Biography
Head Instructor, Juan Pablo Garcia is on a mission to bring the positive
impact of Jiu-Jitsu to as many people as possible. As the Founder of EDJ
ASSOCIATION and Head Instructor of 4 schools in California, JP has taught
thousands of students from all around the world. EDJ Corona was the first
school founded by Prof. Juan Pablo.
A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor for nearly 20 years, Juan Pablo credits Jiu-Jitsu
with changing his life and making him the person he is today.
Juan Pablo stands out for being a great teacher of jiu-jitsu and self-defense.
Teaching children, adults, high-level athletes, police officers, military officers,
firemen, UFC fighters, and Pride veterans. Professor JP is an outstanding role-
model and mentor to all of his students. Charisma and teaching skills are just
as natural talents to him as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Juan Pablo García was born on the 26th of June, 1982 in La Spezia – Italy,
when his father was stationed there for the Ecuadorian Navy. He was raised in
Ecuador but also lived 2 years in Colombia as a child, which made JP learn
self-defense from a very young age since kids bullied him for his different
accent every time they move.
Juan Pablo started training jiu-jitsu in his early teens (14/15) Initially he trained
Judo because he couldn’t find Jiu-Jitsu in his hometown. After training Judo
for a year he join a Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Network Affiliated MMA Academy in
Ecuador, influenced by watching Royce Gracie on the first UFC.
He went through their belt system and participated in multiple local vale
todo competitions and in 2003 got promoted to blue belt by Royce.
In his search to pursue more Jiu-Jitsu, he traveled to the US and Brazil for
seminars and competitions. Since there were no BJJ Black Belts instructors in
Ecuador, he would bring back what he learned to teach friends.
Always traveling and searching to learn and expand his Jiu-Jitsu he had the
opportunity to train and spend some time with great instructors and Jiu-Jitsu
practitioners like GrandMaster Helio Gracie, Fabio Gurgel, Marcio Simas,
Cobrinha, Marcelo Garcia, Daniel De Lima, and many others in Brazil and the
USA.
During that time he became Florida State NO GI champion, won multiple
NAGA tournaments, and competed in Brazil and Argentina where he also
spend time at the University of Palermo and training at the SUKATA
academy.
He helped Found Gracie Barra and was responsible to introduce and
establish various other Jiu-Jitsu Teams in Ecuador.
Juan Pablo was key for the development of BJJ in his hometown where he
did the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (gi and no-gi) competitions and bring many
Black Belts instructors to teach the art, from here many other teams were
created in Ecuador.
In 2008 Juan Pablo made the decision to join the Gracie Barra team and
move to the USA permanently. JP competed and received his purple, brown,
and black belt promotions under the Gracie Barra Association until the first
degree on his black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr. in 2011
JP’s early days pursuing jiu-jitsu as a career meant sleeping at the gym, for
some time on his car and barely earning enough to get by.
In 2010 moved to LA, to spend some time teaching at GB Pasadena & Encino.
Juan Pablo known for his coaching abilities helped establish GB Schools in
Burbank, Woodland hills and Holywood, and Chile, also start teaching
seminars in South America, Europe, Canada, and the USA.
In 2014, he started teaching at Gracie Barra Santa Barbara for one year when
he decided to move to Corona, CA, where he opened EDJ School Jiu-Jitsu
former PTT Corona and made it his home. During this time Juan Pablo placed
in many IBJJF tournaments and other federations been the IBJJF Long
Beach Open Champion his last event. Having his own Academy was
something he had worked his whole life for other than receiving his black
belt. Currently, Juan Pablo Garcia teaches daily at his academy in Corona, also
opened a school in Hemet, CA. and works closely with his affiliations in
Germany, Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, and the USA.
Traveling so much during his own Jiu-Jitsu Journey exposed him to many
instructors, teaching methods, and styles. Professor JP has a deep love for Jiu
Jitsu and says it changed his life in a positive way and brought him more
focus and discipline.
Competing and traveling have helped him to face his fears, meet new people
and help others have the positive change that Jiu-Jitsu brings to lives. He
loves to teach, build up, and empower others to become instructors as well,
courses on how to run Academies, equipping others with the tools they need
to be successful and follow their dreams of opening their own schools. Since
he didn’t have any guidance when he started, he is passionate about
providing it for others.