Renagado Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Congratulations to Nick K***t on earning his blue belt!

Nick began training with me while he was still in high school, primarily through private and small-group lessons. After graduation, he joined the United States Army and is now stationed in Germany, serving as an infantryman.

Even while overseas, Nick has continued his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. During a recent trip home on leave, he stopped by Renagado to train—and yesterday, I had the privilege of promoting him to blue belt.

Nick, congratulations on a well-earned promotion. I’m proud of the martial artist and the man you have become. Thank you for your service, and wherever life takes you, you will always have a place to train with us at Renagado.

No Masters. Only Mentors.

The best part of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu isn’t the techniques. It’s the people.

Every class is a chance to learn something new, solve problems together, and help each other improve.

Some people in this photo are preparing for competition. Others are simply looking for a fun way to stay active, relieve stress, and learn a new skill. Different goals—but everyone shares the same mat.

That’s the culture we’re building at Renagado:

🥋 Train hard.
🤝 Help your teammates.
📈 Get a little better every class.
👊 Leave your ego at the door.

No matter where you start, you’re welcome here.

No Masters. Only Mentors.

Every stripe tells a story.

Congratulations to Kyle on earning two stripes on his white belt and Tre on earning another stripe on his purple belt tonight!

Promotions aren’t about a single great class—they’re the result of showing up, putting in the work, helping your teammates, and steadily improving over time.

Keep climbing. Every class matters.

🥋 Congratulations, Kyle and Tre! 👏

No Masters. Only Mentors.

At Renagado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you’ll often hear us say:

“No Masters. Only Mentors.”

It isn’t just a slogan. It’s a philosophy.

A mentor teaches, guides, encourages, and helps you become the best version of yourself. A mentor celebrates your successes and wants to see you eventually surpass them.

That’s the culture we’re building.

Our instructors have experience. They have knowledge they’ve earned through years on the mat. That experience deserves respect—but respect is earned through character, not demanded through titles.

Questions are welcome.

Different perspectives are welcome.

Growth is the goal.

Every black belt was once a beginner. Every experienced student remembers what it was like to walk through the door for the first time. That shared experience creates an environment where everyone helps everyone else improve.

Whether you’re training for competition, learning self-defense, getting in shape, or simply looking for a great community, you’ll find coaches who teach—not egos that need to be admired.

Because at Renagado, we don’t believe in creating followers.

We believe in developing capable, confident, knowledgeable martial artists.

No Masters. Only Mentors.

Congratulations to Alex Ferreira and his little brother, Chandler, for representing Renagado BJJ at Grappling Industries this past weekend!

Both boys stepped onto the mats, competed hard, and made us proud. Alex had an outstanding day, earning double gold in his divisions!

Great work, boys—we’re proud to have you in our kids program! 🥇🥇

Check out our student Alicia! 😃

🎸 Real Rocker of the Day #271 is Alicia Heitz from Kouts!

Alicia wears a lot of hats. She works for Infinity Solutions in fi****ms education, has a full-time job in the EHS field, is going to college, and is raising kids she says can think critically and be socially aware.

She's also a fi****ms instructor with a focus on women's self-defense and has earned her blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She loves Breaking Benjamin, Staind, Korn, and Shinedown. Alicia says one of her favorite things about 103.9 The Bear is that we're local and our personalities make every day more fun.

Welcome to the 103.9 The Bear Real Rocker family, Alicia! This shoutout is proudly supported by our friends at Hensley Legal Group.

👉 Want to be next? Text ROCKER to 574-254-1039.

Every academy has its own culture.

At Renagado, we’re interested in how you train—not what color your gi is.

White, blue, black, green, red… if it’s clean and ready for training, you’re welcome on the mat.

Different backgrounds. Different experience levels. Different gear.

One goal: helping each other become better at jiu-jitsu.

No Masters. Only Mentors.

📍Valparaiso, Indiana

Forrest and I spent the day at Strategic BJJ - Alton learning from Prof. Patrick Robinson of Renagado Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. After more than 25 years training BJJ I am still looking to improve. It's great to have a network of great schools and great instructors to learn from.

The best training partners aren’t trying to “win” practice.

They’re trying to make each other better.

Every round is an opportunity to sharpen timing, improve technique, solve problems, and learn something new.

Some days you’re applying the pressure.
Some days you’re escaping it.
Every day you leave a little better than when you walked in.

That’s what good training looks like.

No Masters. Only Mentors.

📍 Renagado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Valparaiso, Indiana