Black belt under Filip Matos and Bibiano Fernandes. 5× IBJJF Worlds competitor. 2nd — IBJJF Masters Worlds 2022. Head coach of Van Isle BJJ.
Professor Jean-Marc (“JM”) de Groot is the head coach and co-founder of Van Isle Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. A 1st-degree black belt with nearly two decades on the mats, JM has built one of Canada’s most respected BJJ programs by combining world-class technique with a sincere belief that every student deserves world-class coaching — from the white belt who just walked in to the brown belt prepping for Worlds.
JM earned his black belt under two of the most decorated coaches in the sport: Filip Matos and Bibiano Fernandes. He has trained extensively at the world’s elite academies — ATOS Jiu Jitsu in San Diego, Cobrinha’s BJJ in Los Angeles, and Lovato’s School of Jiu Jitsu in Oklahoma City — and brings those modern, sharp details into every Victoria class he teaches.
Book a Class with Prof. JM →JM has competed at the highest international levels of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, including a silver medal at the IBJJF Masters Worlds at black belt.
JM’s coaching is concept-driven, principle-based, and obsessively clear. He doesn’t teach 100 techniques — he teaches the 10 frames, angles, and grips that unlock 100 techniques. Students leave class understanding why a move works, not just how.
He is equally comfortable teaching a white belt their first armbar as he is helping a brown belt fix a closed-guard problem before a major tournament. The same care, the same precision, the same standards — whether you’re competing at Worlds or just trying to make it through your first month.
“The techniques the coaches teach always give me an ‘A-ha’ moment.” — Andrew Le, Purple Belt
“I gained more skills in my first six months at Van Isle than in two years of practice at other teams. The best coaches in BC — detail oriented, fantastic for any level.” — Rafa Canon, Blue Belt
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