Instructors - Americana Jiu Jitsu

Instructors & STAFF

Meet the team at Americana Jiu Jitsu

Kevin Carestia

Black Belt Professor

Kevin received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in February 2019 from Professor Emily Kwok. He enjoys teaching more advanced techniques and is our in-house expert on all things leg lock-related.

Vinny LaSpisa

Black Belt Professor

Vinny is a first-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which he received from Professor Casey Van Brookhoven in December 2017. His classes are known for focusing on fundamentals that work.

Andy Smedley

Black Belt Professor

Andy is a first-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which he received from Professor Casey Van Brookhoven in December 2017. As a former wrestler and currently a youth wrestling coach, Andy’s Jiu Jitsu style is influenced by wrestling.

Zack Blomquist

Brown Belt Instructor

Zack is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He’s our head kids instructor and also teaches an adult fundamentals class. Zack has taught kids martial arts for 6+ years and trained Jiu Jitsu for the past 8+ years and Tae Kwon Do as a child and teen.

Mike Chiuchiolo

Brown Belt Instructor

Mike is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and teaches our ‘Foot Lock Friday’ adult no-gi class. Mike has trained Jiu Jitsu for the past 5 years and is known for his exceptional leg lock game.

Roel Verlinden

Jiu Jitsu Instructor

Roel is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and teaches our midday Fundamentals class as well as our kids competition prep classes. Roel has trained Jiu Jitsu for the past 5 years and also holds the rank of brown belt in Judo with 15 years of experience.

Eileen Yeager

Yoga Instructor

Eileen teaches our morning yoga all-level flow classes. She completed her teacher training with Powers Yoga in 2013 and is E-RYT certified in addition to currently studying for her 500-hour yoga certification.

Laurie Berenson

Manager

Laurie is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has been training for 9 years. She teaches our Saturday Women’s Fundamentals class in addition to being the point person on all things member-related, working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the academy running smoothly.

I really enjoy the adult classes. Really good bunch of instructors. Not intimidating at all. Great studio and a really personable clientele. My 3 year old gets up every morning and asks “am I doing jiu-jitsu tonight?” He loves going! Clean and professional set up. Couldn’t recommend enough.

Damian O’Leary

2021-10-02

Super clean and modern facility. People are very friendly and you feel comfortable as soon as you walk in the door. Great atmosphere.

andrew smedley

2021-04-12

Love this place. My daughter has been a part of the kids program since she was 6 years old. She's about to turn 9 and I can't remember her ever saying she didn't want to go to class. The instructors are fun, detailed, and friendly. Ive seen my daughter's confidence grow immensely.

Shuman Roy

2021-04-06

I put myself totally out of my comfort zone trying jiu jitsu, and I’m so happy that I did so with the Americana bjj community! The place is pristine, they have great Covid protocols, the classes are scheduled at convenient times, and you’ll never meet a friendlier or more supportive group of teachers, staff and members. The teachers are all brilliant. My daughter has been training 18 months and could not wait to get back there.

Anna Movsesian

2021-03-31

Both my kids and I are members of Americana. The kids classes are well-run, fun, and challenging, and I love the opportunity to learn from multiple black belts with different styles in the adult program. If you’re looking at Jiu Jitsu schools, you owe it to yourself to check out Americana.

The gym is breathtaking, both the appearance and welcoming demeanor. I appreciate that the school provides training for both self-defense and sport competition. Americana has many black belt instructors which makes it extremely unique. More importantly, the instructors are very effective in their teaching methodologies and spend time throughout class providing valuable feedback to students on the techniques taught. You can not go wrong trying out this gym!

Michael C

2021-01-05

I highly recommend Americana Jiu Jitsu. No expense was spared at this place, it is by far the nicest and cleanest school I've ever been too. No school in the area comes close to this place in terms of instruction and amenities.

Kevin C

2020-09-10

Americana is a fantastic academy. There are many black belt instructors, each with their own style of training and teaching. The adult student body is family-like, with everyone pushing one another hard with the intention of improving everyone's skill set. It's also one of the most aesthetically beautiful academies with super clean white mats on a platform.

Michael Raff

Instructors & STAFF

Kevin Carestia

Black Belt Professor

Vinny LaSpisa

Black Belt Professor

Andy Smedley

Black Belt Professor

Zack Blomquist

Brown Belt Instructor

Mike Chiuchiolo

Brown Belt Instructor

Roel Verlinden

Jiu Jitsu Instructor

Eileen Yeager

Yoga Instructor

Laurie Berenson

Manager

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AMERICANA JIU JITSU