John Crouch is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under the legendary Gracie Jiu Jitsu fighter, Royce Gracie. Crouch learned his BJJ skill from the Gracie family having used his knowledge as a coach, teaching both MMA (mixed martial arts) and BJJ at the world famous martial arts academy, MMA Lab (in Glendale, AZ), to some of the prime fighters in the world such as Alvin Robinson, TUF season 9 winner Efrain Escudero and “Smooth” Ben Henderson.
John Crouch Jiu Jitsu
Full Name: John Crouch
Nickname: n/a
Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Royce Gracie > John Crouch
Main Achievements: n/a
Favorite Technique: n/a
Weight Division: n/a
Team/Association: John Crouch Jiu Jitsu/MMA Lab
John Crouch Biography
John Crouch was born in Philadelphia, PA. in 1964. A football player in his youth, Crouch found out about Jiu Jitsu through Phil Spence, John’s Tae Kwon Do instructor who joined a Law Enforcement program at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California. Upon Spence’s return a grappling class was open at the gym, where Crouch began dipping his toes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the year was 1993 and he was 29 years old.
His passion for Jiu Jitsu grew fast, and the following Summer John Crouch decided to spend a month at the Gracie Academy, training day and night with Rorion and Royce Gracie. This cemented his wish to dedicate his life to the Gracie style of fighting, applying for the instructor’s program next and moving to California in 1995 to learn the Gracie trade.
Crouch spent 5 years with the Gracie family, including one of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu founders, Helio Gracie, who ran the instructor program classes for about 2 years. In 2000 after John received his purple belt, he moved to Denver opening the Mile High Jiu Jitsu club. Crouch remained the coach earning his brown belt and later his black belt (on October 2005) from the hands of Royce Gracie.
In 2006 John Crouch moved to Glendale, Arizona becoming the head instructor of the Jiu Jitsu and MMA team at the MMA Lab where he coached a number of top level MMA fighters such as Mitch Clarke, Alex Caceres, Jamie Varner, John Moraga, Alvin Robinson, TUF season 9 winner Efrain Escudero and UFC lightweight superstar Benson Henderson. With a hard work/no nonsense approach to training Crouch steadily asserted himself as one of the prime MMA coaches in the world.
