NOLA BJJ is the premier Jiu Jitsu and grappling organization in the New Orleans area.
Under the guidance of 3rd degree BJJ black belt and World Champion Matthias Meister, NOLA BJJ is an organization of 4 schools in New Orleans, training hundreds of athletes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, Sambo, Kickboxing, and Eskrima. Promoted to black belt in Jiu Jitsu by Carlos Gracie, Jr, Professor Meister has cultivated the growth of NOLA BJJ to its current big beautiful size.
Professor Trautman, having spent many years of his life growing up in and doing his medical training in New Orleans, met Professor Meister years ago, and was drawn to his leadership style. Professor Meister has a deep wisdom as a martial artist, with a vision to recognize what each of his students needs to thrive, an empathic view of the world, and an unyielding strength. It is such a vital practice to pursue continued self improvement in life, and Professor Meister guides Professor Trautman’s journey of growth and improvement as a martial artist. For these reasons, Stardust Jiu Jitsu is a proud affiliate of NOLA BJJ.
The students of both Stardust Jiu Jitsu and NOLA BJJ share a rich history of perseverance. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the coast of Louisiana. This storm left New Orleans in ruins, costing most their homes and many their lives. During the weeks following the storm, emergency personnel from around the U.S. went from house to house searching for survivors. They marked the houses they searched by spray painting a large X with different annotations indicating if anyone had been found, dead or alive.
For New Orleans residents, this X has come to represent their city just as much as the Fleur de Lis or Superdome. It has come to symbolize the resilience, undying spirit, and sense of community amongst the citizens of New Orleans. In Memphis, many of the students of Stardust Jiu Jitsu are descendants of survivors of cataclysmic events, such as the 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic (which killed 5,000 people in the city of Memphis within a month), and the grizzly histories of slavery, lynchings, and Jim Crow. We will never forget what happened that fateful August in New Orleans, nor will we forget our ancestors in Memphis who suffered these horrors; but, more importantly, we will never forget that we all were able to persevere and overcome. It is for these reasons that NOLA BJJ adopted this X as their logo, and why we display this X at Stardust Jiu Jitsu.
Our school is a team and a community that can’t be broken. We will persevere through whatever hardships lie in front of us, we shall emerge stronger and closer than before, and we will be healers and protectors in our ever-divided world. This is NOLA BJJ!! This is Stardust Jiu Jitsu!!!
