About Romulo Melo

I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an energetic kid who was always looking for trouble. One day my mother decided to take my brother to Judo class to learn how to defend himself and build his self-confidence, so I tagged along. On the first day of attendance, at 3 ½ years old, I saw the mat for the first time and immediately kicked off my shoes, began running all over the place, spinning and rolling, and feeling completely at home. It didn’t take long before I realized I was happiest on the mat. Although I was too young for Judo classes, Master Ruffone soon opened a class for kids between 4 and 6 so that other young kids and I could start to benefit from the lessons and the discipline that was a key part of those lessons. This was my first experience with martial arts, and I continued training in Judo from the age of 4 until I was 8.

However the real key was that first day, when I truly fell in love with being on the mat. It was a passion that continues to grow and drive me to constantly strive for greatness in my training, as well as providing immense inspiration to provide the same opportunity for other kids.

When I was a little older, I watched one of the first UFC events on TV in which Royce Gracie beat up every opponent that faced him. He applied amazing techniques from disadvantaged positions and was able to create an advantage from positions that should have meant defeat. After watching a couple of fights, I decided to begin studying Jiu-Jitsu. Coincidentally, my middle school just happened to have the highly respected Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy - Gracie Humaita. I became a member at 12 years old and began training directly under Royler Gracie and Vinicius Aieta.

The 1998 state championship was the first tournament that I participated in. With the tournament only a week away, Master Vini took us to the Gracie Tijuca academy. These guys were much more serious about their training and were able to beat me without much of a struggle. Inspired, I immediately decided to start training at the Gracie Tijuca academy to take advantage of the daily classes and much higher level of competition. I put all of my time, energy, and motivation into becoming the best Jiu-Jitsu fighter I could.

At 18 I began to study Physical Education in order to better understand the mechanisms of our bodies and to learn the psychology behind becoming a good instructor. While in college I began my career in fitness as a personal trainer. At 21 years old I was invited by my best friend Pedro Elias (Caique’s son) to spend some time in California competing and teaching. Living with Caique was a deeply immersive experience developing my Jiu-Jitsu journey which I compare to a masters degree. He was a guiding light in creating a life and business in the United States.

After some time I received a job offer as an instructor from Charles Gracie and decided to relocate to Northern California to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Here I gained further insight into running a successful business and continuing my professional fighting career, collecting many titles along the way.

Teaching has helped me refine even further the techniques I’d already learned on the mat and has really brought my academic studies into play, helping me to create a surplus of champions on the mat and off. I am excited to have the opportunity to train many more students, teach them the mutual respect, honor, discipline and camaraderie that Jiu-Jitsu requires, as well as enabling them to realize all the benefits it offers in every area of life. I have gained great insight during my years of teaching and have created a program that helps students reach their individual goals, both physical and mental. I work hard to create and maintain a great family environment and safe place for students of all ages to learn. I have learnt to constantly tweak and allow my training programs to evolve to meet the needs of my students who come to me from all types of backgrounds, with ages ranging from 4 to over 70 and with equally varied levels of fitness. I am extremely proud of my students’ accomplishments, whether it is winning a tournament, hitting personal physical fitness goals, or becoming more self-aware and confident.

I look forward to seeing you on the mat,

Romulo Melo