EGJJF

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federation

EGJJF

European Grappling & Jiu Jitsu Federation

From European Grappling & Jiu Jitsu Federation (EGJJF) is a European federation for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with its office at Brandemolen 57 in Arcen. Unlike most organizations in this database, this is not a national federation, but a European training and quality network of affiliated schools.

Organization type
federation
Country
NETHERLANDS   Netherlands

The organization

Profile

Founder Harold Harder has trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu since 1996 directly under Rickson Gracie, whom he met that year at a seminar in Paris. He was already a black belt in Tang Soo Do and taekwondo at the time and had experience in boxing and kickboxing. He travels to Los Angeles several times a year to train with Rickson and claims to be the only black belt in Europe to have received all his belt promotions directly from Rickson. He is now a fourth dan.

Co-founder Michel Verhoeven has trained under Harder since 1999. He started in the lightweight division at the age of thirteen and later won multiple European, Dutch, Benelux, German, and Belgian titles.

The contact address is info@egjjf.com; the Chamber of Commerce number is 68437803.

Within the sport

Activities and role

The EGJJF offers affiliated schools their own curriculum and a belt examination program, instructor training courses, courses, seminars, guest training sessions, and support with organizing tournaments. There is also an online learning environment, the EGJJF Community, with free seminars, instructional videos, and lessons.

Affiliated schools are visited at least once a year by a federation representative and can receive a status of bronze, silver, or gold . This depends on the number of requirements met, such as classes being taught by a government-certified martial arts instructor, working according to the EGJJF curriculum and belt tests for at least one year, offering self-defense according to the Combat Defense program, and children's classes according to the Junior Gracie Jiu-Jitsu program. An instructor's certificate of good conduct is also required for each status.

In addition to Rickson Gracie's lineage, the federation offers programs related to Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu and Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu. In November, Resilience Month takes place, during which police officers, military personnel, firefighters, healthcare professionals, special investigating officers, conductors, teachers, and enforcement officers can train for free at affiliated gyms.

Why this matters

Impact and meaning

The federation aims to become the umbrella organization for European BJJ schools while maintaining a quality standard for teaching, grading, and a safe learning environment.

In terms of content, everything is built on the invisible jiu-jitsu of Rickson Gracie, ninth-degree black belt and one of the best-known names within the Gracie family, with an unbeaten record in jiu-jitsu, freestyle wrestling, sambo, and vale tudo. The emphasis is on principles such as fundamentals, timing, connection, weight distribution, and leverage.

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Media and additional information

The egjjf.com website is in English with Dutch sections and contains courses, seminars, events, exams, newsletters, a location map showing affiliated schools, and a separate member portal with an online shop. No founding year of the federation is mentioned.

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