Muay Thai Kickboxing Head Instructor

Mitch has been our Head Kickboxing instructor since Sept. 2024. His high-level of experience complimented by his friendly demeanour has made Mitch a fan favourite for Kickboxing.

• Started Kickboxing in 2012

• Began coaching in 2014

• 4 x Kickboxing fights

• 11 x MMA fights

• is a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Last week Alliance won double gold at the IBJJF World Master, Gold in the Women’s division and Gold in the men’s division.

It was an honour to be apart of this great event and supporting our Alliance teammates from all over the world and they supporting us.

Congratulations to all of the competitors and coaches.

We will be closed Saturday June 29th and Monday July 1st for the Canada Day Holiday Weekend. We will be back to our regular class schedule on Tuesday July 2nd.

We wish a fun and safe weekend with you and your friends and family.

Alliance has over 300 academies around the world. They came together at the IBJJF World Championships and did the unthinkable by winning the Team World Championships for an astounding 14th time.

All of the team winners combined in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu have not come near 14 x time World Champions.

The Alliance methodology of teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is taught in every school around the world.

Congratulations to all of the competitors and coaches who competed.

* Proud Coach Moment *

We had our kids competing at the BC Absolute in Kelowna in April We had 10 competitors and they brought back 8 medals, 4 x Gold Medals, 2 x Silver and 2 x Bronze medals. All the kids won their first matches but the ones that lost their second match had hard battles and showed the true spirit of future champions.

They did their team proud and we look forward to seeing them compete again in April in Kamloops and Kelowna.

#proudcoach #seanmchugh #proudcoachmoments #hardwork #kidsbjj #alliancekids #jitskids #kelownajiujitsu #bjjkelowna

Get a fully body workout while still learning real Muay-Thai Kickboxing.

Our May-Thai Kickboxing classes are all-levels so they are geared towards beginner/intermediate level of instruction. You’ll increase you muscular and cardiovascular strength and have fun while doing it. Your are going to get real Muay-Thai Kickboxing skills which is also one of best martial arts for self-defence.

Message us today to come and try a FREE class.

There will be no kids classes this Saturday April 27th.

The coaches will be supporting 15 of your teammates competing at the BC Absolute. Kids start at 9am sharp.

Come support your teammates and see some great matches. Wear an Alliance shirt to represent your team. The tournament is at PTT at 1835 Gordon Dr Unit #100. It’s free to be a spectator.

We had only a few competitors at the Champions Choice BJJ Series tournament in Kamloops last Saturday but everyone did the team proud.

We had 4 Kids compete and here are the results:

Mila - Gold in Gi and Gold in No-GI

Victoria - Gold in Gi

Beckett - Bronze in Gi

Kingston - Bronze in Gi

Adults we only had 2 competitors

Randa - Silver in Gi

Congratulations everyone!

Watch 6 year old Mila’s 9 x second Armbar win in her first match in her first ever Jiu-Jitsu tournament. Mila went on to win a Silver medal in Gi and a Gold medal in No-Gi.

We had 10 little warriors competing at the BC Absolute 2 weeks ago in Kelowna. They all fought their hearts out and brought back 8 medals to our club.

Results kids
Beckett - Gold
Blake - Gold
Victoria - Gold
Mila - Silver in Gi and Gold in No-Gi
Capri - Silver in No-Gi
Vivian - Bronze
Dion - Bronze

Good job everyone! Our team is so proud of all of you. 👍

A Kelowna sports psychology consultant was on the sidelines as UFC champion Raquel Pennington captured the bantamweight title at UFC 297 in Toronto last week.

Frazer Atkinson started Kaizen Mental Performance after obtaining his PhD in sport psychology and has spent the last four years building his business in the Okanagan

He works with athletes across several different sports to help maximize their mental performance in sport.

"It's an online sports psychology service that supports a range of athletes from high school, amateur and professional athletes to improve the mental side of sporting performance. I help with variables such as confidence, anxiety, motivation, grit and determination," explained Atkinson.

Before connecting with Atkinson, Pennington held a professional UFC fight record of 10-9, had lost three of her last four fights and was struggling mentally to compete to the best of her ability.

“Her record was very up and down," Atkinson said.

"Now it’s been consistent. For me it just highlights the importance of the mental side of performance and putting your trust and faith into an expert."

Before turning a corner and becoming the physical fighter she is today, Atkinson tells Castanet there's a whole different fight happening in the mind of Pennington and other athletes; a mental fight.

“There’s a lot of anxiety that comes about because it’s not playing chess or checkers. It’s fighting," he said.

"For anybody to get locked in a cage it’s a very daunting experience, so it’s trying to simplify it and not over exaggerate the scenario. Keep it on the nuances of the sport and making sure she feels confident and established."

Atkinson says prepping for a fight is one thing, but dealing with everything that comes with fight weekend is something else entirely.

With all eyes on the fighters, the weekend comes with extra demands that can be mentally exhausting, including the stress of weight-cutting, taking interviews, press conferences and dealing with the overall hustle and bustle of the event.

In Toronto, Pennington reached her goal of becoming UFC champion by defeating Mayra Bueno Silva in a 25-minute slugfest that ended by unanimous decision.

It was a physical battle for Pennington, but it was her mental strength that helped her take the championship fight to its absolute limit, staying calm and composed until the final bell.

“I went bananas when she won. I was very excited and happy when she won... It’s been a long journey, it’s been an emotional journey. I want to enjoy the moment, embrace it and see what we can do. We did it, there’s room for improvement, but it was a very fun and rewarding experience," said Atkinson.

We are closed Sunday Dec. 24th-Jan.1st.

