LEAD BJJ Jiu-Jitsu Schools Legacy And History

LEAD BJJ is one of the most accomplished BJJ academies founded by Bruno Bastos. The LEAD BJJ Academy is known for its world-class instruction, excellent facilities, and supportive community. The academy offers classes for all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced competitors. Classes include Gi and No-Gi grappling, as well as fitness classes that focus on developing the strength and endurance necessary for BJJ training.

The LEAD BJJ Academy has produced some of the top competitors in the sport. The school’s commitment to excellence has earned it a reputation as one of the top BJJ schools in the world.

One of the unique aspects of the LEAD BJJ Academy is its focus on developing the whole person, not just their grappling/martial art skills. The academy encourages students to develop discipline, focus, and mental toughness, qualities that can translate to successfully navigating all areas of life. Its core values are respect, discipline, and perseverance, which are emphasized in every aspect of training.

The man behind one of the most successful BJJ academies is Bruno Bastos. He is a 6th-degree BJJ Black Belt under Wendell Alexander. He is known as the champion in the execution of Half Guard. He is not only a notable name in the IBJJF but also the CBJJ Brazilian Nationals.

The LEAD in “Team LEAD” stands for “Live Everyday to Achieve your Dreams”. The meaning coincides with the belief of Bruno Bastos. He was of the belief that only hard work and a strong passion for success can make practitioners the best in the world.

Bruno Bastos wanted to form a team that was solely fighter-centered. He then devised a team whose gigantic success rate put it on IBJJF charters within no time.

In 2016, Bruno Bastos held a seminar at Ahjo Training Centre.

Before the formation of LEAD BJJ, Bruno Bastos was the founder and head coach of the Bruno Bastos Association which was formed in 2014.

Bruno Bastos was happy with his academy. Suddenly, he was of the view that he wanted an academy that totally focused on practitioners. Bruno is a humble and kind BJJ fighter. His sole concern is his students, so he came up with a name representing his ideology for forming a BJJ team.

He made this decision when some of his affiliate students from Danny Alvarez Academy won championships and Bruno was praised for their performance. Also, the seminar conducted at Ahjo Training Center inspired Bruno Bastos in forming a BJJ academy where like-minded fighters can train together.

In 2016, Lead BJJ was founded by Bruno Bastos. Many notable academies joined LEAD BJJ. Dennis Jiu-Jitsu Club was the first academy that joined LEAD BJJ despite Edenilson Lima having his own academy.

There are many examples in BJJ where different academies affiliate from a specific team. LEAD BJJ is not the only one in this regard. Dennis Jiu-Jitsu Club was the first academy affiliated with LEAD BJJ right after its formation. Though it is a separate academy who has been in the sport for a very long time, it represents LEAD BJJ and the world’s top BJJ fighters.

Though LEAD BJJ was formed in 2016 but within years this academy enhanced its circle and many affiliates joined it. Affiliates from all continents including Brazil, the USA, Australia, Bulgaria, and Mexico joined LEAD BJJ.

The Headquarters of Team LEAD BJJ is located in Midland Texas. LEAD BJJ is also famous for its World Championship camp that was previously conducted in Midland, Texas but now Bruno Bastos wants to conduct camps in other countries too. He aims for 3 weekend rotational camps, in Midland, Dallas and Houston.

The Mantra behind Team LEAD BJJ is “Live every day to achieve your dreams”. Despite this mantra, Bruno Bastos is of the belief:

Team LEAD BJJ is ranked 10th under the Overall IBJJF 2022-2023 rankings. Since 2021, team LEAD has been creating history. In the recent 2023 Dallas International Open IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Team LEAD scored 1st position.

The LEAD BJJ Team was gradually respected in the BJJ community. Bastos’ dedication to creating a team that is only student-centered has inspired and fascinated many practitioners to take the sport professionally and create their name in it.

The ideology of LEAD BJJ Team has made it one of the most distinctive BJJ teams. And this ideology will be the reason for LEAD BJJ’s future success. This team has always influenced its students as well as people outside the sport.

Since its foundation in 2016, the LEAD BJJ Team has grown significantly and now has multiple academies across the United States. There are countless academies that are affiliated with LEAD BJJ that are making tremendous success in the sport. This team is responsible for attracting practitioners of all ages to BJJ.

Bastos has associated accomplished Black Belts with his team and also created elite Black Belts under his strict instructions.

The LEAD BJJ Team is founded on several key principles that guide its philosophy and approach to the sport. One of the most distinctive principles on which LEAD BJJ is built is its specific attention to individual’s thinking. This team is concerned about its students and highly accepts appreciation and criticism from them.

Bastos founded this team with the sole aim of giving a platform to BJJ students where all students who think the same can come forward and play their part in building the strongest BJJ team. It teaches important values such as discipline, respect, and humility. Bastos is so dedicated towards this team that he urges practitioners to keep on learning and improving themselves, regardless of their rank or experience.

In 2020, Ahjo Training Center, which was inspired by Bruno Bastos because of his remarkable Jiu-Jitsu techniques, decided to join Team LEAD BJJ. This alliance turned fruitful for Ahjo Training Centre as its students gained more international recognition.

Bruno Bastos never founded LEAD BJJ with the aim of hundreds of thousands of practitioners and many branches. He just aimed for an institute where elite and like-minded grapplers/martial artists can train with the same aim. Bastod doesn’t aim to make a large team. Rather he wanted to create a team where practitioners have the same aim and the same series to fulfill their goals.

There is an open invitation for those practitioners whose thoughts coincide with Bastos’ ideology.

LEAD BJJ has 40 to 180 team associations spread over 7 continents.

Team LEAD has won 22 medals at the 2023 IBJJF Pan American Championship. Before that, LEAD BJJ won many other national and international championships.

LEAD BJJ is one of those BJJ academies that took no time to appear on the IBJJF charters and maintained an elite symphony in its aim and practices. Bruno Bastos founded LEAD BJJ with the aim to gather practitioners who want to reach the highest points through hard work. This academy was formed in 2016 and today it consists of almost 180- team associations from around the globe.

Photo Credit: @leadbjj