Carlmichael Leiva

Coach Carlmichael began his grappling journey in 2012 as a high school wrestler, earning over 100 victories in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman competition within his first two years of training.

After transitioning to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2014, he trained under 7-time world champion Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu before co-founding Ground Game Theory alongside Keanoush Amirizadeh in 2022.

Prior to opening the academy, Carlmichael worked as a fintech research analyst while spending years studying high-level grappling strategy, skill acquisition, and coaching methodology. His coaching philosophy blends analytical thinking with an ecological approach that emphasizes live training, adaptive problem-solving, and realistic skill development.

Today, Carlmichael is recognized as one of South Florida's leading no-gi jiu jitsu instructors and is dedicated to building one of the region's premier submission grappling programs.