I started my martial arts journey in 2004, when I was a 19 year old soldier in the Army. I was trained through the Army Combatives program, where I became a level three combatives instructor. Three years into my martial arts journey, I took silver at the 2007 All Army Combatives Tournament. During my military career, I helped train active duty and national guard soldiers in hand to hand combat. After leaving the military, I continued to train BJJ, wrestling, judo, and boxing while going to college to receive my Pedagogy/Kinesiology degree from the University of Illinois. Throughout my journey, I have been a student of and have trained with a variety of notable MMA/BJJ competitors and teachers from Illinois: Jack McVicker, James Martin, and Jordan Anderson. I have more than ten years of experience teaching physical education, special education, and martial arts. I have been teaching our own kids (Kira and Kal) BJJ since they were four years old, and they are now successful competitors in midwestern BJJ tournaments. Kira and Kal are my high-speed assistants in kids' classes. Even my wife, Rachel, does BJJ! My goal as a Jiu Jitsu instructor is to help people build confidence, focus, toughness, and the ability to learn new skills. Come train with us and I guarantee you'll be happy with our learning environment!