By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
TRENCH Tech Gym recently hosted a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar series featuring internationally decorated grappler Sam Tisdale. The event, held from Feb. 8 to 10, offered local athletes a rare opportunity to train under one of the region’s most successful brown belts.
Tisdale, originally from Wisconsin and a former collegiate wrestler, has spent the last 15 years honing his craft.
“I grew up wrestling. Wrestling is like a religion out in the Midwest. After high school wrestling, I wanted to keep competing, so I started jiu-jitsu when I was 19 years old,” Tisdale shared.
Now based in Taiwan, he is coming off a dominant 2025 season in which he posted an impressive 18-4 record across seven major competitions, including the IBJJF circuit.
His recent accolades include:
• IBJJF Asian Open. Gold medalist in the Brown Belt Super Heavyweight division and bronze in the Absolute division.
• ADCC Okinawa Open. Double gold medalist in the Adult Professional division.
• Marianas Open Taiwan. Double gold medalist in the Adult Brown Belt division.
• Marianas International Open (Guam). Gold medalist in the Adult Brown Belt No-Gi division.
The seminar series at Trench Tech Gym in Garapan was designed to cater to a wide range of skill levels, from young beginners to seasoned adults.
Day one focused on leg locks, a critical component of modern submission grappling, while days two and three shifted to guard-passing techniques — teaching students how to navigate an opponent’s legs to secure dominant positions and score points.
Tisdale praised the local talent, specifically highlighting the gym’s robust youth program.
“I think the skill level is good. I think it’s great. Especially yesterday, there were so many kids here. They say a good sign of a good jiu-jitsu gym is whether they have a big kids program. There are a lot of kids here — that’s a good sign that the gym is doing really well,” Tisdale said.
Prior to the seminar, Tisdale’s win at the Marianas Open in Taiwan earned him a complimentary ticket and hotel stay, which led him to compete in the Marianas Open in Guam.
“I met Professor Cuki in Tokyo. My good friend Everett has wanted me to help teach jiu-jitsu out here and help grow the sport,” Tisdale said.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
