Stephen Takashima

Stephen Takashima is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with over a decade of grappling experience. After competing in wrestling throughout high school and college, Stephen began training Jiu-Jitsu in 2019 and quickly fell in love with the art. Since joining the Modern Martial Arts and Fitness team in 2021, he has continued to hone his Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling skills, and has developed into a truly well-rounded grappler with a passion for teaching.

Stephen is also an award-winning director and editor. With a human-centric approach to storytelling and a knack for blending genres, Stephen has crafted work that has gone on to play at Oscar-qualifying film festivals such as the Chicago International Film Festival and Hollyshorts. He recently completed post production on his first feature film, "Don't Kill My Vibe."

• BJJ Brown Belt under Justen Hamilton
• 2023 Jiu-Jitsu World League No-Gi Purple Belt Lightweight Champion
• Over ten years of grappling experience