Luiz E. de Mello Palhares

Master Luiz Palhares leads Jacksonville Gracie Jiu Jitsu, which has set the school's standard for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and self-defense since 2008. He holds the rank of 8th degree red and white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has decades of experience as an instructor, competitor and mentor. A significant part of his career has been integrating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into military and law enforcement combatives programs in the United States and Europe. A certified U.S. Army Combatives Instructor, he helped develop an ongoing BJJ-based combatives program at the Navy SEALs training facility in Dam Neck, Virginia Beach, and in 2010 the 3rd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group (Airborne) invited him to run a five-month combatives program at Camp Blanding ahead of its deployment to Afghanistan. He has also provided instruction to members of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office on defensive tactics, control techniques and officer safety.