Eliot is our head instructor at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He started learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu while he was teaching English and coaching wrestling in Japan where he worked alongside former Olympians and National Champions.
During his stay in Japan, Eliot was fortunate enough to live in a community where many Brazilians lived and quickly became involved with their culture and sports. “I wanted to learn Gracie Jiu-Jitsu because I heard of people doing it well into their 50’s and even 60’s. I wanted a healthy and active hobby and finally found something I could do that wasn’t just lifting weights, hitting a ball, or chasing a ball.”
He earned his brown belt in Japan from Michel and Marcio Miyashita, instructors under Master Barbosa leader of Sao Paulo’s B9. After moving back to the United States from Japan he trained with Andre Glodzinski until the closing of the first Sacramento gym. Eliot received his black belt from in November of 2012 from Marcos Torregrosa. “I love that jiujitsu is an international community of people trying to better themselves both on and off the mat. Jiu-Jitsu is about giving to others without expecting anything in return. I hope to share and spread this idea with the community of El Dorado Hills and make a difference both on and off the mat!”
Eliot has quite an impressive dossier in Jiu Jitsu competition. As a brown belt Eliot has several titles:
- NoGi World Champion
- NoGi Pan-american Champion
- Gi World Bronze Medalist
- American National Champion
As a black belt competitor Eliot has also earned the following titles:
- ADCC Championships Competitor
- NoGi World Silver Medalist
- Asian Open Champion
- NoGi American National Champion
- Master World 3x Medalist
- Abu Dhabi Pro Trial Champion
Prior to his experiences in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Eliot was a division one wrestler at the University of California Davis under the legendary coaching of Lennie Zalesky and Mark Munoz. Eliot graduated from UC Davis in 2007 with a double major in Japanese and East Asian Studies and a minor in Education. He finished a Master’s program from San Francisco State University in Japanese with an emphasis in Linguistics and Pedagogy in 2016.“Teaching and coaching is my passion. Being able to mentor our students on and off the mat is a true gift I am thankful for each and everyday.”