Rodrigo Vaghi - 5th Degree Black Belt
Rodrigo Vaghi started his martial arts training in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil when he was just 4 years old.Rodrigo began in judo, but as a teenager made the transition over to jiu-jitsu. Rodrigo trained frequently at the original Gracie Academy under the guidance of Helio and Rickson Gracie. After earning his black belt he moved to the United States to share his love for jiu-jitsu as an official representative of Rickson.
For more about Rodrigo, we encourage you to listen to the interview below to learn more about his history and his philosophy regarding training,
William "Bill" Krieg - 1st Degree Black Belt
William "Bill" Krieg started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu during the summer of 1997 at a martial arts school in Milwaukee, WI. At the time, no one in the state was higher than a blue belt rank. It was not uncommon for large jiu-jitsu training groups to be led by a white belt. To progress, students needed to seek out black belts knowledge by traveling and attending seminars. To ensure his progression, Bill joined the Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association so he could attend seminars throughout the Midwest.
The first seminar Bill attending was taught by Rickson representative Rodrigo Vaghi. Bill was immediately impressed by the effectiveness of technique and depth of knowledge Rodrigo offered. Since that seminar over 20 years ago, Bill has been a loyal student and member of Team Vaghi.
Bill was promoted to black belt in May, 2013 by Rodrigo Vaghi during a visit to Rodrigo's main school in St. Louis, MO. As a black belt, Bill focuses his energy on passing along the technical knowledge and team ideologies instilled by Rodrigo Vaghi.