Luis Pantoja

Luis is the founder and head instructor at Estilo Jiu Jitsu. He’s a Third-Degree Black Belt, highly regarded as a technician both in his instruction and as a competitor. He received his black belt in 2009 under the tutelage of Mario and Fernando Yamasaki and Francisco Neto of the Yamasaki Academy.

With nearly 20 years of teaching experience, layered with over two decades spent testing his skills in competition, Luis has devoted his life's work to building a dedicated and supportive community of Jiu Jitsu practitioners in the heart of Washington, DC. In fact, under the umbrella of the Yamasaki Academy, Luis started Washington, DC’s very first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program.

His expert instruction is rooted in foundational, battle-tested skills and principles. His classes are structured to get students to actively engage in problem-solving and decision-making, where they think critically about a problem and then find how to implement an effective response that leads to a better position or submission. He has found that this process of skill acquisition through problem-solving, while extremely challenging, is more meaningful and exciting, and one that will best "stick" for students in the long-term.

Luis was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He has a degree in Sociology from George Mason University and is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.