About RGDA

Founded in 1992, by Master Royler Gracie and Professor David Adiv, the RGDA Jiu Jitsu Association started with one school and one vision: to carry on the Gracie Jiu Jitsu legacy. Today the RGDA Association is the union of over 50 affiliated schools worldwide, aiming to educate and develop individuals of all communities and backgrounds in the art and science of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.  

Master Royler Gracie

Black Belt - 7th Degree

   Royler Gracie has been fighting his entire life. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and he is the fifth son of Grandmaster Helio Gracie. He started Jiu-Jitsu at the age of three. Spending most of his time in the academy training, it is no surprise that tournament fighting became almost as natural as breathing for him. He started at age seven in junior events, competing as often as possible and winning most of the events. His success has only increased as an adult. He has been competing as a Black Belt for more than twenty years. During his career, he has had more than 600 matches and has won the World’s Championships four years running along with several national and regional titles.

He has been one of the most active Jiu-Jitsu competitors in history, always ready to test himself against people of all sizes holding many different titles. 

When one looks at Royler, the most striking characteristic is his slight frame. His lack of brawn has made Royler the technician par excellence. He is totally dependent upon superior technique for victory. This technical perfection makes Royler one of the most skillful and adept of the Gracie clan. He is the pure Jiu-Jitsu man’s fighter, precise, relaxed and always looking to employ technique and strategy against strength. This makes him one of the most sought after instructors in the martial arts world. He is the living embodiment of the martial artist’s dream of skill and technique overcoming strength and aggression.

Royler's style has been describe in many ways, from reckless abandon to steady and methodical. What unites these seemingly opposite descriptions is a fierce determination to win , a driving desire to be ready in every possible way. Knowing that you can't fight your best if you are not in top physical shape, Royler searches constantly for ways to improve his extraordinary stamina, even running marathons on occasion. Royler pre-fight training regimen is so intense that most people would assume it must be his last fight. He has been known to leave his home for an extended period of time prior to his championship matches to be able to fully concentrate on his task.

Royler's intensity extends to every aspect in his life. He has been compared to the energizer bunny, relentless, never stopping. A typical day for Royler starts when he wakes up at 6:30am and rushes to the Academy after a light breakfast with toast. A great instructor with numerous world champions under his tutelage, he teaches private lessons until lunch time, when he returns home for a meal with his family and mandatory siesta.

A friendly person, who is adored by his family, friends, students and even by his opponents. Royler is charismatic, respectful and whenever he is to fight or to support his teammates and/or coach his students, everyone knows that there will be a great display of technique, sportsmanship and a true show of the sport.

A lifetime of Jiu-Jitsu experience, over two decades as a black belt instructor and a leading member of the most famous grappling team in the world – this is Professor Royler Gracie.  Only a handful of people can legitimately claim the fighting and coaching expertise of this remarkable figure.

To learn more about Professor Royler Gracie, please check: www.roylergracie.com 

Professor David Adiv

Black Belt  - 6th Degree

   David Adiv was born and raised in Israel and his love for the Martial Arts developed early. He studied the art of Judo and went excel as a student, then a competitor, winning many international titles, and became a highly sought after Instructor.

   David moved to the United States and was sharing his knowledge of Martial Arts by teaching Judo. During this time period he had the fortunate opportunity to meet and train with Professor Rickson Gracie, who recognized Professor Adiv’s talents and abilities and arranged for him to get together with his brother, Professor Royler Gracie. David, the teacher now became an avid student. David studied directly under Royler and absorbed as much Jiu-Jitsu as he could. David realized the value and strength in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and moved to Brazil to further his understanding and knowledge of the art. While training with Royler, David had the opportunity to train with all of the great instructors, competitors and students associated with Gracie Humaita. This includes Grand Master Helio Gracie, Professor Rickson Gracie, Saulo Ribeiro and many more.

David would split his time spending six months in the USA and six months in Brazil studying and teaching Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. In 1995 his talent, hard work and abilities were recognized as he received the honor of being part of Royler Gracie’s training team, David had earned the honor of accompanying Royler and Rickson to Japan for Royler’s first Vale Tudo match. Ever since then, David has traveled the world as an integral part of the Royler’s training team. His knowledge and technique have allowed him to also become part of Professor Royler Gracie’s creative team and he is featured along with Professor Royler Gracie in two of his bestselling books: “BJJ Submission Grappling” and ‘Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Submission Essentials” (with Grand Master Helio Gracie).

On his own Professor David Adiv is an accomplished BJJ competitor. He has competed in many tournaments distinguishing himself with his technical and methodic style. At the “First Annual Rickson Gracie International Tournament” David not only brought home the Gold Medal but also won the award for most technical fighter. David has also competed and done well in the Pan-Ams and World Championships.

All Professor Adiv’s experiences have helped him to develop into and be recognized by many as one of the most technical Black Belts in the world. He is able to teach all aspects of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: Self-defense, Sport Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Grappling and Vale Tudo (NHB). David is also highly sought after Instructor for Law Enforcement, the Military, Air Marshals and more. The RGDA Real Defensive Tactics System has been taught at Law Enforcement Departments at Federal, State and local levels.

David has also spearheaded the development of the Royler Gracie-David Adiv Jiu-Jitsu Team in the US. Through seminars, affiliated instructors and the annual Royler Gracie Championships, the organization has seen a tremendous increase in members in the past years. As a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and as Royler’s top representative in the United States, David carries on the tradition of the Gracie family.

To learn more about Professor David Adiv, please check:  www.davidadiv.com