Coaches guiding students through technique on the mats at Stratford BJJ

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(01) Lineage & Instructors

Learn from black belts.

Led by Professor Ryan O'Shea, a 3rd-degree black belt under Professor Jorge Britto in the Royler Gracie lineage, and a team that teaches first and competes second.

(01) Our Lineage

A real lineage, taught the way it was learned.

Stratford BJJ traces its jiu-jitsu straight back to the source. Our head instructor earned his black belt under Professor Jorge Britto, part of the Gracie Tijuca line that runs through Royler Gracie and Vinicius "Draculino" Aieta: names that helped build modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

That matters because technique is only as good as the people who pass it down. What you learn on our mats is the Jiu-Jitsu For Life system, a structured, position-first approach refined over decades of teaching real beginners, not just competitors. It is the same jiu-jitsu our coaches were taught, taught the same way.

Between them, our instructors carry well over a half-century of combined mat time, with black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. You do not need any of that history to start. You just get to borrow it from day one.

A coach demonstrating a grip detail to a focused student

(02) The Standard

Every coach meets the same standard.

This is why parents trust us with their kids. Before anyone steps in to lead a class at Stratford BJJ, they clear the same checklist, no exceptions.

First Aid & CPR Certification

Every instructor holds current First Aid and CPR certification, so the person leading the room is ready if a moment ever calls for it.

Vulnerable Sector Police Check

Anyone coaching our youth classes completes a Vulnerable Sector police check. It is the baseline we will never cut a corner on.

NCCP Safe Sport & Ethics

Our coaches carry NCCP Canadian Safe Sport and Ethics certification, the national framework for a safe, respectful training environment.

Stratford BJJ Instructor Program

Technical ability is not enough. Every coach completes our in-house instructor program so they can actually teach what they know to a beginner.

Instructor Code of Conduct

Each coach signs and lives by our Instructor Code of Conduct. Patient, encouraging, ego-free: that is the only way we coach here.

(03) The Coaching Team

The people who will show you the ropes.

Black Belt · 3rd Degree Professor Ryan O'Shea, founder and head instructor at Stratford BJJ

Founder & Head Instructor

Ryan O'Shea

More than 20 years on the mats and a 3rd-degree black belt under Professor Jorge Britto in the Royler Gracie / Gracie Tijuca lineage. With backgrounds in wrestling, judo and MMA and as a founding member of the Jiu-Jitsu For Life Team, Ryan oversees the curriculum and develops every coach who teaches here.

20+ Yrs Royler Gracie Lineage Jiu-Jitsu For Life

BJJ Black Belt · Judo 2nd Degree Coach Alex Schweinsberg, lead instructor at Stratford BJJ

Lead Instructor

Alex Schweinsberg

15+ years of jiu-jitsu with lineage to Jorge Britto and Márcio "Maccarão" Stambowsky. Alex has trained and taught in Japan, Canada and the USA, and is obsessed with technical precision and clean fundamentals, the details that make hard things feel simple.

15+ Yrs Judo Black Belt Fundamentals

Black Belt Coach Ian Clark, competition and NoGi instructor at Stratford BJJ

Competition & NoGi

Ian Clark

A black belt under Ryan O'Shea with 12+ years training and 10+ teaching. A multiple-time medallist who studies Ginastica Natural and yoga, Ian folds mobility and injury prevention into everything he runs, so you can keep training for the long haul.

Multiple Medallist NoGi Mobility

Black Belt Coach Greg Neeb, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Stratford BJJ

BJJ Instructor

Greg Neeb

One of the most consistent, dedicated members since Stratford BJJ opened in 2013, Greg earned the academy's first home-grown black belt and remains one of its top competitors. You will find him leading a few morning classes each week, plus the Monday afternoon session.

Since 2013 Black Belt Competitor

Yoga

Yoga Instructor

Stephanie Holliday

Runs our morning Yoga classes (Tuesday, Thursday and Friday), mobility, breathing and recovery that keep members moving well and training longer. The perfect complement to life on the mats.

Mobility Recovery All Levels

(04) By The Numbers

Experience you can lean on.

65+

Combined years on the mats

1,000+

Students trained since 2013

50+

Competition medals earned

Black belts on the coaching team

/ Meet The Team In Person

Train with the best.

One free class. No pressure, no contract, no experience needed. Come meet the coaches, step on the mats and see what 2013 built.

Book a Free Intro Class →