Welcome to World Jiu Jitsu Meet Our Coaches and Professors
At World Jiu Jitsu Academy, our dedicated coaches are deeply committed to every student’s growth and development. We value not only the effort each individual puts into their training but also the time they invest in their journey. With personalized guidance, a supportive environment, and a strong emphasis on discipline and perseverance, we ensure the importance of these qualities extend far beyond the mats. We take pride in cultivating a welcoming community where students can challenge themselves, build meaningful connections, and pursue their goals, whether they are centered on competition, fitness, or personal growth. At World Jiu Jitsu Academy, we want every student has the opportunity to rise through the ranks and reach their fullest potential, towards lasting success both on and off the mats.
Professor Anderson
Jeremy Anderson has built a lifelong career around Wrestling, MMA, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
A standout wrestler in high school, he was a four-time state qualifier, earning placements of 6th and 4th before capping off an undefeated senior season (44–0) as the 2003 Minnesota State AA Champion at 145 pounds.
Continuing his wrestling career at Augsburg University, one of the premier Division III wrestling programs in the nation. Jeremy became a two-time NCAA finalist at 157 pounds—finishing runner-up in 2006 and capturing the National Championship in 2007 while helping Augsburg secure its 10th team title.
After college, Jeremy transitioned into Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), where he competed at 155 pounds and earned all seven of his fights by submission victories. His MMA journey included training with some of the most respected teams in the world, including American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in California under Javier Mendez, and in New Jersey with Ricardo Almeida and former UFC Champion Frankie Edgar.
Jeremy’s dedication to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grew alongside his MMA career. In 2010, after winning the Blue Belt division at the prestigious Pan Jiu Jitsu Championships in California, he was awarded his Purple Belt by renowned instructor Dave Camarillo of Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu. He went on to earn his Black Belt in 2014 under Camarillo and Klint Klass.
In 2012, Jeremy opened World Jiu Jitsu, where he serves as Owner and Head Instructor. Drawing from his experience as a state champion wrestler, national wrestling champion, professional MMA fighter, and BJJ black belt, Jeremy has built a program that blends technical excellence, competitive toughness, and a passion for helping students achieve their full potential.
Professor Ranch
Jonathan Ranch began his Martial Arts journey at the age of 11, training at USA Karate in Woodbury under Klint Klaas. By 15, he had earned his Black Belt and soon after started teaching as an assistant instructor. A few years later, became a head instructor, and at 19, expanded my training to include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
As a Purple Belt, Jonathan Ranch had the opportunity to train under Jeremy, whose guidance significantly deepened my understanding of the art. That experience made the decision to join his academy a natural one. Since then, he has had the privilege of teaching under his banner—starting at a Karate school in Stillwater, through the early days of the Eden Prairie school, and continuing to its current form.
One of the highlights of Professor Ranch journey was earning his Black Belt in August 2020 with World Jiu-Jitsu. Along the way, he has been fortunate to build lasting friendships and meet incredible people who have shaped this journey into something truly meaningful.
Fun facts, Professor Ranch enjoys creating art, family dinners and spontaneous adventures, Battlefield 6, “conspiracies,” and taking long walks on the beach.
Coach Dan
Dan Schwichtenberg is a dedicated martial arts instructor with a passion for empowering individuals through challenging training and thoughtful reflection. Currently a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, he brings a well-rounded and practical approach to martial arts and physical fitness.
Complementing his BJJ experience, Dan is a Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) Level 2 certified instructor, demonstrating a commitment to technical proficiency and effective instruction. He is driven by the principle of Kaizen – the pursuit of continuous, incremental improvement – and applies this philosophy to help students find growth in all aspects of their training and lives.
Dan’s overarching goal is to leverage the power of Jiu-Jitsu to positively impact as many lives as possible, for as long as possible. He believes in the transformative potential of martial arts – building confidence, discipline, and resilience – and strives to create a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students of all levels and backgrounds.
Professor Hawkins
Twelve years ago, Professor Hawkins stepped onto the mats for the first time in his thirties—and discovered his passion. From that very first class, Hawkins knew this was his calling.
