Meet the Team
Professor Chuy
"Jiu Jitsu has helped me be more confident in my overall life and has helped me work through any anxiety I may be faced with. Jiu Jitsu is not only great for self-defense but also serves as a mental and physical foundation."
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Professor Chuy loves to teach and is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others. His favorite part of teaching Jiu Jitsu is the social community of friends that are built within and outside of Jiu Jitsu.
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He has been practicing Mixed Martial Arts and Jiu Jitsu for about 15 years with a primary focus on Jiu Jitsu, achieving a black belt under Professor Breno Bittencourt. He has competed all over Washington and in Oregon from white belt to brown belt.
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He has experience in MMA which was the start of his mixed martial arts journey. He has had the privilage of training with current or ex UFC fighters such as Julian Erosa, Meisha Tate, Bryan Carraway, and Gustavo Lopez amongst many.
He has attended and gain knowledge from special seminars from some of the the best, high level Jiu-Jitsu practitioners such as Kron Gracie and many other Jiu-Jitsu black belts.
He will continue to seek higher knowledge and skill in his mixed martial arts by attending Jiu-Jitsu seminars hosted by some of the elite in the Jiu-Jitsu world. This will allow him to continue personal growth within himself and the growth in his students through his lessons. ​
Coach Angie
"My key values are empathy, authenticity, and commitment to women. If you want to take the next step towards your best version, I will be happy to accompany you in this transformative process."
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Coach Angie Leyva is a fitness professional with 9 years of experience in functional training and 7 years practicing CrossFit, including competing in the sport. Her expertise is complemented by specialized training in:
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Olympic Weightlifting: Mastery of techniques and fundamentals of weightlifting.
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Gymnastics: Skills in strength, control, and mobility exercises.
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Use of Equipment: Such as the rowing machine, optimizing its use for cardiovascular and endurance training.
Additionally, Angie has been a boot camp coach in Texas, leading dynamic and motivating group sessions. Her primary focus is on designing personalized training programs, particularly for women, helping them achieve their goals effectively and safely.
Moreover, for the past 2 and a half years, Angie has been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, earning a blue belt in this discipline. This new challenge enhances her profile by adding discipline, technique, and an additional focus on physical and mental development.
About Jiu Jitsu
A martial art and combat sport that focuses on groundfighting, with the goal of gaining a dominant position from which to force an attacker to submit, either through strikes or a finishing hold.
Modern Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) traces it origins to Japanese jujutsu (the traditional Japanese spelling), which had existed for several centuries in Japan. Jujutsu translates as “soft art,” an expression that conveys its central principle—to yield to your opponent’s strength and use it against them, while using leverage and technique to maximize your own strength.
By applying the “soft art” principles to fighting on the ground (a place where most fights will end up anyway), jiu-jitsu allows a smaller, weaker person to more successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant. Jiu-jitsu can be used for self-defense, sport grappling tournaments (gi and no-gi) and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition; in fact, a background in jiu-jitsu is considered essential for any serious MMA fighter.
The techniques of BJJ allow students to train cooperatively and safely at full speed; thus, students become comfortable with combat and can test the effectiveness of their techniques every day. Live sparring and drilling always play a central role in training and are often the criteria on which rankings are determined.
