On Saturday, January 3rd we gathered at Monroe Jiu-Jitsu for our first ever open mat as “The Jiu-Jitsu Collective.” We had a kids’ only open mat for the first hour, followed by an adult open mat. There were students and coaches from seven academies represented at the open mat: Monroe Jiu-Jitsu, Second Nature Jiu-Jitsu, Findlay Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Saline Jiu-Jitsu, Upstream Jiu-Jitsu, US Jiu-Jitsu, and Fostoria Jiu-Jitsu Academy. It was a lot of fun to see both kids and adults from different academies train together. Our goal is to continue to improve our communities through the practice of BJJ! Stay tuned for more events like this one!
Becca Charbonneau Seminar
On Monday, December 22nd, we hosted Becca Charbonneau for an X-Guard seminar! Becca is originally from the area, and currently lives and trains in Alaska. She is a seasoned competitor in both the Gi and NoGi. Becca shared some great knowledge with our students, and we appreciate her taking the time to stop in. Best of luck to Becca in all of her future competitions!
FJJA Kids’ Holiday Party
On December 17th, we hosted our first ever FJJA Kids’ Holiday Party! The party was held at Circle P Reception Hall in Findlay, and we had over 75 people attend. The kids participated in a gift exchange, played games, and got to hang out for a couple hours along with their parents, coaches, and siblings. It was so fun to see the kids enjoy themselves outside of Jiu-Jitsu class!
We are very appreciative to the parents for helping make this event possible. We look forward to carrying on the tradition for years to come!
FJJA Blog - December 19th, 2025
First blog post for the academy! I started doing this with our other gym (Findlay Barbell) and wanted it to be a way that we could keep up with the happenings of the academy, and also to act as a journal and to help others by inspiring new ideas! I hope that people both inside and outside of FJJA can be helped by seeing what we’re up to!
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December 19th, 2025
I first wanted to talk about the Rolling With the Oldies camp that a few of us went to; it was great! Dec. 5-7 @ Monroe Jiu-Jitsu in Monroe, MI.
We had a session first on Friday night after check-in, another session Saturday morning, a third on Saturday night, and a fourth on Sunday morning. Professor Todd Williams taught on Friday, Professor Bernardo Faria AM Saturday, and Professor Lucas Leite on PM Saturday. Sunday was a Q&A and open mat.
Professor Todd (Friday):
Outside trip into side control
Side control/ forklift
Bread cutter variation
Setting up Kimura trap
Professor Bernardo (Sat AM):
Over/under (Bernardo Pass)
Drills to set up the pass
Applying pressure correctly
Ways to find the position
Dog bar submission
Tons of competition insight
Professor Lucas (Sat PM):
Half guard basics through advanced
Elevator sweep
Coyote guard addition
Getting under your opponent 101
Dog fight/ back take
Wrestling up/ rolling against
Overall, the weekend was fantastic and we were blown away by what Todd and Lindsey set up. Can’t wait until next year!