We will be back fully open on Tues. Jan. 2nd 2024

From all of us at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Academy we wish you Happy Holidays.

Congratulations to Jimmy Maguire who earned his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt on Nov. 21st 2023.

Jimmy started his martial arts journey back in Ireland. After moving to Vancouver Jimmy found a home at Alliance Vancouver where he earned his Purple Belt from World BJJ Champion Thomas Lisboa. In 2018 Jimmy moved to Kelowna and joined the Alliance Kelowna Team.

Jimmy is the 6th x Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt we have at our academy.

Again our competitors did our team proud and showed their warrior spirit on the mats.

Here are the results of the BC Winter Absolute

We Had 6 Kid Competitors

• Vivian(first tournament) - Gold

• Dion - Gold

• Mass(first tournament) - Silver

• Bryson(first tournament) - Bronze

• Caitlin9first tournament) - Bronze

We had 5 Teenage Competitors

• Jack - Gold - algae a 11 second armbar win

• Tanner - Gold

• Darcy - Silver

• Ayden - 2 x Silver Medals

We only had 1 adult Competitor

• Keaton9first tournament) - 2 X Gold Medals

Kelowna has 3 x new Purple Belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Congradultations to Anthony, Jackson and Thomas who earned their Purple Belts with Alliance. They boys have been putting in the hard work and it’s paying off.

Good job fellas! Your team is proud of you.

We will be closed Saturday September 3rd and Monday September 5th for the labour Day Holiday Weekend. We will be back to our regular class schedule on Tuesday September 6th

Have a fun and safe time with your family and friends

Check out a heart warning review from one of our students who trained with us for 2 years and has finished University and moved to England. This is our 129th 5 x STAR Google Review.

If you’re interested at all in starting or improving your BJJ or learning kickboxing, Alliance Kelowna is the place to go. For context, I started there in March 2022 and trained consistently with Alliance until recently moving out of Kelowna.

From the moment I walked through the doors - despite knowing no one and having no previous martial arts/combat sports experience - I felt so welcomed and a part of the team there. Gym owners Sean and Melissa are some of the friendliest and most generous people I know - from when I first started, they helped me with anything I needed and were always encouraging of all questions. The culture at the gym is fantastic - everyone is friendly, respectful, and wants to help each other out. There is an atmosphere of encouragement so that everyone feels both motivated to try their best but also can take it at their own pace and within their personal comfort zone. I would highly recommend this gym for women wanting to train in particular - this is a very safe place for you!

All BJJ instructors I’ve had at Alliance (including Jimmy, Kristian, and Kody, and Kleber) are incredibly patient and also incredibly knowledgeable. The current coach, Kleber Brito, is a fourth degree black belt; he not only is very technically skilled but is an excellent teacher. He does a fantastic job of breaking down complex techniques into steps for beginners to understand, often adding extra detail for those more experienced, so that everyone can come away from class having learned something new. Kleber is always happy to roll with his students and always makes it a great learning experience for all levels.

I’d recommend this gym to everyone, regardless of experience. The high quality of instruction and wide variety of training partners at all belt levels helps create a great learning environment for anyone looking to compete, demonstrated by the many kids and adults bringing back metals from local competitions. I competed in BJJ twice under Alliance Kelowna at local BC Absolute competitions and felt very supported in the weeks leading up to them, with coaches and all training partners (especially higher belts) going out of their way to help me improve, discuss a game plan, and allow me to refine specific techniques.

My experience kickboxing with Alliance has also been phenomenal. My coach, Paul, has been an excellent teacher and mentor since I started. Similar to my BJJ experience, Paul was so patient and made me feel so comfortable and supported each class I took. He does a great job of teaching a class of mixed experience levels, such that you’ll learn something new regardless of skill level. There is the option (but no obligation) to live spar Wednesdays for the last ~15 mins at the end of class which really challenged me to improve in a safe and supportive environment. As with BJJ, there is a huge culture of respect and encouragement in these classes. In addition to these classes, Paul also has gone out of his way to support me when I inquired about sparring in boxing at a different gym to supplement my training. He volunteered time one-on-one with me to make sure I felt comfortable and prepared for boxing, which ultimately resulted in a fantastic and rewarding experience for me.

It’s also worth noting that the gym itself is very clean, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting any sort of infections from dirty mats (which I’ve heard horror stories about at other gyms!).

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about Alliance Kelowna. It was very bittersweet leaving this gym and the wonderful people who train there, but I hope this review will be the final step of encouragement for someone to take that scary first step and try out a free class! For someone with no prior experience - like me when I started - I would HIGHLY recommend giving Alliance Kelowna a shot. You won’t regret it!

Kate Arpin

Congratulations to Mike Griesbeck who was award his BJJ Black Belt By Kleber Brito and Sean McHugh on Saturday August 12th.

Our Alliance competitors represented at the BC Absolute.

Our competitors won many medals but more important win or lose, everyone showed the heart of champions.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support your team

Kids Results

• Hayden won Silver

• Brosi won Bronze

Adults/teens Results

• Eric won Gold and Bronze

• Kate won Gold

• Addison won a Silver and Bronze

• Luca won Silver

• Jackson won Bronze

Meet 4th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Kleber Brito. Kleber started as our new Head BJJ Instructor back in February of this year. He comes from an elite school in Sao Paulo Brazil Alliance Mooca. under the guidance of 2 x World Champion Luciano “Casquinha” Nucci

Kleber brings a wealth of knowledge to the mat but his attention to detail and easy going deminor makes him easy and fun to learn off.

Come out and try a free class today and see what all the excitement is about.

4th degree Black Belt Kleber Brito