Amal Easton
Amal B. Easton (born September 21, 1970 in Santa Fe, New Mexico) is a veteran Muay Thai competitor and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie, grandnephew of Helio Gracie. In 1998, Amal founded Easton Training Center, a martial arts academy focusing on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai with 9 schools located throughout the Denver, Colorado region.
The seventh person to receive a black belt from Renzo Gracie, Amal is regarded as one of the first to bring the South American grappling style, based on ground fighting and submission holds, to the United States.[1][2] He became the first American Black Belt National Champion in 2002 and holds multiple wins as a Pan American and Worlds Masters champion.[3]
Early life
Amal grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico,[4] with parents who moved there from back East to live off the grid, initially in a teepee on open land. As a child, he loved skiing, and Amal also showed an early interest in martial arts beginning with Thai boxing at the age of 8.
Amal graduated from Santa Fe High School at age 16 and studied Anthropology and Photography at University of New Mexico before moving to Montana to study Ski/Environmental Studies at Montana State University. Realizing he wanted something more consistent and needing to pay for his growing martial arts habit, Amal enrolled in acupuncture school and received his Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in New Mexico in 1994.[5]
Amal's interest in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sparked in 1992 in Santa Fe after rolling with a blue belt taught by the Machado brothers. The former Navy Seal showed Amal how effective grappling could be in a combat situation, and Amal’s eyes opened to this new martial art, with its focus on holds, chokes, and joint manipulation.[6]
After earning his degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Amal moved to Brazil, living in Rio de Janeiro with his good friend Alberto Crane where he trained and competed out of the Gracie Barra Academy for three and a half years.[3]
While in Rio de Janeiro, Amal earned his blue belt from José Leão Teixeira (Zé Beleza) and his purple from Beleza and Hélio “Soneca”.[2] He also studied extensively with Roberto “Gordo” Correira, Rillion Gracie, Eduardo “Veio” De Lima[3]
In 1998, Amal returned to the US to open his own school and promote the art of jiu-jitsu which was not well known in the US at the time.[7] He would continue to intermittently train at Renzo Gracie’s academy in NY, earning his brown and black belts from Renzo in 2002.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr. > Renzo Gracie > Amal Easton[2]
Professional life
After returning from Brazil, Amal established his first Jiu Jitsu academy in Boulder, Colorado in 1998, calling it Easton Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which later changed to Easton Training Center.
The academy grew rapidly, with Amal teaching classes every day, putting flyers around town to promote the sport, and travelling to Brazil twice a year for three weeks at a time to stay current with his Jiu Jitsu. By 2011, the school had grown to three academies: Boulder, Denver, and Centennial. When (then) professional UFC fighter Eliot Marshall, Amal's longtime student, bought into the company and became his partner in late 2011, Easton flourished even more, growing from three schools to nine across the Denver region.
Amal helped develop high end grapplers and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters such as Shane Carwin, Elliot Marshall, Brendan Schaub, Nick Klein, Nathan Marquardt and countless others.[8]
Amal continues to compete, with numerous titles under his belt at the Pan American Championship, the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in North America held annually by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) as well as at the International Masters & Seniors tournament. In 2003, he took home the gold at the USA vs Brazil team competition.[9] More of his record is listed below.
Personal life
Amal currently lives in Boulder, Colorado with his two children, Ella and Nash, his girlfriend Shannon, and their 2 dogs. When Amal is not on the mat, he enjoys spending time outdoors dirt biking, mountain biking, kayaking, and skiing.[3]
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Competition Record[2]
- Pan American Championship 3rd Place (1999 purple)
- American National Champion (2002)
- Pan American Champion (2002 brown Master)
- Pan American Champion (2003 black)
- Pan American Championship Runner-up (2004)
- Pan American Champion (2005)
- International Masters & Seniors Championship 3rd Place (2005)
- Pan American Champion (2006)
- International Masters & Seniors Champion (2006)
- Pan American Champion (2007)
- Pan American Champion (2008)
- Pan American Championship Runner-up (2009)
- International Masters & Seniors Championship Runner-up (2009)
- International Masters & Seniors Championship 3rd Place (2009 absolute)
- Pan American Champion (2012)
- International Masters & Seniors Champion (2013)
- International Masters & Seniors Championship Runner-up (2013 absolute)
- Pan American Champion (2014 Master)
- Pan American Championship Runner-up (2016 Master)
- Favorite Position/Technique: Armbar
- Weight Division: Peso Médio (82kg/181lbs)
References
- ↑ "Academies Affiliated". Renzo Gracie Academy.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Amal Easton". BJJ Heroes. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Amal Easton". Easton Training Center. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ↑ Melani, Debra (11 January 1999). "Catching the jiu-jitsu bug". Daily Camera.
- ↑ Wilson, Camille (2018). "Passion Paying Off". Boulder Magazine (Winter/Spring 18/19).
- ↑ Baker, Boyd (March 2000). "Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting" (9). Front Ranger.
- ↑ Freeman, Casey (29 September 2004). "The best defense is self-defense". Colorado Daily.
- ↑ "Elevation Fight Team Moves to Easton". Easton Training Center. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- ↑ Barge, Chris (29 August 2004). "School grapples with reputation". Daily Camera.
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