Marc Marins
Black Belt, Lead Instructor
Black Belt 3rd Degree Certified Professor| Gracie Jiu Jitsu
Marc Marins is the son of a Brazilian father and Scottish mother who met in Toronto in 1976. He is a 3rd degree Black Belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu with over 24 years in the art. He began training with 2 instructors from Brazil (Joao and Marco Vasconcelos) in 1996 and made the trip to Brazil that December to train with some of the most notable Jiu-Jitsu fighters and coaches in the world. Marc is also a 1st degree black belt in judo. He has achieved the Level Four Instructor Certification and 3rd degree Black Belt with Instructor Bars in Gracie Jiu Jitsu, under Rener and Ryron Gracie and Gracie University.
Marc started studying traditional JuJutsu in 1995. Soon after, he discovered that 2 students of 9th Degree Red Belt Flavio Behring’s had arrived in Vancouver in early 1996 and he began training with them. He then went to Brasil to train with Master Flavio Behring and his top instructors there. He received his Blue Belt on March 1 1997 in Sao Paulo.
He went on to train with Team Megaton and received his Purple belt from Megaton Dias in 2001. The years following he spent time with the Gracie Barra from 2004 until May 2007. Marc was privileged with learning from several different high level professors and masters over the years. He gives great credit to the journey through Jiu Jitsu with the different styles of instruction and focus that he learned from his different mentors.
Marc was evaluated by the Gracie Academy Headquarters in Torrance, California, as an instructor in July 2013 after completing the Instructor Certification Program and fulfilling all of the requirements of the Academy. He was awarded the Instructors bars on his belt at the Gracie Academy in January 2015.
In addition, Marc is a 1st Degree Black Belt in Kodokan Judo and has competed and trained in judo as a compliment to his Gracie Jiu Jitsu training. Starting in 1996, Marc has since returned to Brazil many times and has competed in the World Championships, the Pan Ams and the U.S. Open.
Marc has had his share of tournament victories winning over 25 tournaments over the years at different belt levels including Black Belt divisions. However, he focuses on appreciation of the whole art, the technical knowledge, skillful proficiency and helping his students master the art.