INSTRUCTORS
Marcelo Alonso was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, being raised in the Copacabana area, nearby the Carlson Gracie academy. When growing up, Marcelo used to play a lot with Junior, Master Carlson Gracie‘s son. It was through this close friendship that Marcelo started training Jiu Jitsu. Although Alonso’s parents did not have the means to pay for the academy fees at the time, the Gracie Master agreed to coach Marcelo for a token amount, and so he started, at the age of 12.
For the first 3 years Master Carlson did not allow Marcelo to compete. This was part of the iconic Gracie’s coaching method, put in place to allow the students to get a solid knowledge of the jiu jitsu basics before entering a tournament, for this reason Alonso’s first competition was at the age of 15 (early 1980’s) carrying his competitor life until his mid 20’s.
In 1985, due to his school schedule, Marcelo Alonso left the Carlson Gracie Academy and carried on learning jiu jitsu at the Gracie Barra academy, having Rigan Machado as his coach, and sharing the mats with many of GB’s top students. Alonso would return to the Zona Sul of Rio de Janeiro to complete his law degree, being accepted with open arms back into his old team. He also became one of the instructors at the CGA gym in 1989.
There is an interesting story which was told by Marcelo Alonso on his old website (now extinct) of how he asked his instructor, after a few years as a brown belt and a very favorable competitive record, how long it would take until he was worthy of a black belt, to which Master Carlson replied: “you talk too much, wait two more years”.
Master Carlson eventually awarded Marcelo Alonso with his black belt in 1995. Marcelo became one of the head instructors of the CGA during this period, but by 1997 he left Brazil to try his chance at a better life in the United States, settling in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in the Seattle area.
In Seattle Marcelo quickly became a reference for the local jiu jitsu community, producing great talent and pushing for the development of the sport in the area.
In January 2024, Master Marcelo achieved a remarkable milestone in his jiu-jitsu journey by being awarded the prestigious coral belt. This significant accomplishment represents the culmination of decades of dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to the art of jiu-jitsu. Throughout his career, Marcelo has played a pivotal role in the advancement and evolution of jiu-jitsu, not only as a martial art but also as a way of life.
The coral belt, often referred to as the "Master's Belt," is a symbol of unparalleled expertise, wisdom, and mastery in the art of jiu-jitsu. It is a testament to Marcelo's profound understanding of the techniques, principles, and philosophy of jiu-jitsu, as well as his profound impact on the lives of those he has touched along his journey.
Marcelo Alonso
HEAD PROFESSOR
Sean Ryan
JIU-JITSU
Eric (Pete) Peterson
JIU JITSU, YOUTH PROGRAM
Pete began his martial arts journey in 1995 with wrestling, then took up karate in 1997. He has been an active competitor in one form or another ever since. In 2007, Pete took his first jiu-jitsu class. He was instantly hooked but had to dedicate his time to achieving a black belt in karate and competing in the adult point fighting circuit.
It wasn't until 2015, after college and traveling the country, that Pete was able to commit to training Brazilian jiu-jitsu full time. Pete knew he wanted to open his own school someday, so he went to school for personal training. He began working as a trainer to accommodate a complementary skill set while being able to structure his schedule around jiu-jitsu training. Since then, Pete has been doing both full-time.
Now, Pete's focus is building the kids' program with Marcelo Alonso. Pete is a long-time student of Marcelo's, currently holding the rank of black belt. Along with his work here, Pete works as a trainer at Ballard Health Club in Ballard. He is an active competitor in powerlifting and holds a WA state record for bench press.
Pete has a passion for working with youth; jiu-jitsu is a path through which discipline and hard work foster growth and character. He loves being able to see how martial arts plays into their ability to transform and grow into compassionate, hardworking adults who can advocate for themselves and others. It gives Pete purpose and direction in his own life, and it's an honor to pass that on to the next generation. Jiu-jitsu teaches us that hard work leads to great things, and that hard things are worth doing.
Sean has trained with Marcelo Alonso since 2002 and is a 3rd degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was inspired to pursue martial arts by Bruce Lee and his philosophy of martial arts in the book about Lee, Tao of Jeet Kun Do. Later he was inspired by Royce Gracie defeating much larger opponents in the early UFC.
