Co-Founder · Head Coach · Black Belt 1st Degree

Prof. Jean-Marc (JM) de Groot

Black belt under Filip Matos and Bibiano Fernandes. 5× IBJJF Worlds competitor. 2nd — IBJJF Masters Worlds 2022. Head coach of Van Isle BJJ.

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Prof. Jean-Marc de Groot, co-founder and head coach of Van Isle BJJ Victoria BC
Co-Founder · Head Coach · Black Belt 1st Degree

19 Years of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — 5× IBJJF Worlds Competitor

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.

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Competition Record

JM has competed at the highest international levels of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, including a silver medal at the IBJJF Masters Worlds at black belt.

Teaching Style

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.

What His Students Say

“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

Read more on the reviews page.

Train with Prof. JM

Your first class is free. Come learn from one of Canada’s most decorated active competitors.

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Meet the Rest of the Team