Big news out of The Academy Toronto: Sifu Justin Chin has officially qualified for the JJIF Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, taking place August 21-23 in Zadar, Croatia. Justin will be representing Canada on the world stage, and representing our gym while he does it.

Justin isn’t just one of our coaches, he’s one of the founders of The Academy. He started this gym with zero members and took a real risk building it from the ground up. Years later, that risk has turned into a program with incredible fighters coming up through the ranks, a genuine lineage of Sanda kickboxers, and a growing list of MMA fighters coached out of our gym who are making a name for themselves.

Justin is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a Sifu in Sanda kickboxing, and he teaches our No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu/MMA class here at The Academy in Midtown Toronto. He’s been a martial artist his whole life, starting with Kung Fu as a kid before finding his way into grappling and kickboxing, and that lifelong foundation shows in how he coaches: calm, technical, and genuinely invested in every student who walks through our doors.

What makes this qualification even more impressive is what Justin balances to get there. He has a full-time job. He’s a husband and a father to twin daughters. And he still finds the time, and the discipline, to train at a level that earns a spot representing his country at Worlds. If you’ve ever told yourself you don’t have time to train, Justin’s story is a pretty good argument against that excuse.

Here’s how you can help. Justin needs training partners to get fight-ready before he leaves for Croatia. Come to our open mats, every Saturday at 12pm, and give him good competitive rounds. Every round matters when you’re getting ready for Worlds.

We’ll be sharing updates as the competition gets closer. Follow along on our Instagram and check back here on the blog.

Congratulations, Justin. Go represent Canada, and represent The Academy.