Monroejiujitsu.com ABOUT:
Monroe Jiu Jitsu founder 3rd degree Black Belt Todd Williams is a Monroe, Michigan native that made his name through distance running.
He was a state champion, All American at Monroe High School(1987) before moving onto even greater things where he made two United States Olympic teams in 1992 (Barcelona) and 1996 (Atlanta). After retiring from professional distance running in 2002 he immediately started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and self defense training. After 6000 hours and 8 years of hard work he received his black belt and certific
09/03/2026
Great documentary about our future guest Adam Wardzinski..... Check it out on FloGrappling....
Adam Wardzinski Seminar
December 5th 2026
Spots available....for more information and to register go to:
Rolling With The Legend https://share.google/WcXDpXtm66GteZdKQ
09/02/2026
🥋 BUTTER ROLL 2026 🥋
This year marks the 9th annual Butter Roll!
On September 9th at 6:20 PM, Monroe Jiu Jitsu will host a 51-minute roll honoring fallen Michigan State Trooper, Army veteran, champion runner, and BJJ blue belt Paul Butterfield.
We roll for 51 minutes because Paul was the 51st Michigan State Trooper killed in the line of duty.
The Butter Roll supports the Paul Butterfield Law Enforcement Program at Monroe Jiu Jitsu, providing free training to active law enforcement.
💙 Want to help?
Shop our fundraiser merchandise: https://mjj26.itemorder.com/shop/home/
or donate via PayPal at [email protected] (please note Butter Roll 2026).
Donations can also be made in person at the Butter Roll on September 9th.
Monroe Jiu Jitsu Fundraiser 26 Online ordering for Monroe Jiu Jitsu Fundraiser 26 ends on Mon, Sep 21, 2026 (11:59 PM EDT)
🥋 OWNING A JIU-JITSU ACADEMY — THE DAYS THAT REALLY MATTER
Social media makes it easy to show the great nights.
The nights when you have 20, 30, 40, maybe even 50 or more people on the mats. The room is packed, the energy is incredible, and you’re proud of what you’ve built.
But after 10 years of owning Monroe Jiu-Jitsu, I’ve learned something:
The most important classes might be the ones when only THREE or FOUR people show up.
Those are the days I always tell new academy owners about.
Maybe it’s an afternoon class and one person walks through the door. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe you were hoping for a bigger turnout.
Teach that class like there are 100 people on the mat.
Bring the same energy. The same excitement. The same attention to detail.
Make that one student feel like there is nowhere else you would rather be than right there teaching them Jiu-Jitsu.
Because THAT is how academies are built.
That person remembers how you treated them. They remember that you cared. They tell somebody else. Word of mouth spreads, and slowly that one person becomes two…two becomes five…five becomes twenty.
More importantly, you have an opportunity to make an impact on somebody’s life.
Anybody can be excited when the mats are packed.
The real test of an academy and its instructors is the energy you bring when they aren’t.
From the brand-new beginner walking through the door for the first time to the student who has been with you for years, every person deserves to feel like their training matters.
I love seeing a packed mat at Monroe Jiu-Jitsu. I’m incredibly proud when I look around and see what we’ve built.
But some of the classes I appreciate the most are still those small ones.
One student. Two students. An instructor excited to teach.
Because you never know if that one class is the class that makes somebody fall in love with this great art and keeps them walking through your doors for years to come.
Treat the class of ONE like the class of FIFTY. 🥋
That’s how you build something that lasts.
08/28/2026
Love seeing Monroe Jiu Jitsu students doing so well! Matt Miller and his academy are thriving in Saline, Michigan.... If you're in the area stop by and check them out! ....and it was nice to surprise Matt for his 50th 🎉😁
Saline Jiu Jitsu 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🥋🥋🥋
08/26/2026
The Rolling With The Legend will be here before you know it.....a.few spots available.
The Legend Jiu Jitsu superstar Adam Wardzinski will be in Monroe putting on an amazing seminar Saturday December 5th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm with rolling afterwards....