While initially being drawn to combat, Sean quickly fell in love with the chess game of jiu jitsu. He competed in the local tournament scene from blue to brown belt. As a black belt he competed in the master’s division of IBJJF tournaments across the nation, winning gold in the Seattle IBJJF masters lightweight division.
Sean has a master’s degree in Existential Therapeutic Psychology from the University of Washington. He has been in private practice since 2010, specializing in couples therapy and mindfulness based cognitive therapy.
He is happily married to his wife, Taua, and lives in Everett, Washington with their two dogs, Koa and Seamus.
Sean enjoys traveling with his wife, discussing philosophy or politics over a glass of wine, a Sunday with football and beers, or playing Magic the Gathering with friends.
Nick Simeti
WRESTLING
Nick Simeti is a product of the rich wrestling traditions of New York and New Jersey, with his journey dating back to 2008. As a former four-year varsity starter at Plymouth State University (NCAA Division III), he achieved impressive top-eight finishes at the North East Regional Tournament in the 157lb weight class for two consecutive years. Nick also earned Academic All-American and All-NEWA honors in 2018.
After graduating in 2018, Nick served as an assistant wrestling coach at Plymouth State University until 2022. Currently, he leads the Bellevue High School wrestling program as Head Coach and continues to contribute to public health through his work in epidemiology at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Alongside his professional achievements, Nick has also begun making a seamless transition into Jiu Jitsu, bringing his extensive wrestling experience into the sport.
Kenny Langwasser
JIU JITSU & NOGI SUBMISSION GRAPPLING
Shawn started training wrestling and submission grappling in 2011 at Ivan Salaverry MMA. This was an instrumental part of his competition career where he learned the importance of mental fortitude. After a break in 2013, Shawn returned to BJJ in 2019.
Shawn is an active competitor who enjoys taking on hard challenges and doing his best to rise to the occasion. In 2022 while competing as a brown belt in Masters 5, Shawn won two gold medals at Worlds No Gi, three gold medals at Pans and four gold medals at the American National. He received his black belt in December 2022, and went on to win a bronze medal at Pans in March 2023, his first competition at black belt.
Shawn has his bachelor’s degree in business and his master’s degree in accounting. He is the owner and CEO of Plaster Group, a 50-person management consulting firm in Seattle. He co-owns the Seattle MABJJ academy with Marcelo Alonso.
He is happily married to his wife, Leslie, and lives in Seattle, Washington with their three kids.
Shawn Plaster
JIU JITSU & NOGI SUBMISSION GRAPPLING
Kenny was born and raised in southern California where he spent a majority of his youth and early adulthood playing baseball. Legend has it this is where he developed his elite athleticism. Once he was done hitting absolute nukes on the baseball field he needed a new outlet to channel his energy toward and found martial arts. After dabbling in Muay Thai for a while, Kenny moved to Seattle in 2015 and found MABJJ - he was instantly hooked.
Kenny received his Black belt from Marcelo in June of 2023. He’s known for his stunning good looks, charming personality, and nasty reverse triangle from bottom side control. When he’s not being brutally roasted in the coaches group chat, he can be found on the mats leaving a wake of destruction and teaching white belts the “dark arts”.
His greatest grappling accomplishments, to date, include: a Gold Medal in the March 2023 Black Belt bracket at Grappling Industries (as a brown belt), and hitting the “move of the day” on coach Eddie Chou on January 13th 2023.
Cory Schutz
JIU JITSU & NOGI SUBMISSION GRAPPLING
Cory is a black belt under Marcelo Alonso. He has trained BJJ and submission wrestling for 10 years both here in Seattle and San Diego, CA.
Throughout Cory’s grappling and BJJ experience he’s competed in many regional gi and no gi tournaments here in the pacific northwest, as well as several IBJJF events. His most notable accomplishments in BJJ include winning Bronze at World Master and Gold at World Master No Gi both at Brown Belt.
Cory graduated from the University of Washington, works in business management and resides in Woodinville with his wife, twin daughters and two English bulldogs
