Ian Sample
Mitsuyo Maeda -> Carlos Gracie Sr -> Carlos Gracie Jr -> Marcio Laudier Vilamor -> Micah Reyes -> Ian Sample
I have been studying jiu jitsu in Ballard for over 18 years. I love the emphasis on learning and community. As a professional teacher, my goal is to help students learn jiu jitsu as effectively as possible.
Exercise, community, mental health, learning and competing all feature into training for me. How can we stay fit without the tedium of typical exercise? How can you feel connected with those around you? How does training build mental resilience? What is the most effective way to learn bjj? How can we push ourselves and each other to do our best? It can be intimidating to start training, but not here. Our school is committed to being safe, friendly and inclusive. Come try a class, and see how it works for you.
Outside of jiu jitsu I am a father, teacher, coach and more.
Mike Strassburger
Mitsuyo Maeda -> Carlos Gracie Sr -> Carlos Gracie Jr -> Marcio Laudier Vilamor -> Micah Reyes -> Mike Strassburger
I began my adult martial arts journey in Aikido with Bruce Bookman, working my way up to Shodan. While training Aikido, Sensei Bookman put me down on the mat and started “wrestling” with me. Shocked, I asked, “What are you doing?!”, he replied, “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu!”. I almost immediately switched my focus and have been training BJJ ever since. I started at NW Fight Club in a storage facility in Burien then trained with Glen Barber in Wallingford, moved to NWJJA with Brian Johnson in North Seattle, then finally settled in here at Ballard Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve now been practicing for about 25 years.
My approach to BJJ is very old school - I like to stick to the basics and work them against all new innovations. I may not always have an answer, but it’s the puzzle and the constant searching that I love about BJJ. Even after more than 20 years I love that I can have times on the mat where I feel like a white belt again!
Outside of BJJ I am very happily married for over 30 years, have 2 grown kids and I have always loved music. Professionally I am a graphic designer.
Zack Paleias
Mitsuyo Maeda -> Carlos Gracie Sr -> Carlos Gracie Jr -> Marcio Laudier Vilamor -> Micah Reyes -> Zack Paleias
I have been studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for about 16 years and hope to one day be good at it. I came to this art in my early 30s with over 20 years of prior experience in martial arts and combatives and wish I could have just started with this. My style is heavily based on BJJ fundamentals, takedowns and positioning with with a mma/self-defense striking mindset. My goal as an instructor is to help my students to learn the most important details of every technique more quickly than I did which is...actually a pretty low bar.
When not at BJJ I'm thinking about BJJ, watching videos about BJJ, talking about BJJ or escaping into books containing spaceships and/or sword fights.
Paul Gutierrez
Vong Ly
Casey Malone
Bevin McLeod
One time Bevin tried jiu jitsu. It’s been 8.5 years and she’s still a pain in our asses.
Gwen Roote
Gwen fell in love with jiu jitsu in 2017 when she was 19 years old. She likes the puzzle that takes her whole body to solve, and it makes her feel empowered to face the world as herself, which she loves to share with other members of her community. Gwen teaches a weekly adults class, a kids class, and hosts 2 monthly Queer jiu jitsu classes that are free to the community. She also organizes martial arts events for the LBGT+ community around the Seattle area.
Anthony Barr-Jeffrey
Anthony has been practicing BJJ for 14 years, training from White to Brown belt here at Ballard. Anthony became interested in BJJ as a 40 year old MMA fan, with no background in martial arts, who needed to get in shape but had no interest in getting punched in the face. When not on the mat (or thinking about being on the mat), Anthony stays busy with his family, his dog, Phoebe, church/community volunteering, and working professionally in mental health support services.
Abby Austin
Abigail Austin (They/She) is a world traveling musician, community organizer, Muay Thai coach, and fighter. With 10 ring fights on both the European and American continents, Abby has the experience of being a smaller, heavier, fighter. This set them on a path of developing in-fighting styles tailored for countering larger/taller opponents. While their identity as a queer/trans and leftist person opened their eyes towards the need for ethical training spaces. A lifetime of community organizing provided them with many of the skills needed to create and foster places made for marginalized folks, and all those who rarely feel comfortable in traditional gym spaces. After nearly a decade of experience training Muay Thai, Dutch Kickboxing, K1, and traditional boxing around the world. Abby brings a truly unique set of skills and infectious enthusiasm to every gym environment. Where their commitment to confronting and untangling many toxic elements in our culture brings an uncommon, and needed perspective to the world of combat sports.