Cost
$150
Location
Monroe High School Gymnasium
911 Herr Rd.
Monroe, Michigan 48161
Time
10:00 am - 12:00 pm with rolling afterwards
Gi-Only 🥋
*ALL LEVELS*
To register go to
Rolling With The Legend
https://share.google/SOqTB3QB2JYEoN5O8
THE ANNUAL BUTTER ROLL
IN HONOR OF TROOPER PAUL K. BUTTERFIELD II
EOW • SEPTEMBER 9, 2013
🥋 GI EVENT
STARTS AT 6:20 PM
51 STRAIGHT MINUTES OF ROLLING
ALL LEVELS • ALL ACADEMIES • ALL OFFICERS WELCOME
📍 MONROE JIU-JITSU
11 East 2nd Street
Monroe, Michigan 48161
ROLL FOR A PURPOSE
All donations go directly back to the Paul Butterfield Law Enforcement Program, which provides FREE JIU-JITSU TRAINING FOR ALL ACTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT at Monroe Jiu-Jitsu.
51 MINUTES • ONE COMMUNITY • ONE PURPOSE
IN MEMORY OF PAUL
WE ROLL. WE REMEMBER.
We get this question all the time:
“Why don't you offer No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu at Monroe Jiu Jitsu?”
As far as regular instruction goes, Monroe Jiu-Jitsu is a GI-ONLY academy.
Can our students train No-Gi? Absolutely. At open mats, extra training sessions or if you want to visit other academies feel free to take the gi off and roll.
The fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu—position, pressure, escapes, control, timing, leverage and most of the submissions—cross over.
I personally trained No-Gi for 15+ years, so I have plenty of experience with both. Today, I choose to train and teach strictly in the gi at Monroe Jiu Jitsu.
Why?
For one, I simply believe the gi is a cleaner and more comfortable way to train.... especially for new students trying the art for the first time. You have a barrier between you and your training partner instead of constantly dealing with skin-to-skin contact and sweat everywhere. Anyone who has been on a packed No-Gi mat knows how slick that mat can get and 🤢🤮
But more importantly, the gi teaches Jiu-Jitsu.
Learn to control somebody in the gi. Learn position. Learn leverage. Learn escapes. Learn how to stay calm when somebody has grips and is controlling you. Take the gi off, and those fundamentals don't disappear.
There are plenty of great No-Gi schools out there....so if that's what you're looking for go for it and enjoy that. We simply choose to be different.
Monroe Jiu-Jitsu is proud to be one of the few academies around that remains committed to the GI ONLY 🥋
Clean. Technical. Traditional. Effective.
🥋 MONROE JIU-JITSU — WHERE THE GI ONLY HAPPENS.
After close to 25 years of training jiu-jitsu, this is what I believe its true purpose is.
Jiu-jitsu is about SURVIVAL.
The sport side is awesome. Competition is awesome. Takedowns are important. Striking is important. Every martial art has something valuable to offer.
But at its core, jiu-jitsu prepares you for a very specific worst-case scenario:
Someone grabs you unexpectedly.
Someone attacks you from behind.
Someone bear hugs you.
Someone tries to punch you.
Someone knocks or throws you to the ground.
You end up flat on your back with another person on top of you trying to hurt you.
What do you do now?
If you don't have a weapon and the attacker doesn't have a weapon, and you are forced into a physical confrontation—especially one that ends up on the ground—you need the ability to protect yourself, stay composed, improve your position, escape, get back to your feet, and survive.
That's why I love the name of my good friends' academy in St. Augustine, Florida: Fighting Chance.
Because that's exactly what good jiu-jitsu gives you.
It doesn't guarantee you'll win a fight. Nothing does. Size, strength, numbers, surprise, weapons, environment, and countless other factors can completely change a real-life confrontation.
But proper training can give you a better fighting chance when something has gone terribly wrong.
We train from underneath people. We train escapes. We train when we're uncomfortable. We learn how to control another person. We learn how to remain calm when someone is putting pressure on us. We learn how to protect ourselves and work our way out of terrible positions.
And whenever escape and avoiding the confrontation are possible, that's the goal.
Because real self-defense isn't about proving you're tougher than somebody else.
It's about making it home.
That's the true essence of jiu-jitsu to me.
Not winning. SURVIVING.
08/19/2026
Every month we add another mother/daughter duo to the ladies class...it's awesome to see Coach Linz Mjj working with so many ladies/girls and helping them learn how to be safer....from safety tips to techniques....every little thing is important!
MJJ LADIES GROWING👍🏼
Great job Coach Linz!
Tuesday 6:00 pm Ladies Only
08/18/2026
When kid's class is about to begin and you ask a student "where are your pants?!"😂