leadership Team & Mentors
alexandra peterson, founder
Alexandra has nearly 30 years of experience in the martial arts and is a 2nd degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. She has been training and competing in BJJ for over 20 years and is the first female black belt under Luiz Claudio and Thiago Veiga of the LCCT Association. She is a 2019 and 2022 Pan Ams black belt bronze medalist and a multiple time IBJJF Chicago International Champion.
She and her husband operated their own BJJ and MMA school in Wisconsin for 12 years. During her time there, Alexandra also founded and operated Rebel Girls BJJ, an all-women Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization created to support and strengthen the female BJJ community in the upper Midwest.
Alexandra and James now reside in Terryville, CT with their two adorable pit bulls, Sergeant Pupper and Tazzy.
Erin Garza, Instructor
Erin was first introduced to the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2014 while living in Louisiana. After moving to Connecticut in 2015, she began training under Danilo and Jessica Cherman. Her desire to train came not from the urge to compete and win titles, but to be pushed out of her comfort zone and be challenged in new ways, while also enjoying the sense of camaraderie that comes along with the sport.
She now trains under her husband Oswaldo Jurema at Jitsu Academy CT where she assists in running the day-to-day operations of the academy and coaching the kids and adult classes. When not at Jitsu Academy, Erin can be found at her job as a director of rehab and physical therapist assistant in Cromwell, CT.