While he has competed over the years, Hawkins’ heart lies in teaching and watching students discover their inner strength through this incredible art.
Some of Professor Hawkins’ philosophy is built on three pillars:
– Show up consistently—your presence on the mat is the foundation of all progress.
– Embrace the grind—arrive early, stay late, and drill the movements that challenge you most.
– Master the fundamentals—I’ve learned that perfecting the basics will carry you further than any flashy technique ever could.
The beauty of Jiu Jitsu lies in the elegant simplicity of well-executed fundamentals. When you master the basics, good technique trumps everything.
Professor Stan
Professor Stanleigh Riser is a 5th Degree Black Belt in American Taekwondo
and 1 st Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was born in St. Paul,
Minnesota and grew up in both cities of Maplewood and Oakdale Minnesota.
Along with his love and appreciation of the martial arts he also enjoys music,
drawing, painting, digital video and graphic design. While teaching martial arts
full time, he earned his AAS in Multimedia Technologies December 2013
graduating with honors from Rasmussen College.
Stan began training American Taekwondo/Sport Karate at the age of 16 in
2001 along with Tartan Sr. High friends. He started teaching as an Assistant
Instructor in October of 2005. After earning his First-Degree Black Belt in
2006, he became one of the Instructor teaching ages preschool to adult. In the
Summer of 2007, he started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and eventually
began teaching both Karate and BJJ at the same time. In 2017 Stan founded
United Jiu Jitsu where he teaches BJJ, Kickboxing and fitness. Stan continues
to train BJJ at World Jiu Jitsu Academy. Recently earning his BJJ 1 st Degree
Black Belt in October of 2023. Along with his martial arts training, Stan has 6
years of Wrestling experience accumulated between Skyview Middle School
and Tartan Sr. High School. 3 years of which were on the High School Varsity
team. He has studied Boxing as well to supplement his Taekwondo and
Karate training.
Stan has worked hard to better the community by volunteering at schools to
teach anti-bullying and self-defense related material. He has also promoted
the benefits of martial art at birthday parties, neighborhood/public events, boy
scout and girl scout meetings. His women’s self-defense seminars have been
appreciated by the local community as well as the demonstrations he
coordinates. Stan has taught self-defense and martial arts techniques to the
St. Paul Fire Department, North St. Paul Police Department and MN Air
National Guard. He continues to work hard to raise funds and donate to
people in need including US Military Veterans as well as raising over $5000
for Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
Coach Mike
Hi! I’m Mike Foote, I have been training at World Jiu Jitsu for a little over 7 years and hold the rank of purple belt.
I started training Jiu Jitsu at the age of 48 because I was out of shape, probably 40 pounds overweight, and just felt lousy. I had always been interested in Jiu Jitsu and decided to google “Jiu Jitsu near me” at work one day. Turns out WJJ is directly across the parking lot from the ob I had at the time, and a class happened to be going on right then. So I sauntered over, watched a class, and came back that night to do an intro. I signed up right away.
Training Jiu Jitsu has quite a few benefits. You gain stamina, fitness, problem solving skills, a self defense skill set that is applicable in most any situation, and over time the ability to remain calm in very stressful situations. One of the largest benefits for me has also been the constant lesson of humility. If my ego starts to get a little too big, it gets squashed down pretty quickly.
I guess if I could go back to my white belt self and give one piece of advice about training, I would say to just trust the process. If you stick with it you will have days where you feel like you are terrible at it, but the next day you feel like you’re on top of the world. There will be someone you can handle without much effort, but then all of the sudden they have a lightbulb moment and submit you three times in a round. You will feel like you are progressing fast, but then you will hit a plateau and feel like you aren’t making any progress at all. Remember, you are always making progress, and the plateaus are usually a sign that a big leap forward is about to happen. I would also tell my white belt self that I am actually learning a lot more than just Jiu Jitsu. There are takeaways from training that can positively affect every other area of your life.
Put in the time and you will gain a lot more than just grappling skills.