The Ashland Jiu Jitsu Academy was founded to establish and promote the culture of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Ashland, Oregon. The AJJ Academy is the only legitimate school of sport Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Ashland. In fact, the AJJ academy is one of only two such schools located in the area south of Eugene, Oregon and North of Redding, California.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu developed from Japanese Jiu Jitsu & Judo and has grown to be considered among the most highly effective styles of martial arts, which is why proficiency in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not only a staple in professional mixed martial arts competition but also BJJ techniques are taught in military and police combative courses. BJJ techniques are highly pragmatic and are effective in neutralizing size and strength differentials, so they are typically integrated into the protocols of men’s and women’s self-defense courses.

Our Sensei and Master Instructor, Dietrich Caillier, is registered with the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy and is affiliated with Pitbull Jiu Jitsu Club Rio De Janeiro under Marco Nascimento and Adilson Jorge ‘Bita’ Lima. Many of our students have competed successfully at the international and regional levels, earning titles in venues such as the Pan American Championships, the U.S. Open, the American Cup, the Oregon Open, the Nor Cal Classic, the Team Quest Invitational, the Sub-League Tournament, Claudio Franca’s Jiu Jitsu by the Sea, and the Dynamic Submission Grappling Championships. In March of this year, our head instructor, Brent Shields, brought home the gold from the largest BJJ tournament in the world, the Pan American Championships, which hosted 2,800 adult competitors over four days of competition in Irvine, California.

Although many of our students compete in tournaments, the Academy also welcomes and encourages participation from those interested in learning BJJ for other purposes, such as self-defense, fitness, intellectual stimulation, confidence, comradery, stress-reduction, etc. It is true that ‘Jiu Jitsu’ is translated to mean ‘The Gentle Art’ but the techniques acquired can be quite dangerous and should be respected as such. For this reason, we maintain a strict code of respect and insist that our students do not practice jiu-jitsu outside of the dojo, with the exception of the rare occasion when one might need to defend oneself in the community.

Our kids program is dynamic and growing in number and enthusiasm. Recently, our kids’ competition team brought home a number of medals from different tournaments. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition is wonderful for children because it teaches respect and adherence to rules, builds confidence, and builds ego strength as they learn to accept both defeat and victory both in training and in competition. Our kids program not only offers pure BJJ classes but also offers classes that integrate techniques from the striking arts (e.g., Muay Thai/Kick Boxing ) and take-down and upright grappling arts (e.g., Judo/Sumo/Wrestling). Feel free to drop by the academy to observe, train FREE for a week to see if you like it, or call Brent Shields at (541-) 951-5180 of Steve Sharpe at (541) 778-4218 if you have any questions:

visit their new website at:   www.Ashlandoregonbjj.com