About Us
About Us
INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE WHO
SERVE OUR COMMUNITIES
Pella Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to strengthening
our community by investing in the health, resilience, confidence, and preparedness.
Our mission goes beyond teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
We believe that those who protect, respond to, and care for our communities deserve access to high-quality
training and the resources they need to succeed.
Through our First Responder Defensive Tactics & Wellness Initiative, we provide substantially reduced-cost Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training to law-enforcement officers, first responders, and veterans.
We also partner directly with public-safety agencies to provide practical defensive-tactics and physical-control training.
Our instructors work alongside law enforcement, corrections, EMS, and other public-safety professionals as subject-matter experts, supplementing existing agency training programs or providing specialized instruction when requested. We have also contributed instruction through the Iowa State Patrol Academy and continue to develop partnerships with agencies throughout the region.
The need is clear.
Public-safety professionals regularly face physically demanding and potentially dangerous situations, while many agencies operate within limited training budgets. We believe financial limitations should never be the reason a first responder cannot access quality, practical training.
That is where community support makes a difference.
Donations and grant funding allow us to compensate qualified instructors, provide training at no cost to agencies, purchase portable training equipment, bring instruction directly to public-safety organizations, and expand access to wellness and training opportunities for first responders and veterans.
Our goal is to build a sustainable regional program that can serve more agencies,
train more personnel, and create a lasting investment in the people who protect and serve our communities.
When you support Pella Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you are not simply supporting a martial arts organization. You are investing in the people who answer the call when our communities need them most.
Our mission is simple:
Train. Serve. Strengthen.
We are committed to being a resource for our public-safety partners, a place of support for those who serve, and a positive force in the communities around us.
Our Instructors
Daniel Robbins
Black Belt BJJ
Black Belt Shinkendo
Black Belt Bojutsu
Black Belt Toyama Ryu
Black Belt Akido
Brown Belt Judo
Daniel Robbins is an Army veteran who began training in martial arts at 13, studying Japanese disciplines under a dojo affiliated with Sensei Obata Toshishiro. He earned black belts in Aikido, Shinkendo, and Toyama Ryu before serving as a combat medic in the U.S. Army (2008–2012), completing two deployments to Afghanistan and receiving the Bronze Star with Valor. He was honorably discharged as a Sergeant.
After his service, Daniel returned to martial arts, focusing on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and earned a Bachelor of Science from Upper Iowa University. He trained extensively, including a year at the University of Jiu Jitsu in San Diego, and later at Victory MMA under Jocko Willink and Dean Lister. In 2023, he received his BJJ black belt from Jason Clarke. Daniel remains passionate about training and teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and combat martial arts.
Matt Trout
Brown Belt BJJ
Matthew Trout began training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2018 while stationed in South Korea, starting in a small on-base gym and competing in Seoul later that year. He continued training and competing while stationed in Oklahoma and returned to Korea in 2019, earning his blue belt that same year.
After leaving active duty in 2020, he moved to Pella, Iowa, commuting long distances to train until co-founding Pella BJJ in 2021 with friends. What began in a garage grew into a community-focused gym. In 2025, he earned his brown belt under Daniel Robbins and continues to train, teach, and support others through BJJ.
Rylen Priest
Brown Belt BJJ
Black Belt Judo
Rylen Priest is a judo black belt of the 1st degree. He started training at the age of 9 in 2010 in Altoona, Iowa in the garage of his instructor Brett Parkhill. He trained with Sensei Parkhill at what is now Des Moines Judo and Sambo for 8 years reaching the 1st degree of black in 2018. He has trained in several grappling sports including Sambo and Jiu Jitsu, but Judo has been his main source of experience.
Rylan earned his Brown in BJJ Aug 2025
Our Media
926 Opportunity Place, Pella Iowa 50219
