Jason Clarke | BLACK BELT | HEAD INSTRUCTOR

Professor Jason Clarke has over 35 years of martial arts experience as a practitioner, competitor and instructor. He is one of the few Americans to hold Black Belts in both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo.
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Jason began training in the martial arts when he was 8 years old with Karate and Muay Thai kickboxing. In middle school he started wrestling and then joined the U.S. Army after high school. It was in the military where he watched Royce Gracie dominate several opponents utilizing Gracie/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in UFC 1 and UFC 2. Jason began training under Relson Gracie (Royce’s older brother) while he was stationed in Hawaii. After returning home he was able to keep training and was promoted to Blue Belt by Royce Gracie himself.  

While serving in the National Guard, Jason was the Hand-to-Hand Combat instructor for his unit where he taught hundreds of soldiers a combat centric system of Jiu-Jitsu. Working as a bouncer in the Detroit area he was able to refine and develop an effective system of self-defense through real world applications.

Saulo and Xande Ribeiro are world renowned Jiu-Jitsu competitors, champions and coaches. When they opened up academies in Toledo, Ohio and Dearborn, Michigan, Jason was able to train directly under the two most dominant figures in competitive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu every day.
When the Ribeiro brothers moved to San Diego, California to open the University of Jiu-Jitsu, Jason moved to the Iowa City area and continued his training, teaching and spreading the philosophy of Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu to a new group of people.

In April of 2015, Saulo promoted Jason to the coveted rank of Black Belt. Jason is Saulo’s 62nd Black Belt, and the only Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt teaching in Iowa.

Jason is regarded as one of the best self-defense and Jiu-Jitsu instructors in the Midwest. He has developed recognized programs for both children and adults, and has coached many competitors and MMA fighters to victory.
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Jason focuses heavily on training students to be capable of defending themselves in a modern day real world self-defense situation. His expertise on the use of modern weapons, such as firearms, in entangled fighting make him a sought after instructor by police departments, the military as well as civilians who legally carry a firearm for protection.

Iowa City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu serves the Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, Solon, and Cedar Rapids areas. Please contact us to start training with Jason or to schedule a seminar for your group.

The Jiu-Jitsu Scientist

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