John Crouch (MMA fighter)
John Crouch is an American Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu veteran hailing from the Gracie Academy. As an instructor and certified black belt, he has over 19 years of experience in the sport. He currently serves as the head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Mixed Martial Arts instructor at The MMA Lab based in Glendale, Arizona.[1]
The Journey[edit]
With early days in football playing as a line backer, John was no stranger to contact sports. At age 27 his mother bought him a membership to a local Tae Kwon Do gym. The passion built from that first class and John started Martial Arts in earnest.
John was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Phil Spence, who was then Crouch's Tae Kwon Do instructor. Spence was enrolled in a law enforcement program, which took place at the Gracie Academy. Overtaken by what he had learned, Phil began introducing the grappling system he had learned to his taekwondo students and Crouch quickly fell in love. That summer John made the commitment to travel from Denver to California so he could train personally at the Gracie Academy. After the season John relocated full time to Torrance California to train with the Gracie Family. John spent six years at the Gracie Academy studying and teaching Jiu-Jitsu.[2]
John is a Black Belt and has achieved all of his belts through Royce Gracie; he awarded John's black belt in October 2005.
In 2000 John moved back to Denver to open his own school. Over the next few years John would teach at Mile High Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.[3]
Over his career of instructing, John has trained some of the most elite ranging from Unite States Special Forces, Navy Seals & the DEA. He has also been active in assisting with many regional law enforcement groups & seminars.[4]
His coaching resume includes a portfolio of top-level athletes in Mixed Martial Arts, from assisting Royce Gracie in preparing for fights to coaching UFC Fighters and world champions.
The MMA LAB[edit]
John moved to Glendale, Arizona in 2006, where he opened the MMA Lab. The Lab has a unique trait and culture that is rampant from the minute you walk in the door. Family & Team is the cornerstone of the gym and the training and atmosphere reflect that. While Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts are the disciplines John is known for, Crouch’s cornerstones are his wife and his three children. The culture is a direct reflection of his time at the Gracie Academy.
The gym has flourished and continues to be a staple in the mixed martial arts community. The Lab has seen tremendous growth in 5 years, and is among the fastest growing schools in the southwestern U.S.[5]
Fighters who have trained at The MMA LAB[edit]
T Edwards, Randy Steinke, Jamie Varner, Jocelyn Lybarger, Efrain Escudero, Alex Contreras, Joe Riggs, Ismael Aoki, Michael De la Torre, Victor Meza, Benson Henderson,[6] Jon Tuck, Yaotzin Meza, John Moraga, Keli Manglona, Bryan Barberena, Chris Gruetzemacher, Ashley Gooch, Tim Welch Eric Aguilar, Jilian Lybarger, Aiden Ingram, Brandon Newport, James Barber (pro) Isaac Aguilar, Augusto "Tanquinho" Mendes, Adel Altamimi, Alex Arredondo, Brandon Austin, Michael Beck, Chris Grill & Jordan Johnson.[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ "About John". The MMA LAB.
- ↑ "UFC Article". UFC.com.
- ↑ "John Crouch Jiu Jitsu". http://www.bjjheroes.com. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "The Fighting Life: The Team Mentality of John Crouch and the MMA Lab".
- ↑ "About the MMA LAB". The MMA LAB.
- ↑ "ESPN MMA Blog". ESPN.com. ESPN.
- ↑ "MMALAB Team". The MMA Lab.
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