INSTRUCTORS

James Kodzis - Manchester 

Senior Instructor

 Jimmy is a lifelong martial artist and career law-enforcement professional. Jimmy has extensive experience in a variety of martial arts specializing in Gracie Jiu Jitsu where he is a second-degree black belt under Master Pedro Sauer. Jimmy is one of the founding members of Bushido BJJ. Jimmy is also a Level 5 Officer Survival Series Instructor.  

Mike Rossi – Manchester 

Senior Instructor 

 Mike began his martial arts journey with karate in 1984 and received his black belt under Jack Smola.

During college in the early nineties, Mike started jujitsu under Wali islam and was awarded a black belt.

After joining the US Army in 1996, Mike began studying Kodokan judo. Over the past 25 years, he has trained under Robert Brink, Steve Cunningham (who awarded him the rank of shodan) and Bill Montgomery.

In 2008, Mike began training in Gracie jiu jitsu under Rob Magao and Jim Kodzis. Mike was awarded his black belt from Pedro Sauer in 2014.

Gerry Navarra – Manchester 

Senior Instructor 

 Gerry Navarra has been grappling since 1990, when he joined his high school's wrestling team.  In college, he signed up for a Judo class on a whim and fell in love with the martial arts. Soon Gerry began competing, winning multiple state and New England titles. He practiced with Olympians and world champions, and even took classes at a small dojo in Tokyo. He received his black belt in Judo and Japanese Jujutsu in 2005 from Stephen Cunningham, whose sensei, Taizo Sone, was a student of Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo.

Continuing to study Judo formally, Gerry returned to wrestling when he began coaching at Manchester High School in 1999. In 2008, right before the Judo class officially disbanded, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program fortuitously began at Gerry's dojo. He went on to receive his black belt in BJJ from Pedro Sauer in 2014. Gerry continues to coach wrestling--which, along with his Judo and Japanese Jujutsu background, helps inform his ongoing training and teaching of BJJ.

Gerry has cornered both amateur and professional MMA fighters, both locally and in the UFC, helping them hone their grappling skills. He is a Social Studies teacher at Manchester High School. 

Jerry Lashway – Manchester Instructor/ Striking Coach

Jerry has been training Martial Arts his entire life. He has studied arts such as JKD, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing and is 1st Degree Blackbelt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu under Rob Magao.

Jerry is the lead instructor of our BMA Program and helps to train and corner MMA fighters.

Jerry had an extensive career in law-enforcement and the United States Military. Jerry is a Level 5 Officer Survival Series Instructor. 

Rich McKeegan – Manchester Instructor/ Academy Manager/ 

Hebron Owner

Rich began his jiu-jitsu journey in 2008 and earned his blue belt from Royce Gracie in 2009. In 2010 he transferred schools to Manchester BJJ and earned his black belt in 2019 from Rob Magao. Rich began teaching the Fundamentals Class in 2014 and took on teaching full time in 2017 at MBJJ. Rich is the President of Blackbelts for Butterflies which is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Autism non-profit created in the wake of the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, CT. He has been the Academy Manager at Manchester BJJ since 2017 and is an owner at Hebron BJJ.

Jason Smyth – Manchester Fundamentals Instructor 

Jason Smyth – Jason began his bjj career in the winter of 2011. He currently holds the rank of black belt which he received in 2018 from Rob Magao. Jason has received all his promotions from our academy.  He is one of the jiu jitsu fundamentals instructors at the academy and has taught fundamentals for over seven years now.

Buddy Delp - Manchester 

Junior Samurai Instructor 

Dan Lalancette – Manchester 

Little Samurai Instructor 

Dan began training at Bushido in 2016 and is a brown belt under Rob Magao. He enjoys teaching our youngest students, to include his three children. Dan also assists with the officer survival series. He is a veteran of the Marine Corps and currently on active duty in the CT Air Guard. 

Emily Selbie - Manchester 

Junior Samurai Instructor/ 

Women's Instructor

Emily began practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2014, and has worked her way up through the ranks from the Kid’s Program through to the Adult’s Program. She is currently a brown belt under Rob Magao. She now instructs the Kid’s Program, guiding children through the challenging martial arts journey.

Mark Byrne – Manchester  

 Instructor

 Mark started his Jiu Jitsu journey at Bushido BJJ in 2016. He is currently a brown belt under Rob Magao and has received all of his belts at Bushido BJJ. Mark played football in college and wrestled in high school but had no former martial arts background. He started with the physical aspect in mind but quickly became obsessed with the mental aspects of Jiu Jitsu. He can be found on the mats in the early morning classes. Professionally, Mark works as a client executive in information technology.  

Jack Maycock – Manchester Fundamentals/ BMA Instructor 

Jack Maycock is a BJJ brown belt as well as studying many other forms of martial arts including Muay

Thai and Boxing. Jack has been training at Manchester BJJ for over 13 years and has risen through the

ranks of the kids class to become one of the instructors of the BJJ beginners Class and the gyms BMA

program. Outside of the academy Jack is a licensed EMT and a Firefighter for the town of Wethersfield.

Helio Goncalves – 

Hebron Instructor

 Hélio Gonçalves started his jiujitsu training at Manchester Bushido BJJ in 2016 after a serious injury. The day the doctor told him to get back to normal status he joined the academy and within one year lost 40 pounds and earned his blue belt. Helio currently holds rank of brown belt and teaches Mornings at Hebron Bushido BJJ.