Introducing Gary Engels, the founder and CEO of Leadership Academy. With a lifelong dedication to martial arts and a passion for leadership development, Gary embarked on a mission to use martial arts training as a vehicle to cultivate real-world leadership skills. Since founding Leadership Academy in 2005, he has been committed to empowering individuals to become authentic leaders in today’s world.

Gary’s martial arts journey began at the age of 5 in the art of Kajukenpo Karate. At 14, he put on a white belt again in taekwondo and quickly excelled in the discipline of taekwondo. He competed in state and national tournaments, earning Gold and Silver medals in the Junior Olympics during his teenage years. These early achievements laid the foundation for his understanding of discipline, perseverance, and the pursuit of excellence.

Driven by the belief that leadership is the most precious commodity on the planet, Gary established Leadership Academy with the goal of imparting essential leadership skills through martial arts training. Leading by example and caring for others are fundamental concepts that he instills in his students, fostering a culture of empathy, respect, and personal growth.

Gary’s accomplishments in the martial arts realm are notable. He achieved the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, earned through the rigorous Ultimate Black Belt Test under the guidance of Master Tom Callos. Additionally, after 15 years of dedicated training, he was promoted to the rank of Black Belt in Royce Gracie Jiu Jitsu by the legendary Royce Gracie himself. Gary’s commitment to leadership extends beyond the mat, as he has completed hundreds of community service projects locally and globally through Projabi, an online leadership program he developed.

As a leader, Gary embraces the philosophy that mastery is derived from operating under correct knowledge consistently over long periods of time. He believes that when individuals make their training about others, tremendous value is found within the class, fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment.

Looking ahead, Gary envisions expanding Leadership Academy’s offerings to include additional leadership development material for families, aiming to leave a legacy of confident, disciplined, focused, respectful, participative, and engaged citizens in society.

Recognized for his inspiring work, Gary Engels was awarded the “Out of the Dojo and Into The World Award” for his dedication to documenting and inspiring hundreds of service projects around the world.

With a core focus on self-defense, Gracie Jiu Jitsu classes at Leadership Academy follow the principle of teaching techniques that can be utilized in real fights. This practical approach ensures authenticity and effectiveness in training, empowering students with the skills to protect themselves.

Gary Engels, as the visionary founder and CEO of Leadership Academy, continues to inspire and guide individuals on their journey of leadership and personal growth, making a lasting impact on the lives of his students and the communities they serve.

Royce Gracie was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is one of nine children, seven of whom are boys. His training in Jiu-Jitsu began at a very early age as a game with his father Helio. He never pushed any of the children to take formal classes until they wanted to do so. However, they often went to the Academy in Rio after school and on weekends.

Royce began competing in tournaments at age eight. He received his blue belt at age 16 and was promoted to black belt in less than two years. Royce moved to the United States at age 18 to live with his brother, Rorion. They began teaching private classes out of their garage, sometimes for more than ten hours a day. Together they opened the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California.

Royce’s reputable career as a fighter began in 1993 after defeating three opponents in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in Denver, Colorado. His brother Rorion came up with this innovative challenge as a way to show Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the world. Discipline after discipline was defeated by the slight 6’1”, 180 pound Royce Gracie. The viewers were in awe.

His opponents consistently outweighed him by more than 50 pounds. He went on to win 3 UFC titles and today is the only man in the history of no holds barred matches to successfully defeat four opponents in one night. After leaving the UFC, Royce went on to compete in MMA events in Japan and is a huge icon in this country.
Royce holds the record for the longest MMA match in history: 90 minutes against Japanese superstar Kazushi Sakuraba in PRIDE Grand PRIX 2000. He also showed total domination of the Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Hidehiko Yoshida. His largest opponent was Sumo Grand Champion Akebono at 6′ 8″ 486lbs. Royce vs. Akebono was the main event of K-1 Premium Dynamite New Years Eve show on New Year’s Eve in 2004. Royce defeated the giant in just 2 minutes and 13 seconds with a shoulder lock. Royce’s continued success has opened the eyes of many disbelievers to the importance of leverage and technique in grappling.

In November of 2003, Royce Gracie was the first fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame along with fellow UFC veteran Ken Shamrock. Since then Royce’s face has been seen on countless martial arts magazines such as Black Belt, Inside MMA and Tapout. He has also been featured in Men’s Health and Fitness, GQ and continues to give magazine and radio interviews. His recognition spans the globe to include fans on almost every continent. In 2014 Royce was named one of the 50 Greatest Athletes in the World by Sports Illustrated.

Today Royce is privileged to spread the techniques perfected by his father all over the world. Throughout his busy fighting career Royce has maintained a rigorous travel schedule of seminars and classes. He currently oversees more than 55 U.S. and international Royce Gracie Jiu-jitsu Networks. The techniques of Gracie Jiu-jitsu have become mainstream in most martial arts dojos. Fighters everywhere are racing to learn and implement this jiu-jitsu in their training regimen.

His list of students is enormous. Royce has taught many of the big screen greats like Chuck Norris, Ed O’Neal, Guy Ritchie, Jim Carrey, Josh Duhamel and Nicholas Cage. He has also been very active with the CIA, FBI, DEA, Secret Service, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces, Navy Seals, and many sheriff and police departments. His G.R.A.C.I.E. course for law enforcement has gained international recognition. Aside from teaching at his Networks across the United States, he regularly visits Brazil, Canada, England, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Israel, Australia, UAE, and many other countries across the globe.

He maintains an impressive training regimen, which includes running, weight training, cross training, meditation and countless hours of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He is a full time professional athlete who eagerly awaits his next challenge. In Royce’s own words, “Go ahead, tell me what I can’t do!”

https://www.roycegraciejj.com/