Gracie United
Team Jucao Ascension

Professor Robbie Gautreaux is from Larose, Louisiana, where he was raised by a caring family of educators. He began his teaching career at the age of 12 by educating others on the many features of complex motor skills like swimming, gymnastics and acrobatics. He graduated from LSU in 2000 with his B.S. in Kinesiology, concentrating in the study of Human Movement Science with a minor in Psychology. While attending LSU, Professor Robbie had the honor of working under Tommy Moffitt, LSU’s current Assistant Athletic Director as well as one of the nation’s most renowned strength and conditioning coaches.

After college, Professor Robbie and his wife, Angela, moved to Ascension parish where the Gautreaux family settled back in the early 1800s. Professor Robbie is a professional member of the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and is the strength and conditioning coach to many of our Gracie United MMA fighters and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors. He received his Black Belt on April 14, 2019 from Jiu Jitsu legend, Professor Ailson “Jucao” Brites and Professor Rafael Ellwanger. He has been studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Ellwanger since January of 2009. He is a multiple time Louisiana and Mississippi State Champion and he finished with a silver medal in the IBJJF Masters World Championships in Long Beach, California, as a purple belt.

Since then, he has made it to the quarter finals twice as a brown belt at both the Master’s World Championships and the Pan American Championships. In 2015, he was ranked in the Top 10 in the world in his division. Professor Robbie founded Gracie United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of Ascension Parish in 2011. He is passionate about sharing his love of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with the community while maintaining a wholesome family environment focused on personal development and growth for all students. Come join us in meeting the best version of yourself!

Professor Aly Arn was born and raised in Michigan and moved to Louisiana in 2008. Once settled in, she started her career serving her community by becoming a Firefighter. While looking for an activity that would complement her career physically, she found Gracie United Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Here, she found the perfect outlet for her physical and mental health to keep up with her career.

Over the years, Professor Aly started stepping in to help teach the kid’s classes and then eventually the adults. Doing so, she found a way to give back to the BJJ community by sharing the knowledge, confidence, and discipline she has learned over the years. Professor Aly now, a brown belt teaches classes twice a week and competes for several times a year at IBJJF tournaments.

She has competed at many events over the years and is a 2x IBJJF Master World champion, an IBJJF Pan American Champion, and a multiple-time IBJJF International Open champion. She has found that taking herself out of her comfort zone to teach and compete has not only helped her grow as an individual and has also helped her grow in her profession.

Since Professor Aly has begun teaching, she learned how much it helped her with her Jiu Jitsu. She also learned how gratifying it is to see the growth and impact on the competency and self-esteem of her students at the fire academy and the Jiu Jitsu academy. She loves that she has inspired others to start to realize that they also want to help give back to the Jiu Jitsu community by helping around the Academy more.

Coach Rodney Hyatt has served his community as a Louisiana State Trooper since 1998. Throughout his career, he has dedicated his life to helping others through public service and the many charitable programs the Louisiana State Troopers Association offers. Always searching for ways to help others, Coach Rodney discovered Gracie United Ascension Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

After meeting the owner, Professor Robbie Gautreaux and the other instructors, Rodney knew that Gracie United was a family-oriented academy where he could trust his children would receive the highest level instruction in a safe environment. After witnessing Professor Robbie and the other instructors shape the lives of children, Coach Rodney decided that he could apply his dedication to helping others by providing students with life skills that could save their lives and make them more humble people.

Rodney believes that teaching BJJ allows him to give back to others by sharing the knowledge and skills he has acquired over the years. In addition, he says that he enjoys teaching children because it helps build their confidence, discipline, and respect for others. “I think it is essential for kids to learn these values at a young age; seeing them progress and grow to be better people has been gratifying. Confidence, discipline, and respect are core values that Professor believes in, and I believe teaching them makes the world a better place.”

Coach Rodney is an IBJJF Gold Medal Competitor as well as a student working on his PhD in criminal justice, investigating how BJJ can help Law enforcement officers to be safer and more effective.