor and get oriented with the school (if you haven’t visited already). You will also need to sign a waiver.

Before class: Before class starts, you’ll have a chance to get dressed and stretch out on the mats. Be sure to get everything ready before class starts so you don’t have to miss anything.

Warm-up: Classes start with a group warm-up such as running laps and doing push-ups, followed by solo drills like forward and backward breakfalls and hip escapes. Those last three moves will probably be new to you, these are to help you learn how to fall safely and move your hips on the ground. Don’t worry if you don’t get the exercises correct at first—no one does on their first day, and they take a little practice. The instructor or a higher belt will make sure you learn to do it right.

Technique Instruction: After warm-ups, you’ll be to be taught your first lesson on a particular technique, then partnered with someone and go to your own section of the mats to practice the technique.

Positional Drilling: Usually resistance drills and sparring follow the instruction and repetition of techniques. Depending on your level of experience, the Professor may instruct you to simply watch this part of class until the Professor feels you are ready to participate in live drilling.

This will be your first chance to try out what you just learned against a fully resisting partner in a live drill. And as such, it’s important that you understand some basic rules for all live drilling and sparring:

Basic Rules

  • No striking, punching or kicking.
  • No eye gouging or hair pulling.
  • No twisting or grabbing fingers.
  • No slamming (picking someone up and dropping them).
  • No heelhooks (twisting the foot or knee).
  • No neck cranks.

Remember that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is designed to be trained safely without serious injury. These rules are to help keep you and your training partners safe and healthy.

Tapping: The normal way you signal submission in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is to tap your opponent three times. When you tap, make sure you do it hard enough that your partner can feel it; or tap yourself or the mat where they can see and/or hear it; or verbally tap by saying “Tap!”; or loudly tap the mat with your foot so they can hear it.

Likewise, be aware of your training partner tapping and stop whatever you are doing when he does so.

Tapping is just part of training and there is no shame in it. Don’t worry about winning or losing. Just try the techniques you’ve learned to the best of your ability and tap when you need to, ideally before it hurts.

After Class: With class over, you might have more questions, now that you’ve trained for the first time. If you enjoyed the class and want to continue training, you can also discuss prices and setup a schedule.

PROGRAMS

PRESCHOOL BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (AGES 3-5)

LEARN MORE

KIDS & JUNIORS BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (AGES 5-15)

LEARN MORE

ADULT BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (AGES 16+)

LEARN MORE

TEST COPY